Artist: Dave Eshelman's Jazz Garden Big Band
Album: When Dreams Come True
Genre: Modern Big Band
Label: Sea Breeze Jazz
Released: 1993
Quality: FLAC (tracks+.cue)
Tracklist:
- Firm Roots (Walton) - 5:52
- We'll Never Say Goodbye (Eshelman) - 7:33
- Love You Madly (Ellington) - 6:20
- Tumbao Nuevo (Eshelman) - 6:25
- Old Folks (Hill-Robison) - 6:53
- When Dreams Come True (Eshelman) - 7:06
- Invitation (Kaper) - 7:14
- Bb Blues in F (Eshelman) - 7:06
- Mystique (Eshelman) - 6:54
- Original Rays (Brecker-Stern-Grolnick) - 8:01
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- Personnel:
- Mary Fettig, Rory Snyder, Paul Contos, Dan Zinn, Bob Farrington, Bennett Friedman - saxophones, woodwinds
- Marvin McFadden - lead trumpet, flugelhorn
- Bill Resch, Steve Campos, Dan Buegeleisen - trumpet, flugelhorn
- John Russell, Dave Martell - lead trombone
- Dave Eshelman, Chip Tingle (#1,2,4-8), Dave Gregoric (#3,9,10) - trombone
- Phil Zahorsky - bass trombone
- Susan Muscarella (#1,3,4,6,9,10), Smith Dobson (#2,5,7,8) - piano
- Tim Volpicella - guitar
- Seward McCain - bass, electric bass
- Russ Tincher - drums
- Michael Spiro - congas (#4)
- Dennis Cooper - vibes (#10)
- Steve Parker - oboe (#10)
- Dominic Teresi - bassoon (#10)
- Larry Osborne - French horn (#10)
- Tony Clements - tuba (#10)
Stellar trombonist, composer, and leader Dave Eshelman continues to bring the best of modern big band arrangements to the attention of the jazz public with his Jazz Garden Big Band. In their 16th year when this album was cut in 1991, the band is home to top California studio and performing jazz artists. One hears in this aggregation touches of Stan Kenton (in the voicing) on such cuts as "Mystique" and the modernism of Gil Evans on other tracks such as "Original Rays," where the band is augmented by a French horn, bassoon, tuba, and oboe, recalling Evans' days as arranger for Claude Thornhill. Not only is the ensemble playing extraordinary, but the solos test the imagination and technical skills of each player who's put front and center. Showing no reluctance to let another trombonist share the spotlight, Eshelman has Dave Martell out front on Cedar Walton's "Firm Roots." Pianist Susan Muscarella also has a lot to say on the track. The play list brings out the diversity of the arrangements. "When Dreams Come True," featuring the daring tenor of Daniel Zinn, written as a sonata, shows another aspect of Eshelman's composing and arranging. A slightly swinging "Love You Madly" has the nicely modulated flugelhorn of Steve Campos taking the lead, while the standard "Old Folks" gets a fresh coat of paint with Eshelman's a cappella trombone wielding the brush. Irrespective of tracks, all the music has a modern quality to it, which means there is some dissonance, off-center harmonics, and contemporary ideas reflected in the arrangements. The Jazz Garden Big Band must be considered a leader in the formation and presentation of big band music in the modern creative vein. Recommended.
Review by Dave Nathan