The latest releases reviewed
WESTCHESTER JAZZ ORCHESTRA All In WJO ****
Westchester, just north of New York City, seems too affluent and well- heeled to accommodate enough jazz musicians to fill a big band as outstanding as this. Whatever.
With such luminous talents as Marvin Stamm, Jim Rotondi, Keith O'Quinn and Ted Rosenthal, and Jason Rigby and Mike Migliore offering contrasting tenors, this is a hugely impressive, swinging unit. Specially commissioned charts of originally small-group material by Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, Bill Evans and John Coltrane add to the spice; there's even a wry blues send-up of the old Glenn Miller hit In the Mood, and a buoyant take on George Harrison's Here Comes the Sun.
Some writing may be a tad elaborate, but it's all executed with awesome precision. The best pieces come from Mike Holober, Pete McGuinness and Ed Xiques. www.westjazzorc.org
RAY COMISKEY
JOÃO LENCASTRE Communion One Fresh Sound ***
Recorded part live, part studio and led by Portuguese drummer Lencastre, Communion One is worth hearing for one reason above all others: Bill Carrothers.
This marvellously original talent is head and shoulders above anyone else in the quintet, inspiring his capable but not notably arresting colleagues.
The sense of discovery on the long exploration of Ornette Coleman's Lonely Woman is created by Carrothers (his solos are hauntingly superb) and his contribution to the free episodes are freshly conceived yet rigorously focused.
Particularly striking is the way he leads the spontaneously conceived Communion 2 into perhaps the best group performance, Summertime, and Communion 3 into Björk's New World, where the faltering charm of Phil Grenadier's trumpet gets a chance to shine. Uneven, but Carrothers is special. www.freshsoundrecords.com
RAY COMISKEY
BOB MINTZER Bop Boy Explore ***
Heavily influenced by Coltrane and Michael Brecker, Mintzer is one of the strongest, most seasoned tenor saxophonists and bass clarinetists around.
Backed by Steve Kuhn (piano), Eddie Gomez (bass) and Steve Gadd (drums), he is a model of consistency when handling a repertoire of standards and originals, a near-flawless powerhouse of drive and imagination on one of those sessions where everybody plays well without quite producing anything really memorable.
The standards come off best, especially the brisk, no-nonsense readings of Invitation and Speak Low, where the momentum carries the quartet into extended codas, as if they were reluctant to let the moment go. And Mintzer switches to bass clarinet for some contrast on St James Infirmary and Why Did I Choose You. www.musicconnection.org.uk RAY COMISKEY
