Hindsight Reviews

With “Jazz Happenings” being a new blog, I wanted to introduce a new concept to a blog covering Jazz: the “Hindsight Review”.

While not being born until the mid-1960's, the bulk of the most important Jazz albums ever recorded were recorded before my time. I am pre-dated by “Kind Of Blue”, “Giant Steps”, “Bird With Strings”, “Way Out West”, and MANY others. Though these classics are older than I am, it doesn't diminish the way that I enjoy them, much like they are enjoyed by many others who are even younger than I am.

In addition to discussing new releases, the idea is to talk about some albums that have been around awhile. Some will be a few years old, some nearly a century old, and everything in between. I hope to bring about awareness of some great music that may have escaped the notice of even the most ardent of Jazz fans. Let's face it: not everybody has heard every Jazz album ever released, right? To some of you, at times, you may benefit from hearing about a release that you want to check out.

The goal is to expose you, the listener, to some things that may be unfamiliar to you, whether you are too young to have heard them upon their original release or, through no fault of your own, the album discussed just “slipped through the cracks”, and you never heard it.

I also hope to add a different perspective to some of these recordings. As a Saxophonist/Composer/Arranger, I have had the benefit of hearing masters of their craft, play and write some music that has had a major impact on me. Most of the time, I learned by repeated listenings to an album, maybe a track, perhaps even a passage of a tune, all the while, many of these were known to the public before I was ever born. The world has changed a lot since many of the classics that I will discuss were released, even in the format by which I heard them the first time, the hundredth time, even the last time. It is with all of this in mind that I hope to share some thoughts on some great music, with the benefit of hindsight, as well as access to more information than generations before me ever enjoyed.

Generally speaking, while everybody has their favorite albums, Jazz fans are always looking for something new, but something new doesn't always mean “new release”. A lot of times it can mean “new to YOU”. It is with this in mind that I hope to share some music that deserves more public acclaim than has been accorded to many of these great performers.

Stay tuned for the first of what, hopefully, will be many “Hindsight Reviews”...

By Brent Vaughan

Jack Cooper - Mists: Charles Ives For Jazz Orchestra

In a day and time where it is difficult to hear music that is original, with a sense of adventure and possessing real substance, it is refreshing to hear Jack Cooper's “Mists: Charles Ives For Jazz Orchestra” (2014, Planet Arts).

In hearing the previous works of Cooper, you hear a man who is equally adept at writing in virtually any genre. Primarily a Saxophonist/Multi-Reed player, he is equally at home in the Classical field (writing Orchestral works, pieces for Wind Ensemble and Chamber Music) as he is in the realm of composing and arranging Jazz. He is a much-published composer and arranger, with over a hundred published works throughout his career.

“Mists...” is the second album that Cooper has dedicated to a single composer, preceded by “Jazz Reflections Of Cole Porter” (2003, Summit Records), by the Jazz Orchestra Of The Delta, featuring Trumpeter Marvin Stamm. (This album is also worth seeking out!)

It is easy to understand why the works of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin,Rodgers & Hart, Rodgers & Hammerstein, the Gershwins, and many others, are often given new treatments by virtually every arranger on the planet. These were popular tunes during their time that have stood the test of time.

What sets “Mists...” apart is the daunting task of adapting the music of Charles Ives. Ives was largely ignored during his own lifetime. He was a true original, yet his music, during his own lifetime, was not as accessible to the public as many of his contemporaries. His harmonic concepts and forays into atonality were quite startling to the public at the time they were written. His work, however, has seen a renaissance throughout the latter part of the 20thCentury and he has begun to receive his rightful place in the pantheon of great artists in the world of Classical Music.

Throughout the last hundred-plus years, many Classical works have been adapted to Jazz-oriented groups, large and small. With the release of “Mists...”, we hear why this adaptation of the music of Charles Ives makes so much sense: because Ives had a Jazz sensibility, based upon his truly unique harmonic concept, not to mention the influences of the European Classical influence, blues, spirituals, hymns, brass bands, Stephen Foster, transcendentalism, etc., all of which are the backbone of what Jazz is all about, that appeals to the ears of Jazz Musicians.

“Mists...” has been decades in the making. Born as a dissertation at the University Of Texas in 1997, “The Cage” was the first of Ives' works that Cooper adapted for Jazz Orchestra, followed by “The Last Reader” and “Tom Sails Away”.

With “Mists...”, you hear a wide array of influences, including Thad Jones, Bob Florence, Bob Brookmeyer, Manny Albam, Bill Holman, and Dee Barton, among others. The album comes across as a virtual history of the great tradition of Jazz Orchestration, dating back nearly a century. Most importantly,however, though it is the Music of Charles Ives, this is ultimately heard as pure Jack Cooper, putting his indelible stamp on some truly important music.

With a lineup of some of the premiere session players in New York,”Mists...” is a true concept album. From track to track, the album re-tells the story of a true giant of the rich history of American music in a new, exciting way.

“Mists: Charles Ives For Jazz Orchestra” is a true piece of 21stCentury Americana. It is the work of a giant of American music and played by some of the best American Musicians who are known world-wide for their performance excellence, as you will easily find evident on this recording.

On top of all of that, you will be treated to the musical vision of a man who truly believed in presenting this vital music to the whole world in an exciting, new and accessible way. Jazz and Classical fans alike should rejoice in the brilliance that Jack Cooper brings with the release of an album that should be given a lot of attention in America and beyond. This is the most exciting new release by a large ensemble in the field of Jazz of 2014, and will be a marvelous addition to any music collection and a real treat to discerning ears.

I can't rate this album high enough. Congrats to Mr. Cooper and his great Orchestra for a true masterpiece!

Here is the concept of the album, as discussed by Jack Cooper:

Here is the track, "Watchman!", as it was being recorded in New York:

Here is a link to the Planet Arts website, with sample recordings of "Mists", the title track, as well as "The Cage":

 http://www.planetarts.org/recording-samples.html

1) Mists

2) The Last Reader

3) The Children's Hour (Dedicated to Manny Albam)

4) Tom Sails Away

5) The Camp-Meeting

6) Watchman!

7) At The River

8) The Cage

Arranged and Conducted by Jack Cooper

Saxophones

Alto - Billy Drewes (lead)

Alto - Andrew Halchak

Tenor - Ivan Renta

Tenor - Peter Brainin

Baritone - Chris Karlic

Trumpets

Nick Marchionne (lead)

John Walsh

Jim Seeley

Scott Wendholt

Guest soloist - Terell Stafford

Trombones

John Mosca (lead)

Luis Bonilla

Rey David Alejandre

Frank Cohen (bass, all except #3)

Douglas Purviance (bass #3, #8)

Piano/Hammond B3 Organ - Randy Ingram

Guitar - Alex Wintz

Bass - Andy McKee

Drums and percussion - Vince Cherico

Reviewed by Brent Vaughan