This beautifully rehearsed band is made up from that delightful group of musicians who, 10 years ago, provided the pool from which people like Gerry Mulligan drew when they wanted to make up a big band. The group is still there, but presumably by now another group will have come up behind them. Where on earth do all these musicians find work?
Mintzer’s writing has always appealed to me ever since it first appeared in the Buddy Rich band during the seventies. As far as his tenor playing goes he is the least tiresome of the Coltrane-derived players, having a softer tone than the others, and, as he implied in his interview with Mark Gilbert (JJI, May, 1994) a distaste for parroted ‘licks’.
He delights in writing for a big band and the music is finely detailed. Criticism has been levelled against the band because it is ‘too polished’. This is unfair, because it implies a lack of emotion in its work. Mintzer’s ideas, both melodic and rhythmic, are stimulating and fresh and his musicians well schooled in them. As a result, I think that this is probably the band’s best album yet.
Certainly the solo team is at its strongest to date (although Mintzer takes most of the space available for himself). Mintzer thinks highly of altoist Pete Yellin and Yellin responds with a jumping alto solo on the romping Big Show, a fine-wrought retrospect of the big band era. I could have done without Michael Frank’s androgynous-like vocal on My Foolish Heart, which, to me, sits ill with the rest of the music.
As with all DMP issues the recording is particularly clear and well balanced.
Discography
(2) Dialogue; (2) The Big Show; (3) My Foolish Heart; (1) Freedom Land; (2) Joshua; (4) Horns Alone; (2) Sunset; (2) Children’s Song; (1) Meeting Of The Minds; (1) Vision/City Of Hope (64.21)
(1) Marvin Stamm, Laurie Frink, Tim Hagens, Bob Millikan, Mike Mossman (t, flh); Dave Bargeron, Mike Davis, Keith O’Quinn, Dave Taylor (tb); Bob Mintzer, Lawrence Feldman, Bob Malach, Roger Rosenberg, Pete Yellin (reeds, fl); Phil Markowitz (p); Lincoln Goines (b); Peter Erskine (d); Sammy Figueroa (perc). New York City, September, 1993.
(2) Jim McNeely (p) replaces Markowitz, John Riley (d) replaces Erskine and Michael Formanek (b) replaces Goines.
(3) as (2) plus Michael Frank (v).
(4) as (1) minus p, b, d, perc.
(DMP CD-493)
