WDR Big Band: Bluegrass
The concept of marrying bluegrass with another musical genre isn’t new. Aaron Copland’s Hoe-Down, written in 1942 for the ballet Rodeo, incorporated the traditional folk song Bonaparte’s Retreat as a central theme. There have been several examples of jazz meets country including Sonny Rollins’ Way Out West (Contemporary, 1957) covering numbers such as I’m An Old Cowhand and Wagon Wheels. Gary Burton’s Tennessee Firebird (RCA, 1967) featured the likes of Buddy Emmons on steel guitar and “Mister Guitar” Chet Atkins. John Scofield also merged the two genres together in his highly acclaimed Country For Old Men (Impulse! 2016).
This WDR Big Band venture, arranged and directed by Yellowjackets saxophonist Bob Mintzer, follows this tradition and features two American stars of bluegrass – violinist Darol Anger and mandolinist and guitarist Mike Marshall – who have frequently worked together. Recorded five years ago as a concert performance spanning some 70 minutes, Bluegrass is released on multiple formats including double vinyl album.
Since its inception in 1956, the Cologne-based WDR has collaborated with many jazz stars including Joe Zawinul, Billy Cobham and Ron Carter. Mintzer, its chief conductor since 2016, admitted that when he was approached by the band’s manager Arnd Richter with the idea of doing a bluegrass project he was “immediately intrigued”.
Of the nine pieces featured on the album two are traditional, the remaining seven penned variously by Anger, Marshall and Mintzer. Marshall’s ebullient opener Slip And Slide has Karolina Strassmayer’s energetic alto solo followed by Marshall on fluid mandolin, an instrument rarely heard in a big-band context. Anger leads with fiddle on two segued traditional tunes (Elzic’s Farewell and Yew Piney Mountain), the former featuring an irresistible near Brecker Brothers riff whilst the latter is more traditional with a Scottish/Irish reel feel, replete with breakneck-speed violin; it eventually leads to a finale repeating the first tune’s hook. The second traditional piece, Down In The Willow, is led by Anger and subtly augmented by the ensemble. Mintzer’s breezy composition Green Lawn sees him soloing on tenor and on Anger’s fiendishly catchy Emy In The Woods Andy Hunter gives a warm trombone solo followed by Mintzer on a synth-sounding EWI and Marshall on mandolin.
Anger’s solo on his Replace It All demonstrates how bluesy bluegrass can be – unsurprising really, since both stem from American roots music. On Marshall’s arpeggio-rich In The Lion’s Den Anger’s virtuosic violin contrasts satisfyingly with the lushness of the big band. There are also robust solos from Marshall on mandolin and Paul Heller on tenor. The impressive transition of the overtly bluegrass opening and ending of Marshall’s Dexter into an unequivocal jazz number is a perfect example of the successful fusion of the genres with standout solos from Billy Test on piano, Mintzer on tenor and Anger on mesmeric violin.
On the closer Borealis, Marshall solos on acoustic guitar and Mintzer on EWI whilst Anger’s violin brings proceedings to a rumbustious finale. Throughout, Mintzer’s superb arrangements combine with imaginative compositions and outstanding performances to make this an extraordinarily compelling album.
Discography
Slip And Slide; Down In The Willow Garden; Elzic’s Farewell/Yew Piney Mountain; Emy In The Woods; Green Lawn; Replace It All; In The Lion’s Den; Dexter; Borealis ((70.37)
Bob Mintzer (arr, cond, EWI, ts); Darol Anger (vn); Mike Marshall (md, g); Wim Both, Ruud Breuls, Andy Haderer, Martin Reuthner (t); Ludwig Nuss, Tim Hepburn, Andy Hunter, Mattis Cederberg (tb); Johan Hörlén, Karolina Strassmayer, Jeremy Powell, Paul Heller, Jens Neufang (s); Billy Test (p); John Goldsby (b); Dominik Raab (d). Cologne, December 2021.
MCG Jazz MCGJ1061 (CD, also available as 2xLP)
Mike Bruzzese: Another Space
Montreal born and raised, Mike Bruzzese began playing guitar at the age of 12. With bachelor and master music degrees from McGill University under his belt he has collaborated with the likes of Louis Hayes and Lenny White. His previous, debut album, was Even When I’m Dreaming (Bent River Records, 2022).
The opener The Elements has a relaxed modal feel driven by mid-tonal sparse guitar chords allowing ample room for solos from Bruzzese and the Coltrane-inspired Ben Solomon on tenor, formerly a member of Wallace Roney’s group for five years. Antibes has a different feel, slower than its predecessor, the aural canvas backdropped by subtly rumbling drums and a repeated motif over which Solomon lays deft tenor while Bruzzese picks delicate guitar notes. The quartet patently gels seamlessly, creating a cohesiveness throughout. Bruzzese’s comping never becomes fussy, allowing Solomon the freedom to play expansively.
Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life acts as an interlude between the otherwise all-instrumental tracks. Laura Anglade’s warm, confident vocals imbue the standard with a richness whilst Solomon and Bruzzese contribute relaxed solos. Light Bulb is a breezy boppy tune which draws lively soloing from the frontline protagonists and a pizzicato solo by bassist Mike De Masi. The session concludes with Solomon’s composition Generalife that fades in and out with the saxophonist providing a feisty solo while Bruzzese’s contribution alternates between comping and single-note lines. Bruzzese’s sophomore release is a good one and holds the listener’s attention at all times. He’s done well to showcase Solomon, who proves a formidable sparring partner.
Discography
(1) The Elements; Antibes; Blues 975; Anomaly; (2) Lush Life; (1) Hillcrest; Light Bulb; Generalife (60.00)
(1) Bruzzese (elg); Ben Solomon (ts); Mike De Masi (b); Adam Arruda (d). Montreal, no date. (2) same, add Laura Anglade (v).
Bent River Records
Phil Haynes, Ben Monder, Peyton Pleninger: Terra
The debut performance and live recording of this improvising trio took place at Bucknell University’s Natalie Davis-Rooke Recital Hall initiated by drummer Phil Haynes, whose debut on QB (Alvas, 1984) with the Paul Smoker trio featured guest artist Anthony Braxton. Though Haynes, guitarist Ben Monder (who has recorded with Donny McCaslin, David Bowie and others) and saxophonist Peyton Pleninger had not played together before, Haynes and Monder had collaborated decades ago in New York and more recently produced the live recording Transition[s] (Corner Store Jazz, 2025) based on Coltrane’s tune Transition. Haynes discerned a distinct chemistry between him and Pleninger, who had previously worked with saxophonist Steve Coleman and also as Milton Graves’ mentee from the spring of 2019 until the drummer’s death in 2021.
Almost a minute elapses at the start of Moonrise / Aurora / Starlit / Meteor before much audible sound is heard. There is a palpable sense of collective concentration as the three protagonists render sparse statements, but there’s more cohesion by the middle of the piece, the music interspersed with spectral, voice-like cries from Pleninger’s saxophone. As the near 20-minute track progresses so the respective contributions from the trio become bolder, ending with Monder’s guitar feedback. Monder and Pleninger open Vision Quest / Three Visitors with a semi-menacing duet, Haynes gradually introducing percussion. The dreamy Skylark is the nearest the trio gets to a ballad, underscored by Monder’s lithe guitar fingerpicking and Pleninger’s wistful tenor. Borealis / Showers / Dreams / Dawn sees all three playing in a unified but controlled melée, the piece oscillating between frenetic and hypnotic, Haynes underpinning the whole and providing an essential fluid link.
Discography
Moonrise / Aurora / Starlit / Meteor; Vision Quest / Three Visitors; Skylark; Borealis / Showers / Dreams / Dawn (61.50)
Haynes (d, pc); Monder (elg, elec); Pleninger (ts, pc). Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, 1 March, 2025.
Corner Store Jazz
