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Billboard
- November 20, 1999
- "…the true star of this
stellar recording is the arrangements
themselves, which feature individual
solo statements displayed within a
tersely structured environment. The
band swings with gleeful abandon, as
energetic bop inspired solos dance
within the more traditional big-band
melodies. Far from a nostalgia act,
this 16-piece orchestra is the real
deal, a living testament to the beauty
and artistry of big-band music."
CD NOW
– CMJ NEW MUSIC REVIEW
- "The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is
a Monday night tradition in New York
City's venerated Village Vanguard.
This current project explores the
legacy of the late bop trumpeter Thad
Jones, a co-founder of the Vanguard
Orchestra…It's a very swinging and
sophisticated large band, which is
hard to find these days."
LOS
ANGELES TIMES – December 5, 1999 –
By: Don Heckman
- "…the music continues, as it
has for more than three decades,
primarily as an expression of Jones'
remarkable composition and arranging
skills, brilliantly performed by an
ensemble of Manhattan's most adept
jazz players. The works
included--Jones' lovely waltz
"Quiet Lady," his
multi-sectional "Central Park
North" and his technically
demanding "Fingers" among
them--have been recorded by earlier
installments of the Jazz Orchestra.
But these refreshingly alive new
interpretations, with brilliant
soloing from, among numerous others,
tenor saxophonist Rich Perry,
trombonist John Mosca and pianist Jim
McNeely, powerfully underscore Jones'
still not fully acknowledged
compositional brilliance."
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