Bob Anderson

The Bob Mintzer Big Band has been a part-time affair for the past 18 years, but somehow the orchestra always manages to sound like a regularly working band. The premise behind Gently was to have the Mintzer Big Band playing at a lower volume, with lyrical arrangements by the leader, along with a greater use of muted brass and flutes. However the orchestra still romps in places and the tempos vary. The big band (which boasts impressive musicianship) features solos from Mintzer on tenor, trumpeters Scott Wendholt, and Michael Mossman, trombonist Michael Davis, pianist Phil Markowitz, altoist Pete Yellin and others, with drummer Peter Erskine driving the ensembles.

When one hears of an album titled Big Band Trane, it is assumed that the music will either be of songs by John Coltrane orchestrated for a full big band or pieces performed in his style. As it turns out, the Bob Mintzer Big Band only plays three tunes that have anything to do with the great tenor ("My Favorite Things," "A Love Supreme-Acknowledgment" and "Impressions") along with seven unrelated Mintzer originals. The leader himself does not solo on any of the 'Trane pieces and, despite some fiery soprano by Roger Rosenberg on "My Favorite Things," those three songs are disappointingly routine with the orchestra sounding like a professional college stage band.

Bob Mintzer has led big bands off and on since the late 1970s, in addition to small groups and working as a part of the jazz fusion band the Yellowjackets. These sessions open with his colorful "'Swing Out," a forward-thinking chart in the mold of Bob Brookmeyer's large ensemble writing. "Each Day" is an upbeat number with a gospel undercurrent, while "Swangalang" is an infectious midtempo blues.

The Manchester Craftsman's Guild in Pittsburgh offers another rousing live concert date in this varied program led by the eclectic saxophonist who is best known as one of the Yellowjackets – but whose early résumé also boasts everyone from Tito Puente to Thad Jones and the Mel Lewis Big Band. A dash here and a dollop there of each of these influences make this a varied date whose appeal extends beyond big-band fans and embraces those who love bebop, a touch of the avant-garde, the progressive spirit of the Yellowjackets (most notably Russell Ferrante, who contributes stunning percussive solos on pieces like the crazed, polyrhythmic "Mofongo"), and the great contemporary vocalist Kurt Elling.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Uprising Live! (2014) [2CD] {Eagle Rock}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 784 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 262 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 20 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2014 Eagle Rock / Rockpalast | EAGDV 040
Reggae / Political Reggae / Roots Reggae / Rocksteady / Ska

The Uprising Tour ran in Europe from May 30th to July 13th 1980 with five further dates in the USA in September. It was Bob Marley s last tour before his tragically early death in May 1981 at the age of just 36. The tour was in support of the Uprising album released on June 10th 1980. A few days later on June 13th the live show from Dortmund s Westfalenhalle was filmed for the famous German music TV series Rockpalast and is presented here on DVD and CD for the first time with footage restored to the best possible quality. Bob Marley and the Wailers are on superb form and deliver a set of hit singles and classic album tracks. Marley s energetic, charismatic performance gives no indication that he was already ill with the cancer that would take his life less than a year later.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a tale of adventure on the open road. When Dante and Randal (of Clerks fame) get a restraining order to keep the punchy Jay and his hetero life-mate, Silent Bob, from selling drugs in front of the Quick Stop convenience store, their lives are suddenly empty. They find new purpose when their friend, Brodie, informs them a movie is being made featuring two infamous characters based on their likenesses.

Uprising would be the final studio album featuring Bob Marley & the Wailers to be released during Marley's lifetime. Prophetically, it also contains some of the band's finest crafted material, as if they were cogent that this would be their final outing. The album's blend of religious and secular themes likewise creates a very powerful and singular quest for spirituality in a material world. Although it is argued that an album's graphic design rarely captures the essence of the work inside, the powerful rebirthing image of a rock solid Marley emerging with his arms raised in triumph could not be a more accurate visual description of the musical jubilation within. Musically, the somewhat staid rhythms often synonymous with reggae have been completely turned around to include slinky and liquid syncopation.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a tale of adventure on the open road. When Dante and Randal (of Clerks fame) get a restraining order to keep the punchy Jay and his hetero life-mate, Silent Bob, from selling drugs in front of the Quick Stop convenience store, their lives are suddenly empty. They find new purpose when their friend, Brodie, informs them a movie is being made featuring two infamous characters based on their likenesses.

Though Bob Wills has long been heralded as a country-music icon (an inspiration for artists from Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson through Lyle Lovett and Asleep at the Wheel, and toasted by Waylon Jennings in "Bob Wills Is Still the King"), the Texas fiddler considered himself more of a jazz bandleader. The Texas Playboys' signature dance-floor style of Western swing encompassed blues, jazz, country, and pop standards, with a sophistication at odds with the era's image of "hillbilly music."