Paul Desmond & Dave Brubeck: Take 5 | Wdr Big Band

Two stars of international jazz, an amazing orchestra, a truly fresh repertoire and outstanding arrangements developed for a unique event to take place: the meeting of Antonio Sanchez on drums, Vince Mendoza as conductor and arranger and the WDR Big Band. Two invaluable CDs packed with everything you may dream)when you are about to listen to such a stellar Big Band that is conducted by a genius like Mendoza and plays music by an undisputed giant like Sanchez.

The source of the giant, South African-born pianist/composer Abdullah Ibrahim's genius is his orchestral piano style, derived from the ducal sound of his mentor/discoverer, Duke Ellington. So it's only fitting that Bombella, Ibrahim's follow-up to his 2008 Sunny Side/Intuition debut, Senzo, showcases Ibrahim's powerful pianism with the world-acclaimed WDR Big Band Cologne, recorded live in March/April of 2008 in Germany, performing a well programmed potpourri of selections from the leader's dancing and diverse catalog.

Marshall Gilkes & WDR Big Band - Always Forward (2018) {Alternate Side Records ‎ASR 010}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - Official Digital Download (bandcamp.com) -> 472 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 190 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 2018 Westdeutscher Rundfunk / Alternate Side Records | ‎ASR 010
Jazz / Modern Big Band / Progressive Jazz / Modern Arrangement / Trombone

Trombonist, composer and arranger Marshall Gilkes released his first album with the Cologne-based WDR Big Band in 2015. Three years later, he delivers Always Forward, a follow-up recording that celebrates the big band sound, pays respect to the arrangers that have shaped and influenced him, and shines a much-needed light on where big band music is headed.

For half-a-century genre-jumping jazz veteran Dave Brubeck has been redefining hip, and in this performance the man who would become the first jazz musician ever to make the cover of Time Magazine offers a satisfying collection of familiar classics and intoxicating new tunes.

Begin Again, Hersch's new Palmetto release featuring the Cologne-based WDR Big Band, arranged and conducted by six-time Grammy winner Vince Mendoza, serves as both an expertly curated overview of the pianist's oeuvre and a singular new entry in his expansive discography. The album features nine of Hersch's original compositions, plucked from throughout his various projects and preferred formats, including one previously unrecorded piece.