Vanguard Jazz Orchestra Thad Jones Legacy (1999)

For his first session as a leader for Blue Note, trumpeter Thad Jones ran through five songs with a small group which also included fellow Detroiters pianist Tommy Flanagan and guitarist Kenny Burrell as well as part-time Detroiter tenor saxophonist Billy Mitchell. Jones' time with Debut certainly broke him in, and he is thoroughly professional on this record. Compared to its predecessor, The Fabulous Thad Jones, and its successor, The Magnificent Thad Jones, Detroit-New York Junction pales slightly, but it's nevertheless an excellent set of driving hard bop.

In 1964 John Coltrane recorded A Love Supreme with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones. It's one of most influential and imposing jazz suites ever written, and on this debut CD for the Palmetto label, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, featuring Wynton Marsalis, adapts Coltrane's immortal composition to the big band. Not to be outdone by his brother Branford's quartet version of this material recorded live on DVD, Wynton and company skillfully extend and elaborate on the Coltrane's work, and preserve the soul-searching spirit of the four-part suite, which deals with the blues, 4/4 swing, Afro-Latin rhythms, and ballads. Pulsed by Carlos Henriquez's sure-footed basslines, Herlin Riley's spiritual syncopations and Earl Lewis's profound pianisms, saxophonist Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson's Tranish cries, and the leader's triumphant trumpet tones are as fluent and fierce as ever. Collectively, this brilliant orchestra goes where no large ensemble has gone before.

The Norwegian trio GURLS – tenor sax player Hanna Paulsberg, bassist Ellen Andrea Wang and lead vocalist Rohey Taalah, made quite a noise with the cheeky, feminine songs of its debut album Run Boy, Run (Jazzland, 2018, the record won the Norwegian Grammy, Spellemannprisen for the best jazz record of the year). Four years later Gurls return with a live album, Oui, a new lead vocalist, Marianna Sangita Angeletaki Røe, a few new songs, and new arrangements of the not-so-old songs, together with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra (TJO).

One of Europe's many fine big bands is The Stockholm Jazz Orchestra which was formed over 30 years ago and has released 14 albums. In this concert they bring a big band dynamic to music either by or associated with John Coltrane in some really creative arrangements. On this stunning live recording, the band tackles the momentous legacy of saxophonist John Coltrane, performing some of the legendary artist's most beloved standards and originals.