Mike Holober and The Gotham Jazz Orchestra "This Rock We're On: Imaginary Letters": A Magical Piece of Music

Mike Holber and The Gotham Jazz Orchestra: This Rock We're On: Imaginary Letters

The pianist/composer/arranger/educator Mike Holober is a musician whose talents deserve to be more widely known and appreciated. I first heard Holober, the then under-the-radar musical director of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, at a performance that I caught in Irvington, NY in 2011. It was obvious then that he had an impressive command of the composing and arranging skills necessary to make the disparate seventeen pieces of the WJO work their sounds both in splendid accord and to great effect. I later got a chance to witness Mike's impressive pianistic acumen when he played in a moving duo set with the superb trumpeter Marvin Stamm at the Carnegie Room of the Nyack Library in Rockland County in 2013. This was a musician whose career trajectory was clearly worth following. 

Holober's early career included a stint with baritone saxophone ace Nick Brignola in the late 1990's. He later formed The Mike Holober Quintet and recorded two albums with saxophonist Tim Ries, guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, bassists John Patitucci and Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade in the early 2000's. Holober was the musical director for the non-profit Westchester Jazz Orchestra from 2007-2013, where his prowess attracted an array of top-tier soloists like Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, and John Scofield to name just a few. He guest arranged and conducted for two prestigious European jazz bands, the WDR Big Band from Cologne, Germany in 2014, and the HR Big Band of Frankfurt, Germany in 2011 and 2015 amongst others. These projects featured its own stellar list of accomplished artists too numerous to list. In 2015 Holober and his octet Balancing Act featured his original compositions (both music and lyrics) and the vocalist Kate McGary, saxophonists Dick Oatts and Jason Rigby, trumpeter Stamm, trombonist Mark Patterson, bassist John Hébert and drummer Blade. 

Since the first release in 2004 of Thought Trains, from his big band The Gotham Jazz Orchestra, Holober's creative composing voice has been increasingly blooming. The band's second release Hiding Out, was issued on Zoho Records in 2019 and received multiple accolades from the critics as one of the year's best releases. The album was rightfully recognized for a Grammy nomination in the Best Large Ensemble category in 2020. 

Mike Holober: photo credit Matthew Cylinder

With such a successful history, there is no surprise that Mike Holober and The Gotham Jazz Orchestra's latest release This Rock We're On: Imaginary Letters, released on June 14, 2024, may easily be one of his greatest musical achievements to date. The album is a two-disc meditation whose music and lyrics focus on Holober's love and respect for nature, its majesty, and beauty. As an avid appreciator, he also expresses, both in music and words, his concern that the planet and its treasures may be in danger of being irreversibly damaged by climate change and our own thoughtless actions. Anyone who has followed Holober and his wife Melissa on his social media posts from some of nature's most imposing wonders and gorgeous vistas, can see that he lives his non-musical life immersed in nature hiking, biking, kayaking, and appreciating the great outdoors. There is authenticity here and it shows.

He adroitly includes a series of eight Imaginary Letters, statements that he composes and performs as if to converse with some of his own environmental and social inspirations on the issues at hand.  Letters to iconic nature photographer of the West, Ansel Adams, to renowned marine biologist and writer Rachel Carson, to conservationist Sigurd Olson and activist Terry Tempest Williams, to poet and essayist Wendell Berry, and to Native American scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer. 

These eight paeons talk of "sharing this home," of waiting for summer and lamenting the potential loss of another summer if our actions leave the earth "broken beyond all repair." These letters revel in the "...swaying pines upon a snowy hill" as Ansel Adams did in his poem to his wife Virginia. They imagine a monolithic rock formation, Castleton Tower in Utah, woefully speaking as a harbinger whose continued existence may be only preserved by the written word and action. They recall the love of "pristine snow in silent, longing, beauty" and a conversation with a tree that "...fears of what may come of me? " who cautions that "...to love life you must know a tree". Finally a letter/poem to a child that speaks to the pulse and breath of the Rock We're On and the love that it requires for its sustenance and ultimately for our own survival. These are profound expressions of awe, respect, sensitivity, love, and action and they are brilliantly incorporated into Holober's moving suite.

As for this music, it is simply splendid in both conception and execution. The opener "Lay of the Land"  organically emerges with Holober's sensitive piano entry sprouting like new life on fertile soil. Gentle cymbal splashes by Jared Schonig and probing ostinato bass lines by John Patitucci set the aural landscape before the horn and reed sections lay out pulsing layers of sound that throb with life. The tenor saxophonist Chris Potter enters like a siren with his distinctive wail. Holober is a master of coloring with an almost limitless array of hues that his orchestra adds to his musical palette. The Herculean Potter, at the top of his game, never ceases to amaze with his seemingly endless ability to percolate with flawless creativity and majestic power. This is particularly evident as Holober sends his group into an ascending apex. The orchestra is musically climbing a mountainous peak, with the sections roaring, Schonig and Patitucci boiling over, and Potter is soaring above it all like a cruising eagle on the hunt. Breathtaking!

The first of the Imaginary Letters, "On This Rock" is to environmentalist Wendell Berry, and finds a chamber music-like feel that features Holober's delicate piano,  Mark Patterson's burnished trombone work, and the crystalline voice of Jamile Staevie Ayres. 

"Dirt Lover's Almanac" has an opening featuring some gorgeous cello work by Jody Redhage Ferber accompanied by an attentive Holober on piano. As the music opens into a more traditional big band piece we are treated to excellent section work of the repeating theme. Bassist Patitucci offers a probing and facile bass solo that throbs before Charles Pillow presents his own vision of interpretation on a fine alto solo. The group roars with splendid unanimity.

The remainder of the album is equally as impressive."Tides" features cellist Ferber and Jason Rigby's tenor saxophone. "Dear Virginia," one of my favorites, features some stellar alternating duo work, first with Holober's piano and Marvin Stamm's superb trumpet and then with Virgina Mayhew's sensitive tenor to great effect.

"Domes" offers the circuitous alto saxophone work of Ben Kono, some effervescent vibes work of James Shipp, a clarion trumpeter solo by Scott Wendholt, and roiling drum work by Schonig. "Refuge" creates poignancy with the trio of Ferber's evocative cello, Ayre's charged voice, and Holober's moving piano.

"Tower Pulse" has an organic, throbbing vibe, a cardiac-like pulse that carries you like a life force. Nir Felder's spidery guitar lines are quite well-matched with Felder's repeating acro cello lines in a call-and-response sort of section. Potter's dynamic saxophone bursts of kineticism as Holober's orchestra carries the music's drive in what sounds like a Native American-like inspired ostinato. There is majesty to this music and it is inspired. "Soil Erosion," a slow shuffle that features Shipp's vibraphone accents, Kono and Pillow's flutes touches, and Nir Felder's fine, expansive guitar solo as the rhythm section and orchestra maintain the heartbeat of the tune. "Three Words for Snow" has a classical-chamber music feel to it with Ferber's cello, Kono's delightful flute, Holober's piano, and Ayres' voice making this a very special and moving addition to the suite. "Boundary Waters" has a Latin feel that finds the composer letting the orchestra ebb and flow as he has his most extended solo on the album. It's nice to hear him let loose here a bit and get a chance to express himself outside of the restraints of being the leader. The album continues with "Noetry" a vocal that imagines a letter from a tree. "SkyWoman Falling" opens with a cello feature by Ferber that morphs into a Native American vibe. The orchestra expands with aplomb. Expanding his color palette, Holober has Charles Pillow featured on a very willowy bass clarinet and Marvin Stamm is paired to this sound with his own warm Flugelhorn response. The music has an organic feel, a symbiosis with the Earth that seems to have its own spirit that as a listener we can only marvel at its pure authenticity.  The final piece is titled "This Rock We're On" and is an imaginary letter to a child. It leaves us all with the realization that we all have a responsibility to preserve what we can still enjoy and leave this beautiful and important legacy to the next generations. There a moving vocals by Ronan Rigby, James Shipp, and Jamile Straevie Ayres and a nice baritone saxophone feature by Carl Maraghi.

Holober's This Rock We're On: Imaginary Letters, is a magical piece of music. His astute composing, orchestration, and arrangement of his Gotham Jazz Orchestra, the voices he chose and lyrics he created, and the soloists that he selected all make this inspired suite of meditation on a theme a modern masterpiece.

The Joy of Live Music : Marvin Stamm and Mike Holober Quartet "Live at Maureen's Jazz Cellar"

 

                                       Live @ Maureen's Jazz Cellar Marvin Stamm, Mike Holober, Mike McGuirk and Dennis Mackrel 

It is always a pleasure when a group of musicians possesses that “special sauce," that complementary talent, awareness, and ability to align their individual efforts and perform as one beautifully purposeful unit. It is even more conducive to success when you get a chance to play/record in a welcoming, intimate setting in front of a knowledgeable and appreciative audience. This happened this past December, pre-Covid, in the unassuming jazz venue Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, located on the west side bank of the Hudson River, in the town of Nyack, NY.

The group is comprised of the trumpeter/flugelhornist Marvin Stamm, the pianist Mike Holober, upright bassist Mike McGuirk and the drummer Dennis Mackrel. They brought their alchemy and recorded this new album simply titled Live @ Maureen’s Jazz Cellar. The music recorded, is a collection of five thoughtful and modernly navigated jazz gems from composers like  Horace Silver, Bill Evans, Bronislau Kaper and Jerome Kern, and includes two gorgeous originals written by the pianist, Mike Holober.

Dennis Mackrel, Mike McGuirk, Mike Holober, and Marvin Stamm

My exposure to the trumpeter/flugelhornist Marvin Stamm goes back to the early eighties when I first saw him playing as a guest artist with the house band- drummer Billy LaVorgna and the English pianist Derek Smith- at a little now-defunct club called the Foxes Liar in Hackensack, N.J. Stamm always impressed me with his fluid facility, his sensuous tone, especially on the flugelhorn, and his unerring melodic and harmonic sense. Years later I heard him with pianist Billy Mays’ The Inventions Trio, which included cellist Alisa Horn on a marvelous album titled Fantasy from 2007. This was a musical hybrid, a chamber/jazz crossover, that brought out Stamm’s facile expressiveness, utilizing a classically inspired approach that meshed beautifully with the Mays' piano and Horn's cello.

I discovered the pianist/composer/arranger Mike Holober in 2010, when I attended some big band performances that he conducted with the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. Besides iconic guest artists, the dynamic big band included Marvin Stamm in the trumpet section among a group of NYC's notable section musicians. Apparently, Stamm and Holober’s work together on the WJO sparked a friendship and the two became close collaborators. Holober’s growing stature as a big band composer/big band arranger was recently acknowledged when his Gotham Jazz Orchestra’s release Hiding Out, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2019.

When similar minds, like Stamm and Holober, collaborate over a sustained period and the chemistry is right, a musical empathy develops and a complimentary creative approach to music becomes almost second nature. The two went about enlisting solid and intuitively responsive rhythm section partners to form a working quartet. The drummer Dennis Mackrel and the bassist Mike McGuirk are under the radar journeymen musicians that fit superbly, expanding the conversational possibilities of this potent group.

In the opening cut, listen to how Holober’s smart intro to Horace Silver’s “Out of the Night Came You,” sets the table beautifully before the group slips into the swinging melody. Stamm’s flugelhorn has a warm, welcoming tone and he plays with a fluid inventiveness that surprises and holds your attention. The group never loses the drive carried by McGuirk’s plump bass lines and Mackrel’s sure rhythmic propulsion.

Bassist McGuirk opens with an intriguing pizzicato solo bass lead-in to Bronislau Kaper’s exotic-sounding “Invitation.”  Stamm takes this haunting melody to a new level of sensitivity. It is simply magical to listen to this master horn player take you down the rabbit hole of harmonic possibilities. Holober is similarly engaging with his own explorations of the composition’s captivating moods. McGuirk offers a fleet journey on a poignant bass solo and the music is advanced by a swirling, rhythmic drive by the trap master Mackrel. Almost fifteen minutes of marvelously played music that by itself is worth the price of admission.

On Holober original “Dear Virginia,” a pensive, touching ballad that features some of the pianist’s most expressive work, the interaction between the pianist and both Stamm and McGuirk’s artful contributions, raise cooperative playing to a new level.

“Morning Hope,” another Holober original, musically builds from tranquility to expectation. Mackrel’s subtle drum work is like a symphony of rhythms, perfectly suited to accompany whoever is soloing, while always steadfastly propelling the music forward. Holober raises the level with a rewarding and touching solo. 

A rousing rhythmic treatment on Jerome Kern’s jewel “All the Things You Are” keeps this well-worn song fresh and interesting. Solos by Holober, Stamm, and McGuirk are all top-notch and raised again by an impressive drum solo featuring Mackrel’s graceful skills.

Holober’s opening to Horace Silver’s tranquil “Peace” is masterful and moving. His piano work is elegant in songs like this, songs with a message that deserves a player who can be creative and still maintain the composer’s intention. Stamm’s impressionistic flugelhorn lines follow exploring the genuine pathos that flows through this music. His horn also offers a yearning hopefulness to the message that peace can in fact be attained, which in today’s day is a powerful aspiration. 

The set ends with the more rambunctious Bill Evans’ funky “Funkallero,” one of the few times Evans took up the electric piano.  Mackrel’s drums set the pace with a boisterous drum entrance. The members robustly trade ideas with an overall feel of gusto. Maintaining the song's drive, Holober plays with an aggressive attack, Stamm’s horn is at his most excitable and jubilant, McGuirk gives a plucky bass solo and Mackrel lets loose with his own punctuated drum highlight. The crowd at Maureen’s are left with unfettered appreciation, offering enthusiastic applause.

If you, like me, miss that “live” experience then get Live @ Maureen's Jazz Cellar and play it till your heart's delight, its the next best thing to being there.

 Follow this link to hear the group play "invitation"

https://youtu.be/Eh3oaStfGVQ

Marvin Stamm and Mike Holober Make Beautiful Music at the Nyack Library's Carnegie Room

Mike Holober and Marvin Stamm phot by Ralph A. Miriello  c 2013

In the tiny town of Nyack, in the shadows of the Tappan Zee Bridge, the Rockland County Jazz and Blues Society and the Nyack Library once again provide a superlative matching of two local jazz musicians as part of their Carnegie Concert series. This evening the series brought together trumpeter Marvin Stamm and pianist composer Mike Holober.

For those who don’t know these two fine musicians the evening offered an intimate opportunity to witness first hand just how accomplished these artists are. Mr. Stamm, dressed in a dapper white suit and a black band collared shirt, was the picture of hip style.  His brush cut grey/white hair with matching full tightly trimmed beard finished the image of a confident, seasoned performer.  His past includes stints with Stan Kenton and Woody Herman orchestras as well as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis  Big Band and a continued association with the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band and The Westchester Jazz Orchestra. He has performed in multiple duo and trio settings with longtime collaborator pianist Bill Mays and has been a standout, first call studio musician for many years.  I first saw Mr. Stamm in a little, now defunct jazz club in Hackensack, N.J. back in the early seventies where he was a featured soloist with the house band of Billy LaVorgna on drums and Derek Smith on piano.  His performance mesmerized me back than and I have always found his playing to be exemplary.

Mike Holober and Marvin Stamm photo by Ralph A. Miriello c 2013

Mr. Holober is a classically trained pianist and a ubiquitous musician who has performed with many notable artists both as a pianist and as a leader/composer/arranger. In recent years he has released music with his own quintet as well as with the seventeen piece Gotham Jazz Orchestra.  I first saw Mr. Holober at a performance of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra where he is its musical director. His talents as a composer/arranger were on full display utilizing the various voices of this fine orchestra to great effect. This was my first time hearing Mr. Holober at the piano and he did not disappoint.

The evening performance started with Mr. Stamm respectfully asking for applause to be withheld until the end of each performance, so as to allow the continuity of each piece  to be enjoyed uninterrupted.The first songs were a Cole Porter song “Everything I Love” followed by Mr. Holober’s  treatment of an Argentinian dance piece by Alberto Ginastra  “Danza  de Moza Donosa .” ( An interesting side note, Gianastra’s music was the inspiration for Keith Emerson’s “Toccata” on Emerson Lake and Palmer’s  Brain Salad Surgery from 1973.) The piece starts out slowly, Mr. Holober playing a sensitive intro, with Mr. Stamm joining on muted trumpet.  You can immediately sense the ease of communication between these two, as Holober accompanies deftly and Mr. Stamm floats above with his warm sinuous lines.  The happy Porter tune is played joyfully and with great relish before Mr. Holober leads into the more solemn Gianstra piece. Mr. Holober’s  classical training comes to the forefront on the evocative melody steeped in a deeply Spanish tradition. Mr. Stamm , whose obbligato part was composed by Mr. Holober,  soars over the pianist’s chording like a clarion call.

Mr. Stamm introduces the next piece he wrote titled “In a Rosey Tone” based on the changes of a Duke Ellington 1939 composition “ In a Mellotone.”  After stating the melody the two have a marvelously swinging interchange of ideas where Mr. Stamm  and Mr. Holober intuit each other’s thoughts brilliantly.

Mr. Stamm is the consummate player; a trumpet player’s trumpeter.  His tone is rich and clear and he is not prone to hyperbole on the horn. He is a master technician who uses his horn with reserve and nuance in a complimentary way that works in perfect harmony with whomever he plays , in this case Mr. Holober’s piano. This is no more evident than on Don Raye and Gene De Paul’s classic “Star Eyes,” where Mr. Stamm takes a brilliantly understated solo, cascading through cadenzas of notes, but allowing Mr. Holober’s inventive, complex piano lines to take much of center stage during the performance. They use the rhythm pattern used by Charlie Parker’s famous version of the song to set the stage.

The two bring out their romantic side with a piece by Michel Le Grand that Mr. Stamm admitted was probably the most difficult piece of the evening’s performance, “Umbrellas of Cherbourg”. The emotionally laden song was a tour de force, the perfect vehicle for Mr. Holober’s delicate Evanesque touch and Mr. Stamm’s precise but beautifully poignant tone.  

Speaking of Evans, the duo ended the set with Bill Evans” Funkallero.”  The ostinato line was played in precise sync before Mr. Holober went into solo mode, dazzling the audience with his marvelously fluidity. The ideas flow from his hands in unpredictable ways that carry you like a traveler taking an eerily familiar but clearly unknown path.  When Mr. Stamm joined the fray the two played like two synchronized birds in flight soaring to new heights in precise formation.

As chance would have it I sat next to a world class percussionist, Dave Carey, a local resident who had once played with Mr. Stamm and Frank Sinatra. We both marveled at Mr. Stamm , who at seventy-three has such enduring proficiency on such a demanding instrument as the trumpet. 

The second set started out with another Cole Porter tune this time “I Love You.” Mr. Stamm took up flugelhorn on this one, and the warm, burnished tone he is able to get from the instrument draws you in as Mr. Holober accompanied him with beautiful chord voicings.

Antonio Carlos Jobim’s  “Camhinos Cruzados”, which Mike has arranged for the Westchester Jazz Orchestra with Marvin in mind, was a floating, sensitive ballad featuring Marvin’s flugelhorn. Mr. Stamm’s horn hung in the air like a warm breeze, wafting over an oceanfront. Mr. Holober’s swaying piano cast the alluring spell of a romantic getaway. He delicately danced over the entire keyboard with a skilled agility and grace.

After a beautiful improvisational duet on the Rogers and Hart tune “Have You Met Miss Jones,” that seemed to start unexpectedly from Mr. Stamm,  the duo did a piece by the famous corntetist Bix Beiderbecke’s Modern Piano Suite titled “Flash”  with Mr. Holober again writing the obbligato part for Mr. Stamm’s trumpet. The song had elements of a sound that harkened to the twenties, and Mr. Holober and Mr. Stamm captured the feeling authentically, with Mr. Stamm employing his mute to great effect.

The finale was Mike Holober’s composition titled “Moon in the Trees.” The stirringly imaginative piece was played in a rubato style. Mr. Holober’s  piano voice is ebullient, with a dancing quality that makes it endlessly entertaining. Mr. Stamm once again took up his flugelhorn in delicate accompaniment to Mr. Holober’s expressive piano.

It is apparent that these two musicians appreciate each other’s artistry. In talking with Mr. Stamm between sets, he expressed a fondness for playing with Mr. Holober,  a happy collaboration that hopefully will yield more beautiful music in the future.

You can see a live stream of the concert by linking below.

The Westchester Jazz Orchestra’s Season Opening Concert featuring Joe Lovano

The WJO Concert with Special Guest Joe Lovano :

September 24, 2011 at Irvington Town Hall Theater, Irvington , NY

Two Saturday’s ago, in the sleepy town of Irvington, NY,  the Westchester Jazz Orchestra kicked off their 2011 season with a very special guest, the eminent saxophonist Joe Lovano. The Westchester Jazz Orchestra is a rotating group of talented, working musicians, who carry on the tradition of big band jazz orchestras. The group is a non profit whose executive director Emily Tabin works tirelessly to sustain this wonderful musical resource for the benefit of County residents, as well as anyone else who follows their concert schedule.

 

The artistic director is Mike Holober, who directed the orchestra on this particular evening and also arranged the music for three of the nine scheduled pieces for this performance. Mr. Holober has  recorded as a sideman and leader on many recordings. Mr. Holober is a pianist/composer who teaches Jazz Studies at City College in NY and is a Associate Guest conductor for the wonderful HR Big Band of Frankfurt, Germany.

The evening started off with a brief conversation with the saxophonist Mr. Lovano moderated by the WJO’s Mr. Holober. Joe recalled his upbringing in a musical family in Cleveland, Ohio where he started playing around the age of five or six years old. He described his years of education at the Berklee School of Music in Boston where he met many of his musical contemporaries. He spoke of paying his dues as a sideman with organ based groups playing on what he called the “chittlin’ circuit” behind the likes of Dr. Lonnie Smith and Brother Jack McDuff. He recalled formative years playing in the big bands of Woody Herman and the Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Village Vanguard Orchestra, that he acknowledged were incubators for his developing sound. Joe has a special relationship with the WJO as he has been on the advisory board since the formation in 2003.

Joe Lovano taking questions with director Mike Holober

When the discussion was open to the audience for questions, unexpectedly, the widow of late saxophonist Stan Getz, Monica Getz, rose to speak. She relayed to the audience and to Mr. Lovano how much Joe's playing reminded her of her husband Stan’s playing. Despite Mr. Lovano’s success, he retains a genuine air of humility and this unsolicited comparison to an icon was a bit disarming for him. Lovano’s sound, which at times can be tonally like Getz, has an exploratory approach more strongly influenced by Coltrane than by 'the Sound". When asked about his participation in this big band Mr. Lovano said he was favorably disposed to all types of musical settings, especially those where he finds some inspiration from his fellow musicians. On this evening the WJO was featuring some of Lovano’s own musical compositions, as well as some songs that were especially relevant to his repertoire of recorded work.

  

After a brief intermission the orchestra took the stage and the show began with a Peter McGuiness arrangement of Herbie Hancock’s classic “Maiden Voyage”. This piece is featured on the WJO’s latest cd “Maiden Voyage Suite” recently released in August of this year. The song is the perfect vehicle for the orchestra as the brass and reeds were deftly made to ebb and flow behind the memorable melody line. David Brandom offered a beautifully airy soprano saxophone solo and trumpeter extraordinaire Marvin Stamm offered a impeccably flawless solo of his own on flugelhorn. Mr. Stamm’s playing alone is worth the price of admission to this fine orchestra.

The saxophone section of the WJO

The band’s second piece was a Bob Brookmeyer arrangement titled "American Express". The cascade of horns in this piece is signature Brookmeyer and the WJO played it like it was written for them. John Riley’s propulsive drums and Harvie S’s pulsing bass carried the rhythm throughout. A low register solo by tenor saxophonist Ralph Lalama tops off the number.

Joe Lovano enters from stage right to play on the Mike Holober arrangement of Joe’s own composition “His Dreams”, a song Joe wrote about his father’s aspirations for his young son. It is immediately apparent that Joe commands the stage with his warm  full bodied tenor. The band is engaged giving it they’re all and ffollowing intently during Joe’s solos. It is especially interesting to watch the saxophonists immerse themselves in the inventiveness and quality of Joe’s solo runs. He is clearly admired. Joe, in turn, lays out during Ted Rosenthal’s exceptionally pretty piano solo. He is equally energized watching the rhythm section of Harvie S on upright bass and John Riley on drums as they push the song along.

The second Lovano composition is  “Fort Worth”, arranged by WJO trumpeter Tony Kadlek. After a brassy introduction, we hear Joe taking on a cadence that reminds me a little of Ornette Coleman. A rousing trombone solo by Mark Patterson blisters and gets bassist Harvie S playing with abandon. Sensing the energy Mr. Lovano picked up the pace with his own incendiary solo that has him turning shades of scarlet as he flutters through rapid runs all over the register of his horn. The band punctuates the breaks behind him and the song ends powerfully over John Riley’s splashing cymbals as Lovano and Riley call and respond in a duel of ideas.

Joe Lovano with the WJO

After a brief intermission the second set begins with an arrangement by trumpeter TimHagans on Lovano’s  “The Dawn of Time”. Hagans is a formidable trumpeter in his own right who is a modern day proponent of the fusion era Miles Davis atmospheric sound. He also is a talented arranged/composer. A beautiful Johnny Hodges-like saxophone solo by Jason Rigby is a highlight of this song.

The next selection was another Herbie Hancock song arranged by Mike Holober “ Survival of the Fittest” which featured a stirring high register solo by trumpeter Tim Hagans, who was sitting in for Scott Wendholt. Hagans performance was an unexpected treat as the man can soar at almost any pace. Contrastingly, saxophonist Jason Rigby offered a smooth, deep register solo on tenor as Harvie and John drove the rhythm hard. The orchestra seamlessly transitioned to another classic Hancock song  “Dolphin Dance”, this one arranged by the absent Tony Kadleck. Lovano’s fellow vanguard orchestra alumnus, saxophonist Ralph Lalama gave his most impressive solo of the night on this memorable melody. Mr. Stamm was again featured on a moving flugelhorn solo.On this particular song you could really hear how magically the sound of these seventeen individual players was organically transformed into a single coherent voice, the true tell of a great big band. Players like trombonists Larry Farrell, George Flynn and Bruce Eidem; trumpet players like Jon Owens (substituting for Tony Kadleck) and Craig Johnson; saxophonists Marc Phaneuf (substituting for Jay Brandford) and Ed Xiques along with those mentioned previously all create this unified sound that is the WJO.

The last two songs were two of Mr. Lovano’s “ Birds of Springtime Gone By”, arranged by Jason Rigby and “Hot Shot” arranged by director Mike Holober.

On “Birds” Mr. Lovano and Mr. Hagans each had solos on their respective instruments before they volleyed with each other in an interesting exchange of high energy.

On “Hot Shot” Mr. Lovano took flight on a high register solo. The encore was Thad Jones’s “The Interloper” which featured solos by Joe Lovano, Ralph Lalama and a excellent piano solo by Ted Rosenthal.

All in all it was an auspicious opening night for the WJO and a harbinger of what to expect for this upcoming season. Seeing Mr. Lovano perform in such good company was a real treat. If you love big band music you must make it your business to see one of the upcoming performance that the WJO will be performing this year. The next scheduled show is at SUNY in Middletown, NY on November 19, 2011 with another show scheduled in Irvington for December 3^rd.  


The WJO Regulars are Musicians: Trumpets: Tony Kadlek, Craig Johnson, Marvin Stamm, Scott Wendholt: trombones, Larry Farrell, Keith O'Quinn, Bruce Eidem, George Flynn; Saxophones: Jay Brandford, David Brandom, Ralph Lalama, Jason Rigby, Ed Xiques;  Piano: Ted Rosenthal; Bass Harvie S; Drums, Andy Watson; Conductor/director MikeHolober.