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THE
VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Established by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis
THE
BAND
Trumpets:
Earl Gardner (Lead), Joe Mosello, Glenn Drewes, Scott Wendholt
Trombones:
John Mosca (Lead), Ed Neumeister, Douglas Purviance (bass trombone)
, Earl McIntyre (bass trombone)
Reeds:
Dick Oatts (Lead alto and soprano saxophones, flute), Billy Drewes (alto and
soprano saxophones, flute, clarinet), Rich Perry (Tenor saxophone, flute), Ralph
LaLama (Tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute), Gary Smulyan (Baritone saxophone)
Rhythm
Section: Jim McNeely–piano, John Riley–drums, Dennis Irwin–Bass
THE
MUSIC
Extra
Credit - 8:53
Thad
- 12:02
In
The Wee Small Hours Of The Night - 7:41
Licety
Split - 7:51
Absolution
- 8:17
Sticks
- 7:37
Reflection
- 8:37
Mel
- 8:46
All
music composed and arranged by Jim McNeely
Wu
Wei Music except In the Wee Small Hours Of The Night (composed by David Mann and
Bob Hilliard - arranged by Jim McNeely)
PRODUCTION
Produced
by Sixteen As One Music Inc., The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
Thomas
Bellino ans Douglas Purviance, Executive Producers
Douglas
Purviance and Stuart J. Allyn, Producers
Recorded
April 7&8, 1997 and mixed June 19021 at Avatar Recording Studios, NYC
Stuart
J. Allyn, Engineer
Aya
Takemura and Scott Young, Assistant Engineers
Digital
Audio Editing at Masque Sound and Recording
CD
premastering: George Blood Professional Audio Services, Philadelphia, PA
Cover
design: Bob Defrin Design, Inc. NYC
Photograph:
Jeffrey Zaruba/Photonica
This
recording was made possible through generous grants from the Mary Flagler Cary
Charitable Trust, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music and Francis Goelet
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“…amazing
is the quality of the music and performance level sustained over that
[thirty-one year] period. In terms
of longevity and seriousness of purpose, only the orchestras of Ellington and
Basie may compare...”
Jack
Sohmer, JazzTimes
“McNeely
knows how to squeeze emotional significance out of a chart.
That skill, plus scads of rousing soloists and the elan of the intragroup
rapport, make Lickety Split eloquent enough to be considered profound.”
Jim
Macnie, Down Beat
“Mr.
McNeely’s music…is often brilliant, fueled with juxtapositions, strange
connective thoughts and finally surprise.”
Peter
Watrous, The New York Times
“In
this impressive CD, the music integrates Gil Evans’ classical allusions as
well as the heady rhythms of the be-bop big bands, and the group is stocked with
impassioned soloists who are treated to showcases."
Ben
Ratliff, The New York Times
“As
boldly as its title suggests, Lickety Split takes our notions of how a jazz big band can and
should sound and shakes the living lickety out of them.
In fact, the last time the orchestral language of jazz received such a
welcome jolt may have been when the famed Miles Davis/Gil Evans album Miles
Ahead was released – and that was way back in 1957.”
Larry
Kart,
Chicago
Tribune
“…the
VJO under McNeely’s direction progresses into fertile territory, exploring new
directions in harmonic color, form and development for soloists and ensemble.”
CMJ
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