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CD1
1. Low Down
2. Quietude
3. Three In One
4. Walkin' About
5. Little Pixie

CD2
1. Second Race
2. Tip Toe
3. Don't Get Sassy
4. Rhoda Map
5. Cherry Juice

Mel Lewis - Drums (leader)
Earl Gardner, Joe Mosello, Glenn Drewes, Jim Powell - Trumpets, flugelhorns
Stephanie Fauber - French Horn
Dick Oatts, Ted Nash, Joe Lovano, Ralph Lalama, Gary Smulyan - Saxophones
John Mosca, Ed Neumeister, Douglas Purviance, Earl McIntyre - Trombones
Kenny Werner - Piano
Dennis Irwin - Bass

 

As the drummer in this orchestra and its previous incarnation the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Mel Lewis was given the nickname "the tailor". The reason was that he stitched the band together with his flawless sense of time and brilliant use of cymbals to add a texture and richness to the bands. In what proved to be the Lewis band's last recording, Nimbus has pulled together this live two-CD set from the original MusicMasters catalogue.

Despite the fact that Thad Jones had left the band for Europe 10 years previously, his legacy and influence continued as all ten compositions and arrangements were his. Jones spent many years toiling with big bands, but his most prominent stay was with the Count Basie New Testament band. Consequently when it came time to write compositions for the Jones/Lewis band, which were continued by the Lewis group, the Basie influence, along with other music pioneers such as Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, was evident. However, the tunes were both harmonically and rhythmically more complex and required a high degree of skill to play.

CD1 starts off with Low Down which features an arresting trumpet solo by Glenn Drewes and has a Basie frame of reference in the chart. The band's take on a Basie-style theme continues with Walkin'About and offers solos by Dick Oatts on alto and Ralph Lalama on tenor. Quietude was originally written for Buddy DeFranco when he led the post-war Glenn Miller orchestra, with the DeFranco clarinet solo now done by Jim Powell on flugelhorn. Kenny Werner contributes a well thought-out piano solo. The two extended pieces on this disc are Three in One and Little Pixie. This latter treasure romps along at a bright pace with Lewis taking his due on the high-hat cymbal which followed a riveting effort by Joe Lovano on tenor and Ted Nash on alto among others.

As is sometimes the case, when a live recording is made over several evenings, some cuts are better than others depending on the mood and spirit of the group. This seems to be the case with CD2 as it swings along almost as if it is a different orchestra. Opening with Second Race which features a strong bass intro by Dennis Irwin, the band dives into the tune with Lewis pushing the band along, and key solos by Jim Powell on trumpet and Ralph Lalama on tenor. Tip Toe follows with a Basie-like opening piano lead from Kenny Werner as he throws in quotes from Let's Fall In Love. Then a unison sax section provides a bridge into a marvellous muted trumpet break from Glenn Drewes. All of the remaining compositions - Don't Get Sassy, Rhoda Map and Cherry Juice - confirm the stature of this dazzling band, showing how the interplay of the musicians and the compositions made this aggregation very special.

This orchestra was a commanding, high-powered, cerebral group, and a delight to hear. These two CDs are a perfect example of such qualities.

Pierre Giroux

See also the review by Jonathan Woolf

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