VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA “LIVE” AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD

September 5, 2024

VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA

“LIVE” AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD – CENTENIAL: THE MUSIC OF THAD JONES

BCM+D Records

RHYTHM: Adam Birnbaum, piano; David Wong, bass; John Riley, drums; SAXOPHONES: Dick Oatts & Billy Drewes, altos; Rich Perry & Ralph Lalama, tenors; Gary Smulyan, baritone; TROMBONES: Dion Tucker, Jason Jackson, Robert Edwards, & Douglas Purviance; TRUMPETS: John Chudoba, Brian Pareschi, Terell Staford & Scott Wendholt.

Last year on March 28, 2023, it would have been the 100^th birthday of legendary trumpeter, composer and jazz bandleader, Thad Jones. That Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, co-founded by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, is now legendary. Originally, they were called the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and the legendary orchestra performed every Monday night at the Village Vanguard for six decades.

“I always say that we have two things going for us that no other band has. That’s the Thad Jones music and a steady gig at the Mecca of Jazz. It’s every jazz musician’s goal to play the Village Vanguard, and we get to do that every week,” said trombonist Douglas Purviance, who joined the VJO in 1978 and is now their business manager.

The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra modernized the big band sound. The music world was changing during the 1960s through early 1970. Jones managed to weave in the work of Count Basie and Duke Ellington into his arranging and compositions, but he added a spark of something new; something brilliant. Like all dedicated jazz fans, back then we were listening to Miles Davis and the new music he was bringing to the jazz scene. John Coltrane was repainting the jazz landscape from dance bands to more introspective exploration of his horn and what he could do with it. He offered his own noteworthy, mind-blowing compositions. We were caught up in ‘A Love Supreme.’ The Charles Mingus Big Bands were revolutionizing as well. Not only was the Mingus upright bass an instrument of awe, but his Avant-garde approach to the music was completely changing the direction of jazz big bands. Thad Jones was listening to all that transformation and growth in the jazz world. Somehow, he found an equilibrium between all those influences. I can hear it in the “Antigua” arrangement. I was surprised to see that Bob Mintzer actually composed this one.

In Thad’s arrangements, there is a comfort level by inserting influences of Duke’s danceable orchestration, with also a taste of Charly Mingus tucked into the Jones compositions, or traces of Miles Davis influence. I adore the sound of a well-played baritone saxophone. Gary Smulyan plays a ‘mean’ baritone solo on the tune “61^st & Rich’ It” and David Wong’s bass dances with improvised excitement.

This is a double set CD, and even then, it doesn’t even scratch the surface of the Thad Jones legacy. With more than 300 compositions in the Thad Jones book, the VJO pride themselves on never repeating the same show from week to week. I enjoyed listening to both CDs back-to-back. On “Blues in A Minute” the bass of David Wong is the star of this arrangement. He swings his solo part right from the start of the tune, until trumpet master, Terell Stafford steps forward to sing his own unique song.

On disc #2, Dick Oatts opens this piece with a captivating, unaccompanied solo on his alto saxophone on a tune called “Back Bone.” I like the way they added handclaps underneath the horn lines in place of the rhythm section for several bars. Nice arrangement.

This is a magnificent tribute to Thad Jones, the middle brother of the famed Jones jazz family of Hank Jones (piano wizard) and Elvin Jones (renowned, innovative drummer). Let’s hope the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra lasts another 100 years!

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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