Ray Commisky on two new releases.

VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA

Monday Night Live At The Village Vanguard

Planet Arts

*****

Recorded in February, this double CD finds one of the great jazz orchestras recalling some of the pieces that helped make it swing. Among them are Bob Brookmeyer's multi-dimensional fantasia St Louis Bluesand the equally strikingly voiced Willow Tree, along with some of Thad Jones's finest writing for the band; this includes The Waltz You Swang For Me, the gorgeous counterpoint of the bossa, Say It Softly, and the richly textured Kids Are Pretty Peopleand Little Rascal On A Rock.

They (and three more by Jones, plus one each from Jim McNeely and Jerry Dodgion) play to the band's strengths, namely its range of orchestral colour; its blend of looseness and precision; and its gifted soloists, with memorable contributions from Terell Stafford, Scott Wendholt, Dick Oatts, Ralph Lalama, Gary Smulyan, Billy Drewes, Rich Perry, John Mosca, Luis Bonilla and Jason Jackson.

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RAY COMISKEY

ANDY SCHERRER

Wrong Is Right

TCB

***

Most interest in this solid, thoughtful, varied session will centre on US pianist Bill Carrothers, who is part of a sextet led by Switzerland's Andy Scherrer (soprano/tenor), with Domenic Landolf and Jürg Bucher (tenors/bass clarinets), Fabian Gisler (bass) and Dré Pallemaerts (drums).

He plays for the band; there's no attempt to upstage his colleagues. But there is an elusive presence about his work that sets it apart; his solos on Coltrane's After The Rain, the soulful Karmaand his own Waltz For Elaine, which shifts between 3/4 and 4/4, have an originality and sense of surprise nobody else matches here.

That said, Scherrer, Landolf and Bucher are all fine players and the leader's arrangements make good use of the limited instrumental colours available, particularly the soprano/tenor/bass clarinet voicings on the contemplative For Anneand the sourly skewed tenors on Carrothers' musical joke, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong.

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RAY COMISKEY