Billy Hart & The WDR Big Band: The Broader Picture

Rating: ★★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Rob Bruynen (tp)
Frank Chastenier (p)
Billy Hart (d)
Karolina Strassmeyer (as, f, cl)
Johan Hörlen (s)
John Marshall (tp)
Jens Neufang (s)
Paul Heller (s)
Paul Shigihara (g)
Andy Hunter (tb)
Ludwig Nuss (tb)
Christophe Schweizer (tb)
Andy Haderer (tp)
John Goldsby (b)
Ruud Breuls (tp)

Label:

Enja/Yellowbird

February/2017

Catalogue Number:

ENJA9745 2

RecordDate:

27-30 April 2015

We've grown used to albums by this super-competent radio band featuring guest soloists, one of the most recent being Ron Carter's My Personal Songbook (reviewed in Jazzwise 198). Yet it's a hugely gratifying surprise to find them featuring not only the ensemble work of the great Billy Hart, but a series of his compositions sourced from albums over nearly 40 years, many of them existing in several quite different versions. Captivating as much of this thematic material is, its success here is a tribute to the adaptations of Schweizer, a former Hart student in New York but now Hamburg-based, who has created expansive performances worthy of someone like Maria Schneider or Darcy James Argue. The ensemble is impressive and saxophonist Heller shines again, as does Goldsby (who was absent, of course, from the Ron Carter episode) and, while Hart plays for the band rather than soloing a lot, the drummer is obviously also a key element in a fascinating programme.

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