THE CAPITOL SESSIONS - · PDF filenick Granville plays elixir strings, ... the track list is...
Transcript of THE CAPITOL SESSIONS - · PDF filenick Granville plays elixir strings, ... the track list is...
THE CAPITOL SESSIONSTHE RODGER FOX WELLINGTON JAZZ ORCHESTRA
THE CAPITOL SESSIONS
12 Left Bank express (11:58) CC Composed and arranged by pete Jackson soloists alex nyman soprano saxophone rodger fox trombone andre paris baritone saxophone Jon papenbrook scream trumpet Lance philip drums
13 Jimi (12:41) asCap Composed and arranged by Bill Cunliffe soloists Colin Hemmingsen tenor saxophone alexis french trumpet andre paris baritone saxophone mike isaacs tenor saxophone Christopher fox trombone nick Granville guitar Lance philip drums
Lance philip plays Yamaha drums and uses regal tip sticks
nick Granville plays elixir strings, Cusack pedals and Lollar pickups
rodger fox plays Yamaha trombones
8 maxine (4:17) apra Composed by sharon O’neill arranged by Jeff Driskill Vocalist erna ferry
9 LOVe Of mY Life (4:33) apra Composed by Bruce Brown arranged by Jeff Driskill Vocalist erna ferry soloist rodger fox trombone
10 ain’t GOt nOtHinG But tHe BLues (4:40) CC Composed by Duke ellington arranged by Jeff Driskill Vocalist erna ferry soloist nick Granville guitar
11 rOGer WitH a ‘D’ (7:05) apra Composed by Christopher fox arranged by Bill Cunliffe soloists Colin Hemmingsen tenor saxophone alexis french trumpet alex nyman alto saxophone
4 Just squeeze me (5:49) CC Composed by Duke ellington arranged by John fedchock soloist rodger fox trombone
5 sOnG fOr LOuise (5:32) apra Composed by Colin Hemmingsen arranged Jeff Driskill soloist Colin Hemmingsen tenor saxophone
6 rOCkin’ in rHYtHm (6:37) CC Composed by Duke ellington arranged by Bill Cunliffe soloists mike isaacs tenor saxophone Colin Hemmingsen tenor saxophone Lance philip drums
7 HOneYsuCkLe rOse (3:23) CC Composed by fats Waller arranged by frank foster Vocalist erna ferry
1 BraziLian fantasY (7:23) asCap Composed and arranged by John fedchock soloists alex nyman alto saxophone alexis french trumpet
2 One O’CLOCk Jump (8:26) CC Composed by Count Basie arranged by Bill Cunliffe soloists anita schwabe piano nick Granville guitar Dean scott trombone andre paris baritone saxophone nick tipping bass Ben Hunt trumpet alexis french trumpet
3 tOp DaDDY (6:27) asCap Composed and arranged by matt Harris soloists anita schwabe piano andre paris baritone saxophone nick Granville guitar
trOmBOnes
Christopher fox - lead
Dean scott
Damian forlong
kurt Gibson - bass
keYBOarDs
anita schwabe
Guitar
nick Granville
Bass
nick tipping
Drums
Lance philip
rodger fox trombone / musical director
erna ferry vocalist
saxOpHOnes
alex nyman lead alto / soprano / flute
Hayden Hockly alto / flute
Colin Hemmingsen tenor / clarinet
mike isaacs tenor
andre paris baritone / bass clarinet
trumpets & fLuGeLHOrns
alexis french lead on tracks 3, 6, 7, 10, 12
sebastian soldrzynski lead on tracks 2, 5, 9
Jon papenbrook lead on tracks 1, 4, 8, 11, 13
Ben Hunt
Chris selley
THE RODGER FOX WELLINGTON JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Jazz has a habit of flying in the face of market
logic. its dogged endurance alone testifies to that,
despite an increasing output of crass commercial
offerings. it is however in the Dna of modern music
and popular culture. acknowledged or not, it is
here to stay in its various and evolving forms.
new zealand is a country of four million people, so
it is perhaps surprising that it has a number of jazz
orchestras, many owing their inception to the influence
of rodger fox. the rodger fox Wellington Jazz
Orchestra’s previous album (Journey Home, featuring
the music of alan Broadbent) won Best album at the
2012 tui Jazz awards. it was their first award, but fox
has picked up a heap of them over his long career.
in late 2012, rodger took the WJO to Los angeles
to record at Capitol studios. the word ‘iconic’
has become hackneyed in modern reportage
but this is a legitimate description of these
studios: an echo chamber designed by Les paul,
with the ghosts of frank sinatra and nat Cole
hovering over every note – a fitting place to
record a big band at the peak of its powers.
as you move through the tracks your attention is
drawn by the vibrancy of the sound. it’s hardly
surprising that a Capitol studios recording should be
so good, but let’s not take anything away from the
band. this is an orchestra with the punch of the WDr
and a finely tuned sense of swing. achieving this
requires hyper-awareness of what others are doing,
impeccable time keeping, and a lot of very hard work.
the track list is balanced between standards (Basie,
Waller, ellington), lesser known but well-established
big band numbers, and some very welcome new
zealand compositions. While the perennially popular
provides a yardstick to measure a band by, it is the
originals and explorative tunes that prove character.
the first track, Brazilian fantasy, was composed
and arranged by John fedchock. fox has previously
worked and recorded with fedchock, so he’s
familiar with his work. this is an especially good
opener as it confidently draws you in from the
first bar, the kind of tune that stops you in your
tracks and tells you that you are in for an enjoyable
journey. Big band music is at its best when it says
something new while referencing its origins. swing
is about dance and this track dances like crazy.
there are compositions and arrangements by Bill
Cunliffe, whose recent album, the Blues and the
abstract truth - take two (released on the resonance
label), elevated him to the pantheon of first class
modern arrangers. in addition there are arrangements
by Jeff Driskill, matt Harris, frank foster, rodger
fox and pete Jackson. Cunliffe’s Jimi is particularly
impressive, a composition that dives straight into the
psychedelic painted world of Jimi Hendrix. the blare of
horns tracks along the jagged edges of discord, until
we find ourselves happily buffeted by the vamp of Let
me stand next to Your fire. this pattern repeats as the
band recalibrates their viewpoint after each section.
Drummer Lance philip supports the orchestra in
the best tradition of big-band drummers. it’s a
specialised skill, and here he shows his true class.
Guitarist nick Granville carries the lion’s share of
the soloing with ease, soaring like a guitar-god.
it’s a great track, reminiscent of the edge that Gil
evans attained but without attempting to ride upon
his coat tails. Jimi’s fire still burns fearsome hot.
pianist anita schwabe is a solid presence throughout,
and her take on Basie in One O’Clock Jump is confident
and thoroughly enjoyable. there have been many
attempts at approximating the bouncy minimalist
hard swinging lines of Basie, and this sits comfortably
with the best of them. nick tipping is one of new
zealand’s most highly regarded bass players and
his propulsive bass lines manage to cushion and
move the band without domination – exactly what’s
required from a big-band bass player. nick Granville,
Dean scott (trombone), andre paris (baritone), alex
nyman (alto), Ben Hunt and alexis french (trumpets)
deliver superb solo performances as well.
song for Louise features its composer, tenor
sax maestro Colin Hemmingsen. Colin has a
gorgeous tone and solos with effortless skill. His
attractive ballad approximates a Jobim-like vibe,
offering the orchestra a chance to show that it
can swing just as hard in a gentler mode.
there are four tracks featuring singer erna ferry,
including her signature take on maxine (by new
zealand singer/song writer sharon O’neill). Jazz
arrangers and performers are no longer afraid to tackle
material outside of the genre. the awkwardness of the
past is long-gone, and music by the likes of Hendrix
and O’neill now offers valid and vital material for
exploration by jazz orchestras – long may it continue.
the Capitol sessions stands confidently alongside
the great jazz orchestra albums coming out of
america and europe at this moment. ultimately,
the recording is a testimony to the leadership of
rodger fox, who, with so many gifted soloists at
his disposal, never loses sight of the collective.
John fenton
JazzLocal32.com
member Jazz Journalists assn.
Orchestra, e & p Jamieson, Cm Jones, km marshall, Derrick
Halford, richard keller, matthew marshall, natalie Hunt,
Judith Bell, Grant Burns, Cameron kidby, philip Verstraaten,
anna Guenther, pablo, stacey, Bruce forman, John kliem,
Chanel Haami, Hemi frires, Julie Bevan, Jenni Bedford,
tom mcLeod, John mcCormick, Larry koonse, Gilbert
Hadfield, kirsten Henderson, arie rozendaal, Lisa tong,
Janna ferry, Cathy sneyd, kevin Downing, Jake Baxendale,
Jim Hollis, richard mckenzie, shannon Lawn, michael
William rowlands, sharon, nick Granville, neil Brown,
kavin king, Jeff kingsford-Brown, miriam alice Dixon,
paul toulson, roger Brasell, stuart Hubbard, karen Carter,
ian Hunt, Belinda mcfadgen, paul toulson, antony fox,
Darren Watson, rick Henderson, mike Lewis, kathy Jones,
fiona Boddy, Ben Wilcock, alice, phil, Liam ryan, annette
straugheir, Genevra scott, Jenn Jones, krzysztof zieniewicz,
pieter Bos, Catherine Leining, paul sanders, Chris Hipkins,
James tait-Jamieson, richard thai & scott Cooksley
massey university, professor neil quigley, Deputy Vice
Chancellor of Victoria university, professor elizabeth
Hudson, Director of the new zealand school of music, the
Griffiths family trust, the performing arts society, rt Hon.
Winston peters, the Wellington Jazz Club inc, paula & alan
keall, sir John todd, max Bradford, Graham Warren, Group
events (aust), ian Collier air new zealand, the nz Jazz
foundation, Chris parkin, upper Hutt music Centre, peter
Dixon, Hayden Hockly, anne french, Jennifer Bogoievski,
tommy’s real estate, mark malpass, Grant Willis,
Catherine fox, alex nyman, Jane & paul Dyne, pm scott,
David Greer, phil & sue monk, irek, elizabeth maxwell,
terry Collier, Brian ensor, Julie Boddy, Duncan Wylie, mike
and Holly, Grant Crowley, John Crawford, Bruce paulson,
paul matthews, David Balham, Les stephens, rob Winch,
Community radio 104.7fm Waikanae, Greg Crayford,
Chris Cresswell, susan Donaldson, richard isaacs, tony
Joyce, ross Culver, r Bradley, ms V Leighs, auckland Jazz
tHe CapitOL sessiOns aCknOWLeDGments:
David Hyams – Band manager
Grant Crowley – secretary Wellington Jazz Orchestra inc
Clem Griffiths - the Grand Hotel Wellington
paula salvatore - sr. Director / manager Capitol studios
Leon Grice – new zealand Consul-General, Los angeles
tina Hellier - executive assistant to the Consul-General/events manager
p J Ochlan – kJazz Los angeles
april Williams – talent Coordinator, Vitello’s Jazz Club – Los angeles
marsha ross – e-string Jazz Club Las Vegas
kuko -typhoon – Los angeles
Jared segawa – talent Buyer, saint rocke – Los angeles
evan avery – Head of music, Crossroad school of the arts Los angeles
trevor Davis – for lending nick tipping a double bass
Ben shepherd – for lending nick tipping a bass rig
Bruce forman – for lending nick Granville a guitar amp
musicworks nz & Lyn mcallistar - for support of Lancephilip with drum equipment
speCiaL tHanks
to book the band, please contact rodger fox on email [email protected] visit our website - www.rfwjo.com
recorded at Capitol studios, Los angeles, July 9-10 2012additional recording at tritone studios, Los angeles, July 11-13 2012mixed at tritone studio, Los angeles, august-september 2012
recording & mixing engineer: talley sherwoodassistant engineer: Jake Gorskysenior setup engineer: Bruce monical
recording & mixing assistance by Bill Cunliffeproduced by rodger fox & talley sherwood
photography by David Hyams, anita schwabenick Granville, kurt Gibson & nick tipping
Design by unklefranc