Andy, well done for choosing another stimulating topic. Pleased to hear you mention Mike Gibbs and Don Ellis. Both very undersung, IMO. In no particular order, my big band choices are: Gil Evans - Out Of The Cool George Russell & The Living Time Orchestra - The London Concert Mike Gibbs - Tanglewood 63 Mike Westbrook Orchestra - Metropolis Stan Kenton/Bob Graettinger - City Of Glass Bob Brookmeyer & New Art Orchestra - Get Well Soon Don Ellis Orchestra - Electric Bath Globe Unity Orchestra - Improvisations Barry Guy & The London Jazz Composers' Orchestra - Portraits Dave Holland Big Band - What Goes Around, or Overtime
One thing I'm constantly reminded of, watching your videos, is what an amazing time we're all so fortunate to be born into. Without even looking beyond big band jazz, this one, very narrow slice of human achievement, anyone with the passion for it can find a lifetime's exploration worth of top notch compositions, arrangements and performances. There's so much available to us that we'll all leave a great deal on the table when eventually we go, so let's live our best lives now, share and be good to the people who come our way. Thanks again for doing these, Andy.
1- Mingus : The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady 2- Monk : At Town Hall 3- Coltrane : Africa/Brass 4- Braxton : Creative Orchestra music 5- Ellington : Far East Suite 6- The Unites Jazz and Rock Ensemble : Teamwork 7- Don Ellis : Tears of Joy 8- Bruford : Earthworks Underground Orchestra 9-Sun Ra : Jazz in Silhouette 10- Gil Evans : the Individualism of Gil Evans
I’ve been a Jazz Trumpeter for more than 40 years and was hooked on Big Band Jazz in my teens mainly due to my Dad owning one of the live Ellington Band Carnegie Hall albums. \turns out it was the December 1947 recording. Absolutely sublime musicianship and arrangements and still play the album to this day. To me it will never be surpassed.
I really appreciate these videos Andy. As a young jazz trumpeter from the UK, there's a lot of hidden gems from these videos that I wouldn't come across otherwise. The way you speak about all this music really excites me, and gives me a sense that there's so much more great music out there than just the classic Duke, Coltrane, Miles, Bird which you mostly hear about. I've written all these albums down to listen to. Thank you and please keep the videos coming. Especially as someone who didn't grow up listening to jazz it's invaluable to hear all the advice and recommendations from this channel. One of my favourite big band albums is quite a recent one, from the Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra entitled 'Live in Cuba', definitely worth checking out. Have a good one!
Call from your Mum. Priceless. Give her our best. Woody's Winners - Woody Herman around 1963. Live album on the West coast with Bill Chase leading the trumpet section. Tremendous swingin' band.
I have an original press of that Sun Ra album. There is a very short interview with John Gilmore that is very informative about Sun Ra. Coltrane took a few lessons from Gilmore even though Gilmore was 5 years younger. Sun Ra's version of Take the A Train from Montreax in the early 70's is mindblowing. Ra, Gilmore and Clifford Jarvis go bonkers.
The Ellington choices for me are Far East Suite and His Mother Called Him Bill, but you can't go wrong there. Other immediate choices for me are Mingus' "Let My Children Hear Music", which honestly is probably #1 for me, Dizzy Gillespie at Newport, and just about any of the Ella Fitzgerald "Songbook" records.
As much as i love those late-period Ellington albums, you can' afford to skip over all his work from the 78 era Mingus' "Let My Children Hear Music" is fantastic - also check out The Saint And The Sinner Lady for more big-babd Mingus (of course there's also the posthumous Mingus Big Band which has recorded some truly vibrant renditions of Charles' music)
I' love jazz but am not a big band jazz fan but interestingly I had 6 of the 10 albums on the list including JCO and Sun Ra. Would be great if you could do a video on Sun Ra. He makes a nonsense of any musicologists timeline about stylistic development.
Sun Ra is one of my favorite musicians. College Tour, Vol. 1: The Complete Nothing Is... is well worth picking up. It's Nothing Is plus and contains 25 tracks from the concerts Nothing Is was taken from.
I was so happy to see Grand Wazoo and Soaring on this list (as well as seeing Elevator Over the Hill in the background). I bought all three of these albums when they were released and they remain some of my favorite albums of the seventies to this day. I was fortunate to have seen Don Ellis on two occasions during that period when he played with Milcho Leviev and a string section. They were truly wonderful concerts. The studio albums from that period do not do that band justice, in my opinion. I thought that ensemble was far more dynamic and entertaining in person. Anyway, I enjoyed this video very much. Thank you.
Lester Young was in Count Basie's Orchestra and Charlie Christian, groundbreaking jazz guitarist, was in the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra. Essential listening and should be on any top ten list.
I remember listening to the George Duke and Aynsley Dunbar beginning section of Eat That Question over and over as a teen in the 00s. It's one of my all time favorite musical moments too. Fantastic list!
Buddy Rich -- Swinging New Big Band and Keep the Customer Satisfied. Thad Jones Mel Lewis Introducing the Jazz Orchestra. Terry Gibb's Explosion. Best of Benny Goodman. Gerry Mulligan -- Big Band Concert Louis Bellson Thunderbird. SInatra-- Come Swing With Me, I'd start with those.
Wow - I can’t believe how many of these top 11 I don’t know about! A huge part of my life has been spent in the big band world as a musician and educator yet most of these picks are completely unknown to me. I could whine about the missing Kenny Clark/Francy Boland, Oliver Nelson, Maynard Ferguson, Toshiko Akiyoshi and, of course, Woody Herman, but you’ve given me lots to listen to and nailed the two #1 spots! I must complain (I’m a jazz musician after all!), however, about the inexcusable lack of any Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, but you are allowed to add more #1s to list, right? ;^)
JAZZ COMPOSERS ORCHESTRA...got it. I went thru a Free Big Band Jazz thing awhile ago. Had to find & then buy this. Brotz, Schoof, von Schlippenbach/Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra , William Parker, Barry Guy, etc. Still love the Mingus BB stuff...with or without CM. Love your PABLO LPs!
Thanks for highlighting so many great albums, most of which I haven't heard before. Listening to Only Chrome-Waterfall Orchestra right now. So good -- funky 9/4 Lady Mac, mysterious Nairam . . . . Gotta say, though, that damn woodpecker on Blackgang started to get on my nerves. ;)
This doesn’t have to do with this videos contents but figured I’d ask here since it’s your most recent. Will there be a deep dive video on possibly your favorite Steely Dan album (if you 1. Are a fan and 2. Have a favorite) , or another type of video commentary on the band and their use of session musicians? Keep up the great content nonetheless !
Glad you mentioned Les Baxter which is a huge huge influence on my musical upbringing. Sun Ra is another great mention here which I was hoping you would reach one day on your videos. Sun Ra was a true visionary innovator. As usual, new listens for me like Mike Gibbs and Stan Kenton....Thanks!!! Couldn't agree with you more on having both Basie and Ellington on 1st place. Great video! For a progger like me, these Jazz albums are an absolute must when trying to understand the origins of rock, prog and fusion.
Loved this video. Great choices, listening to Gil Evans playing Hendrix now. Just looking the list over again … great choices … wait … what? Are you kidding me?? No Woody Herman??
Enjoyable video. I'm completely unfamiliar with Django Bates/Loose Tubes. Something new to explore. I was pleased to see Sun Ra & the Arkestra on your list. Would you consider Keith Tippett's Centipede big band jazz?
Absolutely loved the video Andy. I was pleasantly surprised by many of your picks and also think it is more than OK if your video goes up to 11. Loved the inclusion of The Grand Wazoo…. An all time favorite. And such a nice surprise to see Sun Ra on your list. I didn’t expect him to be on your radar. Silly of me, of coarse you would know Sun Ra. I heard him play at a little club called D.C. Space. It was better than powder milk biscuits!
You should track down the MPS European funky big band compilations Between or Beyond the Black Forest Vol. 1&2, Between or Beyond … the Iron Curtain and … Northern Lights. All amazing and worth tracking down.
They say Keith Richards imagined the Satisfaction riff played on horns alla big band. Great video Andy. Anyway can I just mention a few things about presentation as I know you have noble aspirations to hang with the big boys RUclips wise. We're all trying to get you up there mate but really Rick Beato can't have Sting or somebody on one week acting all suave in roll neck sweater dropping nuggets of secret wisdom about song writing or tantrum sex or something then the next week it's you with a Ron Jeremy moustache going blank and forgetting Elvis's name then your mum phoning asking what you want for your tea. Much as we love this in England it might struggle across the pond. Just saying. Anyway, keep em coming. :)
I was listening to Soaring only last night. Good stuff, mad but good stuff. That Ellington album was the one of the 1st records I ever bought myself, my 1st purchase with birthday money was Pinups by Bowie and that Ellington album. My grandfather had it on a reel to reel, the 1st time I heard Johnny Hodges bend that note on I Got It Bad, well my heart melted.
Gil Evans did some really great late-period live albums including two volumes of "Live At Sweet Basil" that feature a bunch of Jimi Hendrix tunes and other "modern" tunes. Live at Town Hall is also great. Nothing Is - great album, but a difficult starting place for Ra. I highly recommend "Sunrise In Different Dimensions" which covers the gamut from Fletcher Henderson to bop to outside free stuff and features Gilmore and Marshall Allen quite prominently As always, I'm going to push for the older eras of both Basie and Ellington - The "Old Testament" Basie Band with Lester Young is indispensable. Ellington's Blanton-Webster Band is similarly indispensable, but only scratches the surface - so much great stuff from the 20s/30s and the late 40s/50s that it's hard to sum it up in one or two releases
I love Oliver Nelsons work, and Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath as well as the 60s/70s Buddy Rich albums. But for me (apart from the Count & Duke stuff) I realy love Lalo Schifrin's work, and If I had to choose one, it would be Jimmy Smith's "The Cat" album. I love the way that this album has no woodwinds, it's all brass like the roar of an engine. Great vid Andy, I love big bands as well.
Brotherhood of Breath were a very important jazz group that have become almost entirely forgotten. I did think of doing a video on them but no one would watch it! Except you Louis!
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer I think we were very luck Andy. We both had dads that were into Jazz, and it was always hard to explain Jazz to people. But I have to say your doing the best job of it here on YT. We must keep exposing people to it and why it is so great. Oh and I forgot to mention the Machito orchestra they would be my fourth favorite.
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath - count me in, too, That whole SA ex-pat crowd did some great stuff - by turns melodic and cacophanous - swinging tunes and energy blasts. johnny Dyani, Dudu Pukwana, Abdullah Ibrahim, harry Beckett,,,really great stuff, but mostly forgotten already.
Don Ellis was the Kenton of the 70s-80s with his experimentation in time signatures and instrumentation. Bad heart and died at 44. Wrote some cool film scores. Tears of Joy album with his masterpiece - Strawberry Soup.
You mentioned john gilmore and I remember seeing him on a tv clip with art blakey and was blown away by him too. He seemed to dissapear a bit with sun ra but i would have loved to hear him more with a smaller combo.
Also I have just found a still sealed version of the same Buddy Rich record you have for £7. Still sealed, 43 years old! I have a couple from this I Giganti Del Jazz series and they sound good.
I have the first USA press 1956 of April in Paris by Michel Legrand. Didn't know about the other. Barney Kessel's Soaring (1976) is jazz guitar shredding including lots of sweeps.
Big Band list should be swing only. Louis Armstrong. Les Brown. Duke Ellington. Count Basie Benny Goodman. 40s Sirius Radio 📻 Station is the best. Got to love Tommy Dorsey especially when Frank Sinatra sings
The is-ought fallacy occurs when the assumption is made that because things are a certain way, they should be that way. It can also consist of the assumption that because something is not now occurring, this means it should not occur.
Or you're just redefining the term incorrectly. Swing is great and that's why people are still listening to it.Same with Classical. Classical would make an intersection top 10. Not that many Rockers would be intersested.
When I think of “Big Bands” I think of the swing era. I guess you can call any group of more than 8 or 10 musicians a big band regardless of what they are playing. Is the definition of a big band simply a head count of how many musicians are in a band or is it a period and style of music? Maybe the term is used a little differently in the UK and USA.
The Arkestra! (He took Pharoah Saunders as a stray off the street, looked after him, and helped him reach his potential instead of becoming one of those people decent-folk can look through with X-ray eyes. That's my favourite Sun Ra story.)
Yes, subjective. We have some common favorites. Now how about current big bands like the Maria Schneider Big Band, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Mingus Big Band, just to name a few. I guess that would be a video in itself.
I love The Exciting Daly Wilson Big Band featuring Kerrie Biddell (1972, Australia) Big band jazz funk with vocal on some tracks: popular with beat artists.
You were wise to qualify the list and to declare right away there’s lots to choose…. Ya can’t list em all! I think for the sheer excitement and great live recordings by Wally Heider the Terry Gibbs dream band is a very significant series of recordings. Of course arrangements were by some of the best ; Holman, Flory,Cohn, Manny Albam I would also think Thad Jones Mel Lewis orchestra a good candidate for a band of significance. I believe many of the Jones compositions not done by Basie when Jones was a member of the Basie band were likely done by Jones/Lewis.
You have touched on British jazz but no mention of Ian Carr as far as I can tell - thought he would be part of your upbringing. I used to listen to him a lot but he's off the radar for most.
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Would like to see discussion of Carr (and maybe If and the Brit jazz rock scene). BTW thanks for introducing me to Chrome Orchestra and also Loose Tubes.
How about the track : Viva Tirado, Gerald Wilson Big Band, Album: Moment of Truth. I bought this album in Mid 1960's, The solos/ Big Band sound, on this track, Superb!! I never get bored. Anyway, Peace to all.
‘I have slightly cheated on my definition of what big band jazz is’…. I’m half expecting ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind and other Disco Galactic Themes’ by Geoff Love and his Orchestra. If it’s not there, it should be 😉
Andy, well done for choosing another stimulating topic. Pleased to hear you mention Mike Gibbs and Don Ellis. Both very undersung, IMO.
In no particular order, my big band choices are:
Gil Evans - Out Of The Cool
George Russell & The Living Time Orchestra - The London Concert
Mike Gibbs - Tanglewood 63
Mike Westbrook Orchestra - Metropolis
Stan Kenton/Bob Graettinger - City Of Glass
Bob Brookmeyer & New Art Orchestra - Get Well Soon
Don Ellis Orchestra - Electric Bath
Globe Unity Orchestra - Improvisations
Barry Guy & The London Jazz Composers' Orchestra - Portraits
Dave Holland Big Band - What Goes Around, or Overtime
One thing I'm constantly reminded of, watching your videos, is what an amazing time we're all so fortunate to be born into. Without even looking beyond big band jazz, this one, very narrow slice of human achievement, anyone with the passion for it can find a lifetime's exploration worth of top notch compositions, arrangements and performances.
There's so much available to us that we'll all leave a great deal on the table when eventually we go, so let's live our best lives now, share and be good to the people who come our way.
Thanks again for doing these, Andy.
Benny Goodman The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert. I love this album.
Thanks to my Dad, I got to really like Stan Kenton's various big band experiments.
1- Mingus : The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
2- Monk : At Town Hall
3- Coltrane : Africa/Brass
4- Braxton : Creative Orchestra music
5- Ellington : Far East Suite
6- The Unites Jazz and Rock Ensemble : Teamwork
7- Don Ellis : Tears of Joy
8- Bruford : Earthworks Underground Orchestra
9-Sun Ra : Jazz in Silhouette
10- Gil Evans : the Individualism of Gil Evans
I’ve been a Jazz Trumpeter for more than 40 years and was hooked on Big Band Jazz in my teens mainly due to my Dad owning one of the live Ellington Band Carnegie Hall albums. \turns out it was the December 1947 recording. Absolutely sublime musicianship and arrangements and still play the album to this day. To me it will never be surpassed.
Wonderful. Your energy and enthusiasm is so contagious. Thank you
I really appreciate these videos Andy. As a young jazz trumpeter from the UK, there's a lot of hidden gems from these videos that I wouldn't come across otherwise. The way you speak about all this music really excites me, and gives me a sense that there's so much more great music out there than just the classic Duke, Coltrane, Miles, Bird which you mostly hear about. I've written all these albums down to listen to. Thank you and please keep the videos coming. Especially as someone who didn't grow up listening to jazz it's invaluable to hear all the advice and recommendations from this channel. One of my favourite big band albums is quite a recent one, from the Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra entitled 'Live in Cuba', definitely worth checking out. Have a good one!
Call from your Mum. Priceless. Give her our best. Woody's Winners - Woody Herman around 1963. Live album on the West coast with Bill Chase leading the trumpet section. Tremendous swingin' band.
I love this type of content. Introduces me to musicians and albums I may not be familiar with. Opens doors to new musical enjoyment.
I have an original press of that Sun Ra album. There is a very short interview with John Gilmore that is very informative about Sun Ra. Coltrane took a few lessons from Gilmore even though Gilmore was 5 years younger. Sun Ra's version of Take the A Train from Montreax in the early 70's is mindblowing. Ra, Gilmore and Clifford Jarvis go bonkers.
See RUclips for the interview and Montreux.
Endless enthusiasm from you , great stuff .
Oliver Nelson's Blues and Abstract Truth. It's the only thing I could argue might edge it's way on that list somehow.
The Ellington choices for me are Far East Suite and His Mother Called Him Bill, but you can't go wrong there. Other immediate choices for me are Mingus' "Let My Children Hear Music", which honestly is probably #1 for me, Dizzy Gillespie at Newport, and just about any of the Ella Fitzgerald "Songbook" records.
As much as i love those late-period Ellington albums, you can' afford to skip over all his work from the 78 era
Mingus' "Let My Children Hear Music" is fantastic - also check out The Saint And The Sinner Lady for more big-babd Mingus (of course there's also the posthumous Mingus Big Band which has recorded some truly vibrant renditions of Charles' music)
Imagine saving your allowance or earnings to go to the big band dance at the weekend back in the day. Woulda been something to look forward to!
Great diverse listing. The one big band album I listen to repeatedly is Stan Kenton Conducts Presents the Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton.
I' love jazz but am not a big band jazz fan but interestingly I had 6 of the 10 albums on the list including JCO and Sun Ra. Would be great if you could do a video on Sun Ra. He makes a nonsense of any musicologists timeline about stylistic development.
Sun Ra is one of my favorite musicians. College Tour, Vol. 1: The Complete Nothing Is... is well worth picking up. It's Nothing Is plus and contains 25 tracks from the concerts Nothing Is was taken from.
I was so happy to see Grand Wazoo and Soaring on this list (as well as seeing Elevator Over the Hill in the background). I bought all three of these albums when they were released and they remain some of my favorite albums of the seventies to this day. I was fortunate to have seen Don Ellis on two occasions during that period when he played with Milcho Leviev and a string section. They were truly wonderful concerts. The studio albums from that period do not do that band justice, in my opinion. I thought that ensemble was far more dynamic and entertaining in person. Anyway, I enjoyed this video very much. Thank you.
Atomic Basie, Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Consummation, M Brecker Wide Angles, Africa/Brass maybe?
Lester Young was in Count Basie's Orchestra and Charlie Christian, groundbreaking jazz guitarist, was in the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra. Essential listening and should be on any top ten list.
I remember listening to the George Duke and Aynsley Dunbar beginning section of Eat That Question over and over as a teen in the 00s. It's one of my all time favorite musical moments too.
Fantastic list!
Buddy Rich -- Swinging New Big Band and Keep the Customer Satisfied. Thad Jones Mel Lewis Introducing the Jazz Orchestra. Terry Gibb's Explosion. Best of Benny Goodman. Gerry Mulligan -- Big Band Concert Louis Bellson Thunderbird. SInatra-- Come Swing With Me, I'd start with those.
I think at this point we might need a video about Duke Ellington 😂
Wow - I can’t believe how many of these top 11 I don’t know about! A huge part of my life has been spent in the big band world as a musician and educator yet most of these picks are completely unknown to me. I could whine about the missing Kenny Clark/Francy Boland, Oliver Nelson, Maynard Ferguson, Toshiko Akiyoshi and, of course, Woody Herman, but you’ve given me lots to listen to and nailed the two #1 spots! I must complain (I’m a jazz musician after all!), however, about the inexcusable lack of any Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, but you are allowed to add more #1s to list, right? ;^)
Satchmo the Decca and Verve Years 1924-67. What an album!
thanks, its great what you do.
Thad and Mel?? Probably the best ensemble big band ever!!!
Consummation is on my list.
First Time - Count Meets The Duke! An oldie from my late father's collection. A real treasure. Cheers
Brian in Ontario
My Grand Pa was a huge Big Band fan. Early introduction to Jazz.
Have you heard Norwegian progmetal/jazz band SEVEN IMPALE's new album... "Summit"?
JAZZ COMPOSERS ORCHESTRA...got it. I went thru a Free Big Band Jazz thing awhile ago. Had to find & then buy this.
Brotz, Schoof, von Schlippenbach/Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra , William Parker, Barry Guy, etc.
Still love the Mingus BB stuff...with or without CM.
Love your PABLO LPs!
Nostalgia in Times Square. Mingus Big Band ‘93
Agree,...the Miles Davis - Aura really rocks!
Thanks for highlighting so many great albums, most of which I haven't heard before. Listening to Only Chrome-Waterfall Orchestra right now. So good -- funky 9/4 Lady Mac, mysterious Nairam . . . . Gotta say, though, that damn woodpecker on Blackgang started to get on my nerves. ;)
I watched it! 'I'm the genre spanner.' 'You're a spanner.' - The Mighty Boosh.
This doesn’t have to do with this videos contents but figured I’d ask here since it’s your most recent.
Will there be a deep dive video on possibly your favorite Steely Dan album (if you 1. Are a fan and 2. Have a favorite) , or another type of video commentary on the band and their use of session musicians? Keep up the great content nonetheless !
Glad you mentioned Les Baxter which is a huge huge influence on my musical upbringing. Sun Ra is another great mention here which I was hoping you would reach one day on your videos. Sun Ra was a true visionary innovator. As usual, new listens for me like Mike Gibbs and Stan Kenton....Thanks!!! Couldn't agree with you more on having both Basie and Ellington on 1st place. Great video! For a progger like me, these Jazz albums are an absolute must when trying to understand the origins of rock, prog and fusion.
Loved this video. Great choices, listening to Gil Evans playing Hendrix now. Just looking the list over again … great choices … wait … what? Are you kidding me?? No Woody Herman??
He is there somewhere...
Enjoyable video. I'm completely unfamiliar with Django Bates/Loose Tubes. Something new to explore. I was pleased to see Sun Ra & the Arkestra on your list. Would you consider Keith Tippett's Centipede big band jazz?
Nothing is is nothing less than a Masterpiece.
To put the Count and the Duke on First Place together swings it totally.
No one ever mentions Stan Kenton. Great chat Andy thanks.
Absolutely loved the video Andy.
I was pleasantly surprised by many of your picks and
also think it is more than OK if your video goes up to 11.
Loved the inclusion of The Grand Wazoo…. An all time favorite. And such a
nice surprise to see Sun Ra on your list. I didn’t expect him to be on your radar.
Silly of me, of coarse you would know Sun Ra. I heard him play at a little club called D.C. Space. It was better than powder milk biscuits!
I appreciate your acknowledgement of Philip Catherine !
Ellington at Newport '56?
Sort of...
Would love a whole episode on Sun Ra!
You should track down the MPS European funky big band compilations Between or Beyond the Black Forest Vol. 1&2, Between or Beyond … the Iron Curtain and … Northern Lights. All amazing and worth tracking down.
They say Keith Richards imagined the Satisfaction riff played on horns alla big band. Great video Andy. Anyway can I just mention a few things about presentation as I know you have noble aspirations to hang with the big boys RUclips wise. We're all trying to get you up there mate but really Rick Beato can't have Sting or somebody on one week acting all suave in roll neck sweater dropping nuggets of secret wisdom about song writing or tantrum sex or something then the next week it's you with a Ron Jeremy moustache going blank and forgetting Elvis's name then your mum phoning asking what you want for your tea. Much as we love this in England it might struggle across the pond. Just saying. Anyway, keep em coming. :)
Too funny !
I was listening to Soaring only last night. Good stuff, mad but good stuff. That Ellington album was the one of the 1st records I ever bought myself, my 1st purchase with birthday money was Pinups by Bowie and that Ellington album. My grandfather had it on a reel to reel, the 1st time I heard Johnny Hodges bend that note on I Got It Bad, well my heart melted.
Gil Evans did some really great late-period live albums including two volumes of "Live At Sweet Basil" that feature a bunch of Jimi Hendrix tunes and other "modern" tunes. Live at Town Hall is also great.
Nothing Is - great album, but a difficult starting place for Ra. I highly recommend "Sunrise In Different Dimensions" which covers the gamut from Fletcher Henderson to bop to outside free stuff and features Gilmore and Marshall Allen quite prominently
As always, I'm going to push for the older eras of both Basie and Ellington - The "Old Testament" Basie Band with Lester Young is indispensable. Ellington's Blanton-Webster Band is similarly indispensable, but only scratches the surface - so much great stuff from the 20s/30s and the late 40s/50s that it's hard to sum it up in one or two releases
Just checking out that Mike Gibbs album..so good! Loved his arrangements with Jaco & more recently the Nguyen Le NDR Dark Side of the moon project.
I love Oliver Nelsons work, and Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath as well as the 60s/70s Buddy Rich albums. But for me (apart from the Count & Duke stuff) I realy love Lalo Schifrin's work, and If I had to choose one, it would be Jimmy Smith's "The Cat" album. I love the way that this album has no woodwinds, it's all brass like the roar of an engine. Great vid Andy, I love big bands as well.
Brotherhood of Breath were a very important jazz group that have become almost entirely forgotten. I did think of doing a video on them but no one would watch it! Except you Louis!
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer I think we were very luck Andy. We both had dads that were into Jazz, and it was always hard to explain Jazz to people. But I have to say your doing the best job of it here on YT. We must keep exposing people to it and why it is so great. Oh and I forgot to mention the Machito orchestra they would be my fourth favorite.
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath - count me in, too, That whole SA ex-pat crowd did some great stuff - by turns melodic and cacophanous - swinging tunes and energy blasts. johnny Dyani, Dudu Pukwana, Abdullah Ibrahim, harry Beckett,,,really great stuff, but mostly forgotten already.
Don Ellis was the Kenton of the 70s-80s with his experimentation in time signatures and instrumentation. Bad heart and died at 44. Wrote some cool film scores. Tears of Joy album with his masterpiece - Strawberry Soup.
Check out my Ralph Humphrey interview.
You mentioned john gilmore and I remember seeing him on a tv clip with art blakey and was blown away by him too. He seemed to dissapear a bit with sun ra but i would have loved to hear him more with a smaller combo.
Also I have just found a still sealed version of the same Buddy Rich record you have for £7. Still sealed, 43 years old! I have a couple from this I Giganti Del Jazz series and they sound good.
let us remember
Big Band Jazz in the 21.Century is not dead
Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra ( with worldclass solists)
I have the first USA press 1956 of April in Paris by Michel Legrand. Didn't know about the other. Barney Kessel's Soaring (1976) is jazz guitar shredding including lots of sweeps.
Big Band list should be swing only. Louis Armstrong. Les Brown. Duke Ellington. Count Basie Benny Goodman. 40s Sirius Radio 📻 Station is the best. Got to love Tommy Dorsey especially when Frank Sinatra sings
The is-ought fallacy occurs when the assumption is made that because things are a certain way, they should be that way. It can also consist of the assumption that because something is not now occurring, this means it should not occur.
Or you're just redefining the term incorrectly. Swing is great and that's why people are still listening to it.Same with Classical. Classical would make an intersection top 10. Not that many Rockers would be intersested.
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer There's an argument to be made that "big band jazz" refers to a style more than it does to instrumentation.
When I think of “Big Bands” I think of the swing era. I guess you can call any group of more than 8 or 10 musicians a big band regardless of what they are playing. Is the definition of a big band simply a head count of how many musicians are in a band or is it a period and style of music? Maybe the term is used a little differently in the UK and USA.
The bebop big bands definitely count as "big band music" but i agree that at some point simple head-count isn't enough to qualify
Harry South Big Band - The Sweeney theme :-) There's a boxset from just a few years ag0 The Songbook
The Arkestra! (He took Pharoah Saunders as a stray off the street, looked after him, and helped him reach his potential instead of becoming one of those people decent-folk can look through with X-ray eyes. That's my favourite Sun Ra story.)
Yes, subjective. We have some common favorites. Now how about current big bands like the Maria Schneider Big Band, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Mingus Big Band, just to name a few. I guess that would be a video in itself.
I've always wondered if the artwork and music of Sun Ra's album influenced Trout Mask Replica.
I love The Exciting Daly Wilson Big Band featuring Kerrie Biddell (1972, Australia) Big band jazz funk with vocal on some tracks: popular with beat artists.
Some of the players were in 60's American big bands.
You were wise to qualify the list and to declare right away there’s lots to choose…. Ya can’t list em all!
I think for the sheer excitement and great live recordings by Wally Heider the Terry Gibbs dream band is a very significant series of recordings. Of course arrangements were by some of the best ; Holman, Flory,Cohn, Manny Albam
I would also think Thad Jones Mel Lewis orchestra a good candidate for a band of significance. I believe many of the Jones compositions not done by Basie when Jones was a member of the Basie band were likely done by Jones/Lewis.
Go Andy Go!
Would it be too much to add a list to these 10 best videos so they would be easier to look up after?
I’m a prog fan and a jazz fan and a your-mom fan.
sun ra arkestra,maynard ferguson,gil evans,sergio mendes,fela kuti,antibalas afrobeat orchestra
Toshiko Akiyoshi
ruclips.net/video/3II64EHzMqg/видео.html
Love the arrangements, Toshiko discovered by Oscar Peterson in Japan. Married Lew Tabackin.
Steve Marcus was very talented. He also lasted about 15 years with Buddy, which is definitely a World record.
I think Buddy left him alone perhaps?
Count Basie Big Band Montreux '77
You have touched on British jazz but no mention of Ian Carr as far as I can tell - thought he would be part of your upbringing. I used to listen to him a lot but he's off the radar for most.
I read his biography of Miles many times, and he was a key figure on the UK jazz scene and introduced Allan Holdsorth to the world.
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Would like to see discussion of Carr (and maybe If and the Brit jazz rock scene). BTW thanks for introducing me to Chrome Orchestra and also Loose Tubes.
Carla Bley
In the background....
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer - Escalator Over The Hill is a masterpiece - maybe worth a deep dive sometime...
Both Liberation Music Orchestra and The Ballad Of The Fallen deserve honorable mentions. They're masterpieces in form and dynamics.
@@arvaborelius7269 Ballad of the Fallen...brilliant
Yeah, Ballad Of the Fallen was the name of the album. I thought the name was No paseranda, but that was one of the tunes.
Woody Herman? Maynard Ferguson?
Cubana-be, Cubana-bop
How about the track : Viva Tirado, Gerald Wilson Big Band, Album: Moment of Truth.
I bought this album in Mid 1960's, The solos/ Big Band sound, on this track, Superb!!
I never get bored.
Anyway, Peace to all.
Im not big into big band jazz but i do love Duke Ellington Indigos.
‘I have slightly cheated on my definition of what big band jazz is’…. I’m half expecting ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind and other Disco Galactic Themes’ by Geoff Love and his Orchestra. If it’s not there, it should be 😉
I'm a big fan of Geoff Love's Big War Movie Themes
Mum sounds sweet.
Anything by mingus.
Manner dangerous by james morrison
Crystals by same rivers
Consider Igor Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto.
George Gruntz !
He was my neighbour in Allschwil (CH)in the 90s. High active guy with extreme open mind.
George Formby!
sr or jr
@@narosgmbh5916 jr.
No passeranda