I've just finished listening to "Stratford Blue" and I must tell you that it's great hearing a big band again! Stan's trombone playing as well as the ensemble and other soloists are performed to the highest standards. I look forward to hearing more from Stan and this great group!!
Stan Bann and his gifted ensemble truly infuse the great big band tradition with spirited innovation and elan. Check out their uniquely regrown version of "Tangerine" as a prime example on this latest collection. The precious big band idiom continues to thrive and evolve due in no small manner through the contributions of dedicated and talented leaders such as Stan. I sincerely enjoy this recording and so will you!
The marvel of the big band will never fade away as long as bands like that of Stan Bann keep the tradition moving forward.
What really sets this big band apart from others is the fact that the charts are mostly written by members of the ensemble. This has obviously led to a collaborative effort by the whole group, and has enabled the music to be tailored to the specific soloists in the band.
The wonderful charts are contemporary in nature, yet show respect for musical eras past. All of the soloists are quite good, and the ensemble swings very hard! It is a real thrill to hear good music played by people that enjoy what they are playing and believe in the music so strongly! Congratulations to the Stan Bann big band.
What a thrill to hear big bands at their best. The latest release from the Stan Bann Big Band is an amazing listen. Check out how effortlessly the band glides through different styles, wonderful soloists backed by a solid, in the 'pocket' rhythm section. Truly innovative charts keep the big band tradition alive and swinging in the new millennium. What more can I say?
The Stan Bann big band is the real deal! Check them out at your earliest opportunity. Outstanding ensemble work, great writing and creative soloists make for a winning combination.
STRATFORD... is a program of very hip, eclectic, and swinging music. I found the charts on TANGERINE and ANGEL EYES to be particularly good. It's great that you and your band work to present "off center renditions" of standards. That approach really breathes "new life" into the Great American Songbook, yet it still treats the original material with the respect it deserves.
The Stan Bann Big Band is a joy to hear. Featuring fresh material reflecting the music scene of today. Steve Faison, a great vocalist, is featured along with a host of inspired soloists. The overall flavor is joy! Check it out!
The Stan Bann Big Band shows they can do it all. This kind of versatility is the hallmark of a great Big Band. Of special interest are the compositions by Stan Bann. He shows he intends to be one of the top writers in this genre.
Lovers of the big band, all hail! You whose body and soul responds to the sound of grand scale brass, reeds, and a pulsating rhythm section.
From solo to section work the Stan Bann Big Band delivers dynamics - shading, coloring - new compositions programmed and arranged around memorable standards.
In brief, I invite you to tune in now to the signature style of the Stan Bann Big Band from Minnesota - Minneapolis/St. Paul, USA. Listen! Re-cue and listen again. No cliches here.
THE STAN BANN BIG BAND
Stratford Blue (Northmark Lab)
"Stratford Blue", the second album by trombonist Stan Bann's world-class Minnesota-based big band, was recorded more than four years ago and has made it to disc solely because of Stan's uncompromising insistence that the music should be heard and appreciated by others. Three cheers for tenacity, and three more for Bann's well-endowed ensemble and the superlative charts by Bann, Doug Rasmussen, Eric Richards and Jim Martin. It would truly be a shame if a band as good as this one were forced by economic considerations to throw in the towel. Luckily for connoisseurs of resourceful and dynamic big-band Jazz, Bann doesn't give up easily. Is there a market for this kind of music? As long as good taste endures (admittedly, it's in rather short supply these days) there should be.
The band gets off to a groovy start with Martin's tastefully updated arrangement of the old Les Brown favorite, "Sentimental Journey" (solos by Bann, fellow trombonist Steve Sopoci, alto Rasmussen and drummer Kevin Domino), after which tenor Paul Peterson is showcased with bassist Bart Bakker on Bann's funky treatment of another standard from the '40s, "Tangerine." Bann wrote and arranged the unconventional blues "Stratford Blue," on which guest trombonist Phil Wilson's eloquent commentary is sandwiched between dramatic statements by Peterson and Domino, while Rasmussen contributed the frisky "Phone Goddess," written for his wife, a telephone operator, on which his soprano and Cherie Bann's piano share blowing space.
Cherie Bann plays all the string parts, clarinet, keyboards and percussion and Beth Meester is the "French horn section" on Bann's chromatic tone poem "At Sunsets," written for an appearance by the band with the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis to honor Duke Ellington's centenary. Rasmussen solos on "Sunsets" as well as on his perceptive arrangement of the popular Matt Dennis lament, "Angel Eyes" (whose flute soli is one of the album's highlights), and Bann has center stage to himself on Richards' deftly Latinized version of trombonist Tommy Dorsey's calling card, "Gettin' Sentimental Over You." The expressive finale, Rasmussen's twelve-minute-long "Sax Noir," cleverly invokes the spirit of a television detective theme from the 1970s. The atmospheric solos are by Rasmussen (flute), trumpeters Mike Hillman and Steve Jones, alto Harry McCoy and tenor Peterson.
Beyond the nitty-gritty and notes on paper, Bann writes, "is the love and sense of joy we share for this very special and timeless idiom." Thanks to Bann's love for his band and the music it so eagerly embraces, you and I are able to share that feeling of happiness and satisfaction.
I love big bands and I have an extensive colluction - this current effort by Stan's band will have pride of place alongside those of Kenton, Herman, Florence and Holman.
It may not be the equal of those great lps from the past, but it is close to the best with its individuality and a new crop of terrific ensemble and solo Jazz musicians.
You will notice among the song titles, four from the past which have been given a completely different "make-over". The four originals and the standards give the band and its soloists plenty of opportunity ta show their precise section work and their imaginative solos.
If you rate big bands highly, then you will need to check this one out.
This superior Minneapolis big band recorded this, it's second CD in 1999 . Trombonist Phil Wilson features as arranger and soloist on the title track. The rest of the arrangements are by Doug' Rasmussen , Eric Richards and by Stan Bann himself.
I have known about this recording for some time and have been waiting for it's release. An excellent CD brimful of beautifully arranged standards and originals.I do know that Stan is particularly proud of his arrangement TANGERINE. It is very reminiscent in style of the work of Frank Mantooth.
On the CD he demonstrates his considerable power as an arranger of considerable talent, as does saxist Doug' Rasmussen, a band leader in his own right. A straight ahead big band performance featuring well arranged music rather than loose riff based material.
I am embarrased by the way superlatives keep finding their way into these potted reviews, but I consider this a wonderfully crafted CD worthy of being in anyone's collection.
Tracks- Sentimental Journey; Tangerine; Stratford Blue; The Phone Goddess; At Sunsets; Angel Eyes; Gettin' Sentimental Over You; Sax Noir
"Unsung Heros"
Several years ago I penned the liner notes for one of the most electrifying contemporary big band albums you've never heard, more than an hour of remarkably invigorating music by the Buddy Charles All Star Concert Jazz Orchestra with heavyweights in every section and a peerless rhythm component guided by the great pianist Pete Jolly. How can I be sure you've never heard it? Well, for one thing, it has never been released ... a fate that befalls more big band recordings than one might imagine, no matter how well planned and engaging they may be. I was thinking about that a week or so ago while listening to another marvelous but unissued big band album, this one led by trumpeter Carl Saunders with such celebrated collaborators as Lanny Morgan, Andy Martin, Bobby Shew, Ron Stout, Jerry Pinter, Christian Jacob, Santo Savino and others. No name, no label ... simply amazing straight–ahead Jazz from start to finish, powerfully enhanced by Saunders' consistently impressive trumpet and flugelhorn. Will the album ever see the light of day? Your guess is as good as ours.
Stan Bann, who leads a pretty respectable band in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area, does have a name for that ensemble's second album ... Stratford Blue ... but as yet, has no label. The band's debut disc, Good Intentions, was released by Sea Breeze Records; this one won't be. How does Stan feel about the search for a backer?
"I'm saddened that I haven't been able to bring [the album] to market on the members' behalf," he says. "Second, I'm somewhat angry that the hard work contributed by the musicians is being summarily dismissed. [They] have worked far too hard and given too much of themselves to be written off so quickly. The businessman side of me acknowledges that, yes, this is a product and it has to be in someone's financial interest to make this a viable venture; the musician and artist in me hears other musicians and fans saying that it's a good and meaningful work and wonders why the labels can't hear those same comments.
"There's also a part of me that is glad the record companies aren't jumping right away. We didn't set out to top the charts or become the flavor du jour. None of us expects to retire solely on big–band income (which I'm sure is an oxymoron). In a world that seems to be based on sound bytes and immediate gratification I'm happy to say that we're in this for the long haul. I've had musicians in the band tell me that if we were playing only stock charts they wouldn't be there, but because of what we're doing they wouldn't miss it. Being somewhat hard to define is a definite plus for many of us.
"Making music is a tough thing to share with others. Unless you've experienced the release and the joy of making and sharing music with others it's almost impossible to [understand]. People who do crafts or make physical things can point to what they've created and share that with others, [whereas a] live [musical] performance vanishes instantaneously. A recording is often the only way to preserve some special moments to be shared again and again. One of my goals as a leader is to make sure the recordings we make give us the best chance to share our excitement and joy with others so there's no way they can't 'not get it.'
"I'm grateful for those musicians who come to rehearsals and arrange [their] schedules around performances. It's important to me that they feel their time was well spent and that they get something in return for their time and talent. It's just as important to me that each of them feels the same way about the [albums]. I want them to be able to put those recordings on and feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that they were part of those special moments."
I've heard both Good Intentions and Stratford Blue; I prefer Stratford Blue, for which Stan has yet to find a label. Any takers?
A sleek, well-schooled, engaging full-sized jazz ensemble, that’s really got a lot going on at the low end of the timbral spectrum. Led by a trombonist, and featuring plenty more trombones and bass trombones, plus a standout baritone sax player, this funky and modern big band can sound like a bunch of happy elephants on parade. Bann and his troops have several great original numbers in the book, plus some inspired and atypical arrangements of old warhorses—e.g., “My Favorite Things,” which comes off nothing like the version from “The Sound of Music,” and also sounds nothing like the John Coltrane modal period classic small group rendition. Toss in the accomplished vocal stylings of Steve Faison, who nails the old classic, “Angel Eyes,” and it’s no wonder these guys have a CD out on Sea Breeze Records—a top national label servicing big band enthusiasts. Once-a-month favorites at O’Gara’s in St. Paul, the Stan Bann Big Band can really wail the blues, or get fashionably funky.