NEW RELEASES : Great Sounds From Large Ensembles
Though the era when big bands thrived has long since passed, many artists still find the large ensemble a challenging arena. There they can explore the possibilities of color and texture to be found within the jazz language. Leading off this batch of new releases are dynamic albums by two such artists: Joe Roccisano, the former L.A. reedman-composer who now lives in New York, and Jon Jang.
JOE ROCCISANO
“The Shape I’m In”
Landmark
* * * 1/2
Well known as an alto saxophonist, Roccisano emerges here as a composer-arranger of striking originality. The scoring is diverse and colorful: Along with the leader’s alto (and electronic woodwind), there are outstanding solo frameworks for Tom Harrell (trumpet and fluegelhorn), Jim Pugh (trombone), Tim Ries (tenor sax) and others. The teamwork on these pieces (all but two are Roccisano originals) is as impressive as the writing.
New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
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