Search - Gil Evans :: Complete Pacific Sessions

An absolute jazz classic

Steve Frazier | Seattle | 06/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What an amazing record -- I first discovered this music on vinyl years ago after hearing the several classic collaborations between the arranger Gil Evans and trumper Miles Davis. If you have admired the Gil Evans arrangements on the Miles recordings, you owe it to yourself to check this out. These recordings help make the case that Gil Evans was one of great jazz arrangers of all time. Big band arrangements can sometimes degenerate into all-out blastfests; Gil Evans always manages to communicate with a lot more sophistication and nuance, but on these sessions he manages to have fun as well.



Originally issued as two albums -- "New Bottle, Old Wine" and "Great Jazz Standards" -- this is a CD of Gil Evans re-arranging classic jazz standards like St. Louis Blues, King Porter Stomp, Lester Leaps In with some post-bop standards like 'Round Midnight, Joy Spring and Straight No Chaser.



The album was recorded in 1958 and 1959 with Julian "Cannonball" Adderley doing much of the alto saxophone work. The big band included classic NY session pros like Johnny Coles and Ernie Royal on trumpet, and Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Cleveland and Curtis Fuller on trombone. Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakely and Elvin Jones make appearances in the rhythm section, and Steve Lacy plays soprano sax on 4 tracks.



It's so interesting to be listening to these records nearly 50 years after they were made -- this was a "modern" take on jazz tunes that even then were considered classics. Hearing them now, it's like listening to one set of Old Masters interpreting an even more distant set of Old Old Masters. It's a CD that you can enjoy as a peek into modern jazz of the late 50's, or as a set of very interesting big band orchestrations.



High recommended if you want to learn more about this extremely talented jazz orchestrator."

Perfect

Stephen Elman | Brighton, MA USA | 06/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Frazier has it exactly right (except for misspelling Art Blakey's name). Just to add a few things: this set marks the beginning of the Steve Lacy - Gil Evans musical kinship (there's a remarkable dialogue between soprano sax and piano on "Django"; it has the first recording of Gil's incredible arrangement of "King Porter Stomp" that got electrified on later recordings; it showcases Elvin Jones with Gil for the first time (but certainly not the last); it has some of the most inpsired Cannonball on record; and it shows that Johnny Coles was no mere imitator of Miles. Also, for the purists: it corrects the deficiency of an earlier release of only half of the Pacific Jazz material and remedies the out-of-round pressings that marred the LP twofer release of this stuff. One tiny quibble: these studio recordings are unusually dry in ambience, but on the other hand, you'll hear the music exactly as it sounded when it was played. Finally, the CDs allow us to hear the whole huge dynamic range of Gil's orchestral thinking, from whispers to shouts. Thanks, Blue Note and Michael Cuscuna, for finally getting this one right."

A Stone cold classic. Thanks Blue Note!

Blues Bro | Lakewood, Colorado USA | 11/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great release by Blue Note, putting together these two albums on one. The first album "New Bottle, Old Wine", might be one of the greatest jazz albums of the 1950's, period. Plus this is of interest to all Cannonball Adderley fans. His playing on that album is just insane, on the same league as the great Charlie Parker, but of course, Cannonball sound is unique. You cant go wrong with Gil Evans, but this is top of the line."