Search - Gil Evans :: New Bottles/Old Wine

Don't Miss Out

A. Mazon | 11/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After burning a copy of this album from a friend's CD which he in turn transferred from the original vinyl (!), I was very surprised and disappointed to see that this album is out of print! Truly a loss for people without access to the original record, or those who won't come across the album in stores.



The album is essentially a "Porgy & Bess" style Gil Evans album, only with Cannonball taking over for Miles Davis as featured soloist. The pre-bop era Jazz songbook, by Jelly Roll Morton, WC Handy, Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, etc. is given Gil Evans's signature touch and played by the top notch studio jazzmen we all know from his albums with Miles Davis. And god does it swing! "King Porter Stomp" is given a lightning-fast arrangement, with stratospheric brass and Cannonball's assertive, bluesy alto lines. "Struttin' with Some Barbeque" features a nimble tuba melody statement and "Lester Leaps In" offers tight sections playing off one another. The charts are innovative with material that has been used time and time again, the band plays with drive and technical aplomb and Cannonball's solos are awe-inspiring. What could have become a gimmick album instead reveals swinging, challenging music.



Reissue This Already!

"