Search - Phil Kelly :: My Museum

Swinging, Masterful, Satisfying Modern Big Band Jazz

John Tapscott | Canada | 10/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A certain strain of modern big band jazz writing has emerged over the past quarter century which is incredibly detailed, complex and sometimes awe-inspiring. Yet it often lacks warmth and memorable melodies, and nearly creates a barrier between the music and the average jazz listener. Thankfully, composer/arranger Phil Kelly, while not simplifying his music at all, has chosen another route. His music, as evidenced by the 2006 recording "My Museum" and the 2003 CD "Convergence Zone" is warm, uplifting and swinging, and reaches out to embrace the listener. Kelly's music both invites and rewards repeated hearings.



For "My Museum" Kelly traveled from his home in Washington State to Los Angeles to have nine of his charts (including five Kelly originals) recorded by a first-rate big band assembled by lead trumpeter Wayne Bergeron. Hence the band title, "The SW Santa Ana Winds." Accompanying Kelly on the trip were baritonist Bill Ramsay and trumpeter Jay Thomas. The latter made a great impression on "Convergence Zone" and he shares trumpet solos on "My Museum" with the excellent Bob Summers.



The album opens with Kelly's swinging take on Duke Pearson's "Jeannine" which gives a strong indication of the quality of music throughout the CD. "Bluelonious" is a medium slow blue swinger, with some Basie-like saxophone section sounds, and a great shout chorus following Brian Scanlon's spirited tenor solo. "Pleading Dim Cap" is a spiky and challenging chart based on diminished chords and brilliantly played by the band. "Daydream" is a surprisingly jaunty chart that will surely wake you from any slumber (but honestly, there's not much chance of that with this CD). The title selection is a vocal performance by Greta Matassa accompanied by strings, woodwinds and muted brass. It is a fairly short but haunting and memorable track. On his earlier Origin CD "Convergence Zone" Kelly included two funk charts with strong jazz content. On "My Museum" he has one, "Jean Beatov Stomp", which features a modern guitar solo by Grant Geissman. This tune really does stomp and has the band roaring by the end over the strong rhythmic groove laid down by an augmented rhythm section. The chart on "Body and Soul" incorporates samba, swing and ballad sections, and features a masterful solo by Bill Ramsay. The mellow "Lazy Afternoon" features some intriguing woodwind voicings, a sweeping piano solo by Bill Cunliffe, and a solo by Geissman in a significantly different style than on "Stomp." The CD ends with the swinging "Zip Code 2005", a rewrite of the "Zip City" chart Kelly wrote for Bill Watrous in 1973. The rhythm section of Cunliffe, bassist Tom Warrington, and drummer Steve Houghton is in peak form on this track (and indeed, the section is excellent throughout the CD). The rhythm section on the title track consists of Darin Clendenin on piano and Clipper Anderson on bass.



The Santa Ana Winds is full of great ensemble players and the band jells very well on these Kelly charts. Besides the soloists already mentioned there are outstanding solo spots by Lanny Morgan on alto, Peter Christlieb on tenor, and especially trombonist Andy Martin who hits a home run in each of his solo appearances.



Phil Kelly has come to wider recognition in the jazz world fairly late in his career, but "My Museum" shows again that he is one of the most interesting and satisfying composer/arrangers in jazz today. His work never loses track of what the jazz listener likes to hear (at least this listener) - strong and memorable melodies, tight ensemble work, dynamic contrasts enhanced by a fine recording quality, space for many and varied solo voices, interesting but not far-out ensemble sounds, and a real dedication to a swinging in every rhythmic groove. Just as "Convergence Zone" was one of the top CD's of 2003, so "My Museum" will be one of the top CD's of 2006. This CD is highly and warmly recommended to all who love swinging, modern big band jazz.

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Two Thumbs Up for Mr. Kelly

Dennis S. Marynick | Southwest U.S. | 12/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
"My Museum" is the second Phil Kelly big band CD. His first, "Convergence Zone", was nominated for a Grammy. This one is better. Kelly has had a long career writing and arranging for everything from big bands (including Bill Watrous and Doc Severinsen) to symphonic/pop music and just about everything in between. Now semi-retired, he seems to be focusing on big band jazz--and that's great news for the fans of this genre.



The tracks on the CD vary from terrific to just plain spectacular. With nine tracks in total, including three established standards ("Jeannine", "Body and Soul" and "Daydream") and a bunch of originals, Kelly gives us a variety of styles that still fit well into a coherent package. You'll hear contemporary big band swing, blues, funk, a mesmerizing ballad and a Maria Schneider-like tone poem, all beautifully arranged and played to perfection. And the band, put together with the help of lead trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, reads like a who's who of some of the finest jazz musicians in Los Angeles- with a few imports from Kelly's home territory in the Pacific Northwest. All of the soloists, including Andy Martin, Bob Summers, Pete Christlieb, Jay Thomas, Bill Ramsay, Brian Scanlon, Grant Geissman and Bill Cunliffe perform flawlessly. I am especially enamored with Andy Martin's trombone work. He's about as good as it gets.



Although it's hard to pick favorites, "Jeannine", "Bluelonius", "My Museum", "Body and Soul" and "It's a Lazy Afternoon" stand out for me. Kelly's arrangement of "Jeannine" starts with the trombone section and leads to fine solos by Bob Summers (trumpet), Andy Martin (trombone) and Pete Christlieb (tenor). As the title suggests, "Bluelonius" is an angular blues piece in the Thelonious Monk tradition. It combines the best of the Monk style with a modern interpretation and features another set of fine solos. The ballad "My Museum" features vocalist Greta Matassa and strings. The combination of singer and strings is something that I normally wouldn't care for; however, this is an amazing haunting ballad arranged with inspiration and sung to perfection. "My Museum" could be a new standard in the making if there are enough vocalists out there who can perform it like Matassa does. "Body and Soul" features baritone saxophonist Bill Ramsay stretching out for six minutes with a melodic, swinging solo that Coleman Hawkins would be proud of, and a very clever arrangement that includes several quotes. In particular, the "St. Thomas" quote appears frequently and is so well integrated into the arrangement that it almost becomes an essential part of the piece. Finally, "It's a Lazy Afternoon" is very much in the Maria Schneider mold- melodic and rich- more like orchestral jazz than big band jazz. There are nice solos here by Bill Cunliffe (piano) and Grant Geissman (guitar).



I suspect that Kelly's many years of writing orchestral music contributed a lot to the success of this album. The arrangements are richer than what you'll hear from most big bands, with more depth and subtle complexity- but they still swing like crazy. Combine that with a collection of great tunes and a first-rate band and you get one of the best big band albums in the last couple of years. If you are a big band enthusiast, this is a "must buy". If you're not, give it a listen and you may change your mind! Let's hope Phil Kelly stays "retired" for a long, long time.

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