This cd turned out to be a pretty good big band offering
Philip Scott | U.S.A. | 01/24/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Aw...Big band music! What can I say about you? To start with I would like to mention that big band music is what I cut my teeth on back in let's see, the 1940's. Has it been that long, well my calender says so. I guess the years have had a way of slipping by.To talk about this new band is exciting for me. This is a great discovery for me and hopeful for you too. The new leader, Craig Raymond is a gem. He is a trumpter and a great one at that. He really knows how to make his brass shine in more ways than one.His suppporting cast is a fine blend of musicians. Some of the memebers are well seasoned, while others are just begining to bloom. They all have come together very well.The repetoire that the band performs is a worthy one. I know most of these fine songs from days gone by.Craig came up with some good charts for this recording. I looked at the credits on the inlet, but I wasn't familiar with his arrangers. That really doesn't matter, for the bottom line was that the arrangements were good and worked on most tunes.I would like to take this opportunity to thank Craig for his contribution to big band music and I hope he will plan to put some more recordings out with his band. I will plan to be the first in line to buy any more of his new cds. You big band fans out there, listen up, this band is for real and you need to make them feel welcome."