Notes and Editorial Reviews
HOT, HOT, HOT
•
Lowell Graham, cond; Denver Brass
•
KLAVIER 77040 (74:33)
Selections by
MONTENEGRO, LECUONA, PIAZZOLLA, MARQUEZ, GILLESPIE-POZO, MULLINS, MARQUINA, GRUISIN, VELASQUEZ, CASSELL, PRORAK, HOLMAN, PUENTE, YUPANQUI, PRADO, GINASTERA
I put this CD on to try to lift my spirits after the “Debbie Downer” experience of Susanna Wallumrød’s album
If Grief Could Wait
(reviewed elsewhere in this
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issue). To some extent, it did: Lowell Graham’s Denver Brass plays these scores with surprising gusto for a classical ensemble.
Malagueña
features a surprisingly hot trumpet solo by F. Joseph Docksey, Antonio Marquez’s
Danzón
No. 2 moves with a subtle swagger, and Dizzy Gillespie’s Cuban-jazz classic
Manteca
moves at a good pace.
So, in a sense, this disc is more of a success than Wallumrød’s, but I must point out in fairness that it is not an unqualified success. Just as Wallumrød is a pop singer attempting classical lute song material, the Denver Brass is a classical ensemble moving into the Latin-pop-jazz orbit, and there is just enough smoothness and hesitancy to really cut loose that makes the listening experience several hairs short of a full wig. Mind you, they are not alone; pops orchestras coast to coast tend to fall short of this goal, just as Arthur Fiedler did when his orchestra played any kind of pop music other than the semiclassical works of Leroy Anderson. Go back to that performance of
Manteca
, for instance, and if you’re not familiar with it, hie thee to the nearest library and take out Gillespie’s original 1946 recording. You may be astonished to hear such a combination of explosive rhythms and generally precise playing from a “mere” jazz band, but Dizzy rehearsed his troops meticulously and got them to perform at a very high level (though the sax section never quite blended properly). By contrast, the Denver Brass’s
Manteca
is hot, just one “hot,” not three, and with a small h.
Of course, the semiclassical numbers in this collection
do
work wonderfully well. The Denver Brass is not entirely devoid of a fun spirit, and I hope I did not imply that. They just don’t have that cut-loose gusto that real Latin bands do. Nor is the album a complete wash; the performances of
La Sangre Derremada
and the suite from
The Milagro Beanfield War
are quite beautiful in their smooth, understated way and, despite a certain amount of holding back emotionally, the performance of the title track is surprisingly enthusiastic—perhaps two “hots” instead of just one.
Que Rico Mambo
is taken at an even slightly faster clip than Perez Prado’s own recording, and it does indeed have a certain swagger, but put on Prado’s original version and you’re up and dancing even if you’re a cripple in a wheelchair. The difference? It’s in the “kickback” in the beat of the off-rhythm trumpet figures. The Denver Brass plays them cleanly. Prado played them jazzy.
All of which goes to prove that very few classical musicians are Joanna MacGregor (whose CD of Moondog pieces really kicked butt). I give it three stars, just for trying.
FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley
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Works on This Recording
1.
Fanfare for the New by Hugo Montenegro
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Denver Brass
Period: Contemporary
Length: 3 Minutes 28 Secs.
2.
Libertango by Astor Piazzolla
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: 20th Century
Written: Argentina
Length: 4 Minutes 1 Secs.
3.
Danzón No. 2 for orchestra by Arturo Márquez
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Modern
Written: 1994; Mexico
Length: 9 Minutes 23 Secs.
4.
Manteca, for jazz ensemble by Dizzy Gillespie
Performer:
Al Hood (Trumpet)
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Length: 3 Minutes 5 Secs.
5.
The Milagro Beanfield War, suite: Coyote Angel by Dave Grusin
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Contemporary
Written: 1988
Length: 3 Minutes 37 Secs.
6.
The Milagro Beanfield War, suite: Milagro by Dave Grusin
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Contemporary
Written: 1988
Length: 3 Minutes 17 Secs.
7.
The Milagro Beanfield War, suite: Fiesta by Dave Grusin
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Contemporary
Written: 1988
Length: 2 Minutes 28 Secs.
8.
Besame mucho, for voice & ensemble by Consuelo Velazquez
Performer:
Ben Jansen (Piano)
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Modern
Written: 1941; Mexico
Length: 5 Minutes 6 Secs.
9.
Hot Hot Hot by Alphonsus Cassell
Performer:
Dawn Kramer (Trumpet)
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Length: 3 Minutes 46 Secs.
10.
Circular Illogic by Don Prorak
Performer:
Dawn Kramer (Trumpet),
Ben Jansen (Piano)
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Contemporary
Length: 5 Minutes 56 Secs.
11.
Woodbrook Jam by Ray Holman
Performer:
Al Hood (Trumpet)
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Contemporary
Length: 4 Minutes 32 Secs.
12.
Picadillo by Tito Puente
Performer:
Ben Jansen (Piano)
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Modern
Length: 3 Minutes 41 Secs.
13.
Duerme Negrito by Atahualpa Yupanqui
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Modern
Length: 4 Minutes 39 Secs.
14.
Que rico mambo by Perez Prado
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Modern
Length: 3 Minutes 13 Secs.
15.
Estancia: Danza Final by Alberto Ginastera
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Modern
Written: 1941; Argentina
Length: 3 Minutes 54 Secs.
16.
Malagueña, song for voice & piano by Ernesto Lecuona
Performer:
Al Hood (Trumpet)
Conductor:
Lowell Graham
Period: Modern
Written: 1928
Length: 4 Minutes 55 Secs.
Sound Samples
Andalucia, "Suite espagnola": VI. Malaguena (arr. B. Hollman and J. Van Hoy)
Libertango (arr. J. Craig)
Danzon No. 2 (arr. J. Van Hoy)
La Sangre Derramada - Espana Cani (arr. K. Singleton)
Suite from The Milagro Beanfield War (arr. A. Nevala): I. Coyote Angel
Suite from The Milagro Beanfield War (arr. A. Nevala): II. Milagro
Suite from The Milagro Beanfield War (arr. A. Nevala): III. Fiesta
Besame Mucho (arr. T. Miller)
Hot Hot Hot (arr. A. Nevala)
Woodbrook Jam (arr. T. Miller)
Duerme Negrito (arr. A. Wolfe)
Mambo Jambo, "Que rico el mambo!" (arr. A. Nevala)
Estancia Suite, Op. 8a: IV. Malambo (arr. J. Van Hoy): Estancia Suite, Op. 8a: IV. Malambo (arr. J. Van Hoy)
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