Jazzchamberworks

In the BMagic Orchestra, composer/conductor Bill Banfield has assembled a fine jazz orchestra from the pool of talent around Minneapolis' Twin Cities area. This is a well-recorded live date, and the exuberance of the band comes through. Banfield shows himself to be not only a very good arranger, but a fine composer as well. The program begins with three originals from Banfield: straight blues in "Bill's Blue," the lovely ballad "Her Embrace," and the up-tempo "And What Would You Like to Hear, Little Lady?" All are solid compositions with plenty of room for soloing. From there, the band moves into "standards" territory, with tunes from Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, Ellington, Jobim, and Rogers and Hart's "My Funny Valentine." Along with the fine soloing, it's Banfield's arrangements that catch the ear. With most of the horn players playing multiple instruments, a trombone player who doubles on cello, and a violin player, Banfield has a wide tonal palette to work from, and he makes good use of it. Violin and acoustic guitar solos are not the norm in most jazz orchestra settings, and it are touches like these that give the BMagic Orchestra some identity. Also worth noting are Douglas Ewart on sopranino sax and Bruce Thornton on clarinets. These guys are not afraid to take things a little outside, without disrupting the beauty of the compositions and arrangements. Jazzchamberworks is an excellent debut from a band that deserves to be heard outside the Twin Cities area. ~ Sean Westergaard