Quote:
Originally Posted by
blackplatano 
Then it seems you don't like them on principle then. That would be a fundamental difference in our views on jazz. Even then, I would disagree with your statement. The Lincoln Center band sounds like what you are describing. The Mingus band creates it's own arrangements and reinterprets the compositions. That's not what I consider "stagnant."
Sounds interesting. If it's anything like the Art's Ensemble I would probably like it very much. Are there any plans for a recording?
This weekend I spent a lot of time at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and the closer was a piece composed by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams for the Art Hoyle Orchestra (essentially a pick-up big band comprised by some of the best players in town) and dedicated to Barack Obama. The soloists all had roots in the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, the cooperative from which the Art Ensemble arose - bassist Harrison Bankhead, tenor saxophonist Ari Brown, trombonist George Lewis and alto saxophonist (and Art Ensemble stallwart) Roscoe Mitchell. It was a very dissonant, challenging work and a lot of the crowd left during the performance...still the rest of us gave the musicians a standing ovation. Roscoe and George Lewis were especially impressive.
I have to give the Jazz Institute of Chicago some props for chosing Muhal as this year's artist and residence and featuring his work to close-out the Festival...it would have been just as easy to program a more "mainstream" act. As much as many of us locals complain about various aspects of the Jazz Festival, they do a lot with a small budget and extensively (and mostly) feature local players and avoid pop and smooth jazz. This year was a small concession to commercialism - Madeleine Peyroux closed out the first evening's performances.
