Celebrated within the jazz
community as a multi-talented musician, Lisa Maxwell, finally releases a
long-awaited album of her own material, dedicated to a special cohort. The
lineup reads like a Who's Who of the music world.
"My dear friend Lew Soloff and I talked about recording
my arrangements many times over the years," she remembers. "Then he
died suddenly and I realized I had to stop thinking about it and get it
done!" She pulled together a group of New York's top jazz and studio
players, all of whom had a connection with Lew. "Everybody wanted to be on
board for this," says bassist Will Lee, "and the result is a gorgeous
finished product!"
Shiny! establishes Maxwell's talents as a gifted composer
and arranger, showcasing a versatility that reflects her broad musical
knowledge and experience. She wrote all of the album's arrangements, and 4 of
the tunes are original compositions. They range in styles from boogaloo to
straight ahead, to shuffle, to funk, to swing. Shiny! offers something for
everyone, including a bonus track remix by renowned electronica/club jazz
artist Mocean Worker!
"My writing is heavily influenced by the TV themes of
the 1970's," she says. "They're basically the foundation of my
cultural identity. Great composers like Lalo Shiffrin, Henry Mancini, Neal
Hefti and Earle Hagen underscored my life when I was growing up. I still get a
tear in my eye when I listen to themes like The Odd Couple and The Bob Newhart
Show. Like those composers, I have very definite ideas, but I write with the
soloists in mind and give them freedom
within the structure."
She also cites Wayne Shorter and Gil Evans and as being
hugely important in her growth. "Getting to watch Gil's band every Monday
night [at New York's Sweet Basil] was such a gift. And a lot of those guys are
on this album!"
Maxwell connected to jazz at a young age. "I discovered
bebop and that was it. I had found my people and my language at jam sessions in
South Central L.A. and I'd sneak into as many jazz clubs as I could. I wanted
to be like the great arrangers of Hollywood's Golden Age. Even though I often
felt like I was the wrong sex, the wrong color, and born at the wrong time, I
kept going for it."
She studied with renowned arranger Dick Grove in Studio
City, and with Herb Pomeroy at Berklee. "I took a film scoring class at
UCLA when I was 17 and was hooked after I heard my charts played. Dick Grove
was really my main mentor; he got me going as a writer. Then I won a Quincy
Jones Arranging scholarship to Berklee and wrote for the recording orchestra. I
ended up getting some amazing gigs as a sax player (Guns 'n' Roses, Joni
Mitchell Project, Spinal Tap), but my calling is as a writer and
arranger." She went on to orchestrate music for Warner Bros. Histeria!,
and the Animaniacs/Pinky and the Brain feature, Wakko's Wish. Maxwell's
original music has been licensed for numerous TV series."
A breakdown of Shiny! showcases Maxwell's penchant for
conceptual writing. Here are track-by-track comments:
The album's title track, "Shiny!," is a nod to the
1970's, replete with wah-wah guitar, bongos, Fender Rhodes, and clavinet. The
rhythm section is driven by drummer Steven Wolf's solid, deep-pocket boogaloo,
with Paul Shaffer on Fender Rhodes, Will Lee on bass, Pete Levin on clavinet,
Oz Noy and Smokey Hormel on guitars. Hormel takes a cool Eric Gale approach to
the first guitar solo, leading right into Noy's high-energy response. Brecker
delivers a stellar signature wah-wah trumpet solo as only he can, followed by
Taylor's free jazz expression over a steadily building background. Capped with
a satisfying TV ending, "Shiny!" lives up to its name!
"Son of Creeper" was written by the late Hiram
Bullock, original guitarist of the Letterman band. "Hiram was a close
friend, and such an integral part of the music scene in New York," Lisa
explains. "When he played, songs could take all kinds of weird and
unexpected turns. I wanted to make the arrangement unique à la Hiram."
Maxwell's version starts with Stern's guitar, which is joined by Shaffer on
organ, Lee on bass (also on the original recording), and Wolf on drums.
"All three of these guys played with Hiram for years, so the feel and the
spirit are perfect," she says. The tune moves between a half-time shuffle
and rock, fused together by Maxwell's tasty horn lines. Stern's emblematic solo
leads into a New Orleans section, where various soloists trade 4's with
Shaffer, and the band recaps the theme for the shout chorus as Foster's wailing
SNL sax leads into the epic screaming trumpet ending.
"Ludie," an up-beat, original jazz waltz, begs to
be heard underscoring a TV show. "I wanted to write something for Lew
(nicknamed Ludie) that reflected his character. I kept thinking of the happy
feel of Mannix and tried to emulate that." The rhythm section is topped by
drummer Perowsky, whose crisp, clean playing enhances his rhythm mates, Lee,
Staaf, and Noy. Brecker's Flugelhorn solo feels like a spring morning, and
Staaf's nimble piano solo shows off her tasteful style against Maxwell's
background lines.
"We'll Be Together Again" highlights Maxwell's
rich re-harmonization of the ballad. Rosenberg's bass clarinet under the
woodwinds brings out the sexiness of the orchestrations. This unique
arrangement features the velvety vocals of Kenya Hathaway (with Will Lee
singing harmony) leading into a heartfelt tenor feature by Marini. With
Gottlieb, Egan and Ezrin's dynamic interplay behind him, the tune builds into a
lush, climactic ending, and may require a breather before listening on.
"Hello, Wayne?" is a straight-ahead tune, which
echoes the sophisticated harmonic
changes Wayne Shorter is known for. Gottlieb and Egan's driving
straight-eighths intro, interlude, and ending seamlessly connect the
heavily-swinging chorus and solo sections. Solos by Marini and Rogers remind
all what high-level players they are. Rogers' trumpet solo propels the song
into the shout chorus that transitions into the initial bass ostinato, and Leni
Stern's noodling guitar riffs lead us out, until all that's left is Gottlieb's
fading cymbals.
Maxwell's arrangement of Wayne Shorter's "Beauty and
the Beast" opens with double-forte trumpets holding high notes, then dives
into a funky vamp over Lee's static bass line. Maxwell fleshes out Shorter's
stirring melody with beautifully orchestrated woodwind and brass couplings over
Gottlieb's responsive drumming, adding the rich texture of the full band to the
Samba-ish bridges. "I like to create new horn sections by combining
different instruments families, and I use the extremes of the instruments for
coloristic effect. It creates a much richer pallet." Rovatti, with a
beautiful tone and facility on soprano sax, is the first of three soloists,
followed by a robust solo from Mann, and Leni Stern's lyrical guitar, peppered
by the horns' funky background lines, ending the tune.
"Israel" is straight ahead jazz with a "Rat
Pack" feel, and the only tune to include an upright bass, played by Finck.
Perowsky's crisp drumming and Staaf's comping serve as a solid foundation upon
which the band's many elements interact. Maxwell also added Gottlieb on vibes
to increase the flavor. Masterful solos from Clark on french horn, Rosenberg on
baritone, and Brecker on trumpet shine like jewels in the crown of Maxwell's
well-crafted arrangement, and conjure up James Bond at its best.
With Feldman expertly leading the woodwind section on
clarinet, Maxwell's original, "The Craw," is an homage to Ellington's
early years. Demonstrating her stylistic proficiency, the voicings ring
authentic and the arrangement flows from section to section, swinging all the
way. Ezrin and Levine personalize the melody on piano and trombone,
respectively, followed by solos from Daly and Mann.
The album ends with "Shiny! Remix (MOWO 70's Emergency
Mix)," Mocean Worker's (aka Adam Dorn) electronica take on the Maxwell's
opening original. MOWO chops up the tune, and puts it back together as a funky
dance groove with a Sly and the Family Stone feel over edits of Brecker's solo.
"I wanted to keep it in today, and Mocean Worker has a fresh take on
things," says Maxwell. She continues, "Music is always changing, and
it's important to stay current so the word 'jazz' doesn't get stuck in
yesterday's comfort zone. Miles (Davis) was the master of change. I think he
would've dug the MOWO Remix!"
TRACKS
1. Shiny! [9:37]
2. Son of Creeper
[6:41]
3. Ludie [4:01]
4. We'll be
together again [5:28]
5. Hellow, Wayne?
[6:07]
6. Beauty and the
Beast [8:53]
7. Israel [4:51]
8. The Craw [4:38]
9. Shiny! Remix
[5:18]
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