Cartoon Bebop, the newest release by composer and arranger Dan Bonsanti's band, The 14 Jazz Orchestra, is a swinging, contemporary take on jazz compositions by modern masters. The 14 Jazz Orchestra is a 13-piece jazz ensemble under the direction of arranger and producer Dan Bonsanti. The group comprises 13 outstanding jazz musicians who have recorded and performed with many of the top names in jazz and pop. Bonsanti was the Associate Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Miami, and the album features mostly players originally from South Florida with just a few notable exceptions. Bonsanti is a sax player who performed with big bands like the Stan Kenton Orchestra, Jaco Pastorius’ Word of Mouth Orchestra, and Doc Severinsen. He also wrote charts for The Jaco Pastorius Big Band, a tribute band to Jaco’s legacy, and the Atlantean Driftwood Band. The compositions on the album represent a variety of styles, with compositions by Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Airto Moreira, and others, including two tunes by Bonsanti. Although Bonsanti has written extensively for large ensembles, he prefers smaller configurations for his own recordings. “My goal is to ‘not’ sound like a big band. I like the lightness and colors you can get with less instrumentation,” says Bonsanti. “I prefer to get orchestral flavors by mixing instruments from different sections of the band. It allows for a softer, more fluid and less strident sound.”
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