A
superficial artist clings to the whims of fashion; a genuine artist follows his
heart. By staying true to and growing from his original inspirations, the
bandleader, composer, arranger, trombonist and vocalist Pete McGuinness has
produced a present day masterwork of large ensemble jazz. On Strength In
Numbers, the second release from the Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra (fourth as
a leader for Pete), the leader channels the swinging big bands and iconic
modern arrangers that loom large in both the jazz tradition and in his personal
pantheon, molding his influences into vibrant, highly personal musical
statements. Reconvening a large ensemble that he has led since 2006, McGuinness
(a 2008 Grammy finalist for his arrangement of Charlie Chapin's immortal "Smile")
enlists a full contingent of top tier NYC players including saxophonist Dave
Pietro, trumpeter Bill Mobley and pianist Mike Holober to bring to life
original charts whose echoes of Basie, Ellington, Bob Brookmeyer and Gil Evans
reinforce McGuinness' inventive spins on what continues to be a vital musical
idiom.
"I
think of Strength In Numbers as both a next step as well as a return to my
roots, " McGuinness says. "I'm a melodist who grew up loving the
great post-swing era big bands onward. With a great band of highly experienced
and seasoned NYC jazz players, I can now straddle the old and the new, keeping
one foot in what I've always loved of genre and one foot striding forward. As
long as a composer can write from their own experience, draw confidence from
their past while looking forward, and never get so caught up in new effects as
to have an agenda, then work that is truly honest-sounding, engaging, and
personal can come through. That's at least what I strive for."
In
contrast to McGuinness's third album as a leader, the 2013 release, Voice Like
a Horn (which featured a compact small
group and focused on his award-winning skills as a jazz vocalist), Strength In
Numbers highlights a full force big band, while also finding room for two
spotlighted McGuinness vocal features on the tender standards "What Are
You Doing The Rest of Your Life?" and "You Don't Know What Love
Is," the latter also featuring his expert scatting and demonstrating
Pete's admiration for the vocal style of the late Chet Baker, whom he has often
been compared with. Swinging charts ("The Send-Off," a sparkling
tribute to the acclaimed arranger Bob Brookmeyer, with whom McGuinness studied;
"The Swagger," and "Nasty Blues," a tasty nod to Count
Basie and Thad Jones) sidle up to more introspective works
("Spellbound," a more latin style number inspired by the rich
harmonies of Debussy and Billy Strayhorn; "Trixie's Little Girl," a
loving tribute to McGuinness' late mother, and "Bittersweet," the
latter two featuring the leader's exquisite trombone statements.) Of special interest is "Beautiful
Dreamer" - Stephen Foster's archetypal gem of 19th century Americana. This
McGuinness arrangement originally commissioned by the Westchester Jazz Orchestra
recasts the timeless song as a high-energy samba with gleaming solos by Dave
Pietro on soprano sax and Mike Holober on piano, ending in a charming duet by
the two featured soloists based on Foster's original 1865 piano
arrangement. Bolstered by Pete's two vocal
and trombone features, as well as all of his original arrangements presented,
the album's variety provides a first rate display of McGuinness as a polymath
talent, as well as showcasing the skill of his outstanding band, an ensemble
that shares the leader's wholehearted embrace of the joys of big band music.
"With
only some minor changes, the members of the PMJO have been with me since the
beginning," McGuinness says. "The band is made up of musical
associates who have paid dues with me in many of the same bands together,
several of who have been friends for decades. For example, I've known and
played with our drummer Scott Neumann, whose playing I always think about
whenever I compose or arrange for the band, for some 26 years now. You can hear
that familiarity in the entire ensemble sound too. We've also been playing the
charts that ended up on this album for several years now as well. When the time
was right to record, we were ready."
Pete
McGuinness has appeared on over forty recordings, including three previous
releases as a leader: First Flight (Summit) with the Pete McGuinness Jazz
Orchestra which earned 4-stars in DownBeat, Voice Like a Horn (Summit) and
Sliding In (Kokopelli). He earned a 2008 Grammy nomination for his arrangement
of "Smile" (which appeared on First Flight) and was the first
prizewinner of the 2010 Jazzmobile Vocal Competition (judged by the late Dr.
Billy Taylor and Barry Harris). A New York resident since 1987, McGuinness
studied with Bob Brookmeyer and Manny Albam at the prestigious BMI Jazz
Composers Workshop and has performed in the big bands of such acclaimed leaders
as Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Heath (featured as a vocalist as well) and Maria
Schneider, appearing on her Grammy-winning album, Concert In the Garden.
Actively involved in music education both throughout the United States and
Europe, McGuinness is currently the Assistant Professor of Jazz Arranging at
William Paterson University.
