What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella

This week, I am sharing with you a few of the CDs that are available for your contribution of $120 during our Spring Pledge Drive…

Kurt Elling and the WDR Big Band – In the Brass Palace (Big Shoulders Records)

Chicago’s very own Kurt Elling has just released a new album on his own Big Shoulders label, In the Brass Palace. It’s an ambitious album that puts the WDR Big Band, Bob Mintzer and Elling in the same room, and the results don’t disappoint. Mintzer’s arrangements are sharp and swinging. Elling’s vocals soar above the band, and the WDR Big Band is filled with some excellent soloists. Kurt looks back to his rendition of Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out” to get the festivities up and moving. At this point, I consider this one to be as much of a Kurt Elling song as it is a Joe Jackson tune. The vocalese on “My Very Own Ride” (John Scofield’s “Jeep on 35”) and “They Speak No Evil” (Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil”) are inventive and impressive. I really appreciated the rendition of Duke Ellington’s “I Like the Sunrise,” which is quite lovely. In the Brass Palace is both a fantastic vocal record and a great big band album, too.

Roy Hargrove’s Crisol – Grande-Terre (Verve Records)

Recorded back in 1998, Grande-Terre was the oft talked about, but never heard second album from the incendiary Latin Jazz band that Roy Hargrove had put together, Crisol. By 1998, the band had turned into Roy’s touring sextet with Roy (trumpet), Sherman Irby (alto saxophone), Frank Lacy (trombone), Larry Willis (piano), Gerald Cannon (bass) and Willie Jones III (drums) augmented by a percussion section, and a few sporadic special guests. With a lineup that stacked with top-tier talent, Hargrove was going to be able to play whatever he wanted, and he does exactly that throughout the 10 tracks on Grande-Terre. There are songs on here that sound like traditional Latin Jazz played at a very high level, such as “Rumba Roy,” “Kamala’s Dance,” “B and B” and the lovely bolero “Another Time.” To my ears, one of the most fascinating moments is where Jazz, Latin Jazz and Funk all converge on the undeniable groove of “Lake Danse.” The Hargrove/Willis duet vehicle “Ethiopia” is gorgeous, Cedar Walton’s “Afreaka” really works in this context, and the closer, “Priorities” is a jamming way to remind us of what could have been. I’m glad this one has seen the light of day, and even more glad that we’re putting the spotlight all over Grande-Terre all week long during our Fall Pledge Drive.

Charlie Parker – Ornithology: The Best of Bird (Craft Recordings)

The inimitable Charlie Parker gets a sweet best of collection with Ornithology: The Best of Bird. Covering a few choice cuts from the Guild, Savoy, Dial and Debut catalogs, Ornithology is a great primer for someone just getting into Charlie Parker, and a fantastic greatest hits collection when you just need a quick taste of some of the best saxophone playing ever committed to tape. “Ko-Ko,” “Billie’s Bounce,” “Parker’s Mood,” “Now’s the Time,” “Anthropology,” these are classics one and all that deserve to be not only in every Jazz collection, but every serious music collection, period.