12/1/15: Mixing
of the recording from the 2014 NYC show at The Cutting Room is
almost complete. The live CD recording will be released in
2016.
Plans are coming into place for live performances and touring in
2016. We're all excited to have another Gil Evans band alumni
come on board, Alex Sipiagin, on trumpet. It'll be a challenge
to fill Lew Soloff's shoes, but Alex is the guy to do it. Stay
tuned ....
Meanwhile,
there's a new promo video up on YouTube, a series of photos from the
Cutting Room gig with final audio clips from the upcoming album.
It's on the "LISTEN"
page. |
11/21/14: All-star, internationally-known New York musicians - core alumni members of
the
freewheeling, Grammy-winning Gil Evans Orchestra of the mid and late '70s -
reunite to celebrate the band's
"Monday Night At Sweet Basil" era. |
During the
‘70s, the iconic jazz arranger Gil Evans fronted a free-wheeling
New York
all-star band that toured the world and recorded several studio and
live albums. When they were off the road, it was standing room only
every Monday night at Sweet Basil, the legendary
Greenwich Village
jazz club. Universally respected by musicians, everybody wanted to
play with the band. Gil chose his musicians, not simply to fill a
chair, but because of what they might contribute. This resulted in
a band made up of dynamic soloists - many of them band-leaders and
recording artists in their own right - who’s voices figured
prominently in Gil’s recordings during the ‘70s. A who’s-who core
group of New York
players developed, With the 1975 album “MUSIC OF JIMI HENDRIX” Gil’s
fondness for rock and blues was clear, as was his desire to see
where the music could go. With that goal and a stage full of
powerful soloists, the dynamic impact of the freewheeling band was
memorable. |
Pete Levin joined the band in 1972
as a French horn player, eventually bringing synthesizers to gigs,
initiating the band’s transition into the acoustic/electric ensemble
that won 2 Grammys. A regular in the band for over 15 years, Pete
believed the ‘70s decade for the band was very special. Accordingly,
in 2014 Pete reunited an all-star group of internationally-known
New York musicians - core alumni members of
the band of the mid and late ‘70s - to celebrate the band’s “Monday
Night At Sweet Basil” Era. There had been several reincarnations of
the band in the last 2 decades, but none that specifically reunites
these original key players to capture the dynamic improvisational
experience that Gil nurtured and inspired. The 11-piece band debuted
in New York City
in November, 2014 at The Cutting Room, a gig that was recorded live
and documented with a multi-camera video shoot. |
The Core Musicians:
Dave Bargeron (Clark Terry, George Gruntz, George Russell, Jaco
Pastorius) – trombone & tuba
John Clark
(Ornette Coleman, McCoy Tyner, John Scofield, Jaco
Pastorius) - French horn
Mark Egan
(Pat Metheny, Sting, Joan Osborne, David Sanborn, John
McLaughlin) – bass
Alex Foster
(Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Charles
Mingus) – saxophones
Danny Gottlieb (Pat Metheny, John Mclaughlin, Chick Corea, Wayne
Shorter) –
drums
Chris Hunter (Hiram Bullock, Manhattan Transfer, Sting, George Gruntz) –
sax & flute
Pete Levin
(Paul Simon, Annie Lennox, Jaco Pastorius, Jimmy Giuffre)
– piano & electric piano
Tom Malone
(Frank Zappa, Blues Brothers, SNL Band) –
trombone &
baritone sax
Alex Sipiagin
(Mingus Dynasty, George Gruntz, Dave
Holland, David Sanborn)
–
trumpet
Dave Stryker
(Jack McDuff, Stanley Turrentine, The Stryker/Slagle
Band) – guitar
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