CD Review: University of Nevada Las Vegas Jazz Emsemble 1, "Let The Good Times Roll".

The UNLV Jazz Ensemble 1 proves that jazz is alive and thriving in Las Vegas with their new release, Let the Good Times Roll. Directed by Dave Loeb and Nathan Tanouye, this 12-track album blends youthful energy with professional polish, featuring fresh student arrangements and first-rate ensemble playing.

From the opening title track to the closing “Finale (for Katie Charlotte)”, the band delivers big-band swing, lyrical ballads, and inventive new works. Guest artists—Laura Taylor, Curt Miller, Kenny Rampton, Clint Holmes, Naomi Mauro, Adam Schroeder, and Dr. Isrea Butler—add star power, while student composers and arrangers showcase the future of the art form.

With nearly 30 musicians bringing passion and precision, the recording is both a celebration of tradition and a glimpse into jazz’s exciting next chapter.

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Playlist:

1. Let the Good Times Roll

2. Chinoiserie

3. Too Close for Comfort

4. Emily

5. Check Up

6. Bohemia After Dark

7. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes

8. Alright, Okay, You Win

9. The Collective

10. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You

11. Braggin' n’ Brass

12. Finale (For Katie Charlotte)

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Players:

Guest Artists: Laura Taylor (vocals), Curt Miller (trombone), Kenny Rampton (trumpet), Clint Holmes (vocals), Naomi Mauro (vocals), Adam Schroeder (baritone sax), Dr. Isrea Butler (trombone)
Student Musicians: 27 members of UNLV Jazz Ensemble 1 (saxophones, trumpets, trombones, rhythm section, vibraphone, and French horn)
Arrangers/Composers: Surafael Tamre, Tristan Selzler, Jaren Glick, Renzon Maballo, Mateo Hurtado de Mendoza

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I have attached two cuts from the CD for your listening pleasure.  The first tune is the Johnny Mandel classic "Emily" with a terrific arrangement from Renzon Maballo and features great solo work from Curt Miller.  The second selection is "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" written by Ben Weissman and arranged by Jaren Glick.

                                                                              "Emily"

                                                          "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes"

 

CD Review: Adam Schroeder & Mark Masters, "CT" (A tribute to Clark Terry)

 The new CD just released from Baritone Saxophonist and Bandleader Adam Schroeder and Arranger Mark Masters is a tribute to master Trumpeter and Composer Clark Terry.  Schroeder conceived of the recording as a celebration of Terry's 100th birthday.  The plan was delayed by the pandemic, but Schroeder continued to be motivated to complete the CD.  "I wanted to celebrate what Clark gave to me and so many others around the globe for decades-musically, educationally, and as a mentor."  Mark Master has provided some powerful arrangements in a style that is becoming more and more infrequent.  Mark offers,    "So it's always a joy when great musicians come together to make music, and it only becomes music when they bring the music to life."  Mark has produced wonderful arrangements that would have made Clark Terry smile.  All of the songs on this CD were composed by Clark Terrry. The results of these classic arrangements, great songs and the wonderful Jazz players participating on this CD is perfection for any Jazz lover.

Bari Sax player, Adam Schroeder is a giant force in today's  global Jazz scene not only through performances but through his extensive educational efforts including serving as Associate Professor of Jazz & Commercial Music at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.  His solos and the mellow tones he produces out of his Baritone Sax are always sparkling good.  The Baritone Sax has always been one of the tougher Saxophones to play in my opinion.  Adam Schroeder makes playing the Baritone Sax seem easy; the mark of a true professional player!

Mark Masters is a master Arranger in the traditional of Classic American Jazz.  He is a champion of  American Jazz and devotes all of his energies to keep this type of Jazz music alive and current.  He has arranged music for recordings featuring Billy Harper, Jimmy Knepper, Andrew Cyrille, Oliver Lake, Mark Turner, Tim Hagans, Grachan Moncur III, Peter Erskine  and many others. 

PLAYLIST:

1. Serenade To A Bus Seat

2. Ground Hog

3. Ode To Pres

4. Daylite Express

5. Boardwalk

6. Argentia

7. Perdido Line

8. Slow Boat

9. Swingin' On The Cusp

10. Michelle

11. Top and Bottom

12. Boomerang

13. In Orbit

PLAYERS:

Sal Lozano- Alto Sax

Bob Sheppard- Tenor & Soprano Sax

Kirsten Edkins- Tenor Sax

Adam Schroeder- Baritone Sax

Francisco Torres- Lead Trombone

Ido Meshulam- Trombone

Lemar Guillary- Trombone

Dan Fornero- Lead Trumpet

James Ford- Trumpet

Aaron Janik-Trumpet

Edwin Livingston- Bass

Peter Erskine- Drums

All Arrangements by Mark Masters

I have attached two "YouTube" videos of songs from this CD.  The first is the Clark Terry tune, "Ground Hog" where Adam Schroeder gets to show his playing skills.  The second video is Terry's "Ode To Pres" with impressive solos from Kirsten Edkins, Bob Sheppard and Ido Meshulam.

                                                                     "Ground Hog"

                                                                        "Ode To Pres"

CD Review: Adam Schroeder "Let's"

I have been an Adam Schroeder fan ever since I heard him playing his Bari Sax several years ago at one of Pete Carlson's Jazz nights.  Adam is one of the few masters of the Bari Sax.  As a former Alto Sax player, I can tell you that even though the keys of all Saxophones are the same,  it's unusual to hear any Alto and/or Tenor player also playing Bari Sax.  My guess as to why is that the Bari Sax is so big it takes a much greater effort and a lot more air to navigate this horn correctly.

When performing, Adam Schroeder makes it look like playing the Bari Sax is easy!  His tone is smooth and mellow and his improvisation is fresh and pleasing.  I met Adam again last month when he was playing a Jazz concert at Pete Carlson's Jazz Club and during our conversation, he mentioned that he wanted me to hear his lasest CD that I had missed.  This CD, "Let's" was released a few years ago and it lives up to my Adam Schroeder expectations.

Adam composed 5 of the 11 songs on this CD and his compositions are impressive.   He also invited three of the best current Jazz players in the country to join him on this CD.  Every player is on my Jazz favorites list: Anthony Wilson on Guitar, John Clayton on Bass and Jeff Hamilton on Drums.

Players:
Adam Schroeder- Bari Sax
Anthony Wilson-Guitar
John Clayton-Bass
Jeff Hamilton-Drums

Playlist:
1. "Hello Bright Sunflower"
2. "In the Middle of the Kiss"
3. "Just Clap Your Hands"
4. "You and I"
5. "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams"
6. "A Hawkeye, A Hoosier, and Two Cali Cats"
7. "Contemplation"
8. "Patient Endurance, Steady Hope"
9. "Let's"
10. "Southside Samba"
11. "The Smulyan Spectacles"

I have attached a "YouTube" of the song "Just Clap Your Hands" written by Adam Schroeder that fully utilizes the outstanding rhythm section of Wilson, Clayton and Hamilton.  I also attached a second "YouTube" of the group playing the Benny Carter tune, "Southside Samba"  that is a fun recording.  Adam Schroeder performs with several big bands in the California area so don't miss any chance to hear him play!

 

CD Review: The Mark Masters Ensemble "Blue Skylight"

Arranger/Bandleader Mark Masters has released a terrific new CD, "Blue Skylight" that reimagines the music of iconic Jazz Composers Charles Mingus and Gerry Mulligan.  The beauty of this CD is in the beautiful Jazz music of the Mark Masters Ensemble and the Masterful recomposition work that Mark Masters has achieved.  According to Masters " In many ways, Charles Mingus and Gerry Mulligan couldn't have been more different.  One was notoriously fiery and confrontational; the other understated, the epitome of cool'. Mark was very careful in selecting the players for this CD believing that "It's all about the players.  There are very few people who can be successful when writing music without knowing who's going to play it. The overriding factor for me is creating a framework for the players to be successful in."

"Blue Skylight" was born of a pair of 2015 concerts performed by the ensemble in Palm Desert, California: a "Gerry Mulligan Songbook" evening and a program entitled "Blues by Mingus".  Both featured a trio of undersung elder Jazz statesmen that Masters wanted to feature and celebrate: Bassist Putter Smith, Saxophonist Gene Cipriano and Alto Saxophonist Garry Foster.  Master proudly states "They're true veterans, they're some of my heroes".  The seven-piece ensemble includes some of the West Coast's most in-demand musicians, most of whom have enjoyed long relationships with Masters, Saxophonist Jerry Pinter, Baritone Saxophonist Adam Schroeder, Trumpeter Ron Stout, Trombonist Les Benedict, Pianist Ed Czach and Drummer Kendall Kay.

The music and arrangements in this CD are immediately comfortable even for someone that did not follow Mingus or Mulligan.  For Jazz lovers, this is a real treat as the music seems like having an old friend come over to visit.  This is what Jazz music is all about, new experiences but with the feeling that you have lived here before!

Playlist:
1. "Monk, Bunk And Vice Versa"  Mingus
2. "Out Back Of the Barn" Mulligan
3. "So Long Eric"  Mingus
4. Wallflower" Mulligan
5. Peggy's Blue Skylight" Mingus
6. "Strayhorn 2" Mulligan
7. "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love" Mingus
8. "Apple Core" Mulligan
9. "Eclipse" Mingus
10. "Birds of a Feather" Mulligan
11. "Motel" Mulligan

I know you will enjoy listening to the "YouTube" of the Mark Master Ensemble playing Mulligan's composition, "Apple Core".

CD Review: Adam Schroeder's "Lets"

I started playing Alto Sax when I was in 3rd grade, but it wasn't until 8th grade when I fell in love with the sound of the Baritone Sax. That's when I discovered Gerry Mulligan and the magic he was able to produce with his Baritone Sax. I never had much success in creating a pleasing tone from my Baritone Sax which only increased my desire to hear anyone that could make this giant Saxophone sing! Over the years, there have been few Jazz Bari Sax players that have caught my interest until I heard Adam Schroeder on his new CD, "Let's".  Adam Schroeder produces a remarkably rich tone when combined with his amazing dexterity (on this big horn) and brings the listener to musical heaven. His ability to produce rich lows and soar to exciting highs from his Bari Sax are so good that at times the listener might forget these sounds are coming out of a Baritone Sax!

In picking the songs for this album, Adam wrote 5 out of the 11 songs.  The remaining 6 songs were selected by Adam using Melodies as his criteria. "Each of the songs written by others had to have the great melodies first and foremost. These are tunes that make you smile when you first hear them, and then reveal their compositional and harmonic depth the more you listen to them. They also offer vast freedom of expression for everyone to improvise on."

Adam has been able to put together what I think is the "Dream Team" of supporting musicians for this CD. Starting with Anthony Wilson on Guitar, John Clayton on Bass and Jeff Hamilton on Drums.  I first discovered this group of fabulous Jazz players when they backed Diana Krall on her "Live in Paris" album. This album is still one of the best Jazz standards album I have ever heard. As they like to say on the PGA Tour, "These guys are good"! The solos from this trio of world-class musicians are wonderful. They all have a way of improvising that is new and refreshing. The listener can hear every single note they play and yet they are always part of the supporting group even though each one of them could take the lead any time.

This CD will be release on June 17 on Capri Records. Make the effort to get this CD; it will be a keeper for your Jazz collection for many years to come.

I found a cut from the CD on YouTube and would like to share it with you. Attached below is Adam Schroeder Playing his own composition from his new CD "Let's".  The song is titled: " A Hawkeye, A Hoosier and Two Cali Cats". Great Music!