trumpetdoc

Just wanted to bring to everyone's attention (a rant maybe?):

Often times I curse moving to NYC and having to deal with the chaos, crowdedness, expense, and frantic lifestyle. However...

Last week I had the priviledge to attend 3 evenings of fantastic music performed by the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra at the Jazz Standard.

The trumpet section was: Tony Kadleck - lead, Jon Owens, Laurie Frink, and Ingrid Jensen.

Wow!!! The music is great, not big band music but truly original music that happens to be scored for big band instrumentation. The entire band is great with some world class soloists like Ingrid Jensen, Charles Pillow, Ben Monder, and Richie Perry, one of my all time favorites.

Best of all, I got to listen to maybe the best trumpet section going today. Sound, pitch, time, phrasing, everything just at the highest level. I've had the honor of playing this music in this section and I can tell you there is none like it.

But, more importantly, I got to listen to my favorite lead trumpet player of today (not counting Gozzo, Snooky, and Porcino), Tony Kadleck. You can have Bergeron, Ingram, etc., they are great players with amazing chops. But, Tony has all the chops and is also the most expressive/musical lead player out there. I never tire of hearing him play because besides the fact that he has a great sound and his time and pitch is dead on, he swings and plays beautiful phrases. Like a great orchestral principal or an opera singer.

Too many trumpet players today are wowed by chops, highnotes, and the like. Tony is the consumate musician. He plays the music, not the trumpet.

Please make the effort to hear this band and hear Tony play. I'm very fortunate to have had the opportunity.

Leon

TrentAustin

Amen amen, Tony is da man! one of my favs!

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geoT

Hello Leon,

Thanks for posting the inspiring review of the band. It's exactly for those kinds of opportunities that those of us who don't live in New York wish we did.

George Tidwell

derekkress

Hopefully I will be able to catch this band live one day(maybe here at The Montreal Jazz Festival?). The first time I heard this group was when I purchased Concert In A Garden.That album had me weeping tears of joy.It is so beautiful. I would be taking everybody back in time a bit but another very musical lead player who made the charts sound easy was Arnie Chykowski from Rob McConnell and The Boss Brass.He was the backbore of the band!

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hubnub

Tony,

Do you know if Maria will take this band into the studio?

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kadleck

Wow ... thanks Leon! So where do I send the check?

Seriously, it was a fun week. It's hard to keep a big band working and that's a shame because it really gains momentum when it plays night after night (as opposed to once every 6 months, like it often is). Congrats to Maria for being able to pull it off.

Hubnub - we just finished a CD (Maria Schneider) earlier this year with these same folks, so she probably won't be ready for a new one for a year or so.

Tony

hubnub

Thanks Tony.

I did not realize that Sky blue was the latest cd. I hope I can still get it.

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Mark Russo
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trumpetdoc

If anyone is not familiar with Maria's music then they should definitely check out the link Tony posted which takes you to Maria's website which is a part of Artist's Share. Her most recent recording "Sky Blue" is a great representation of her work and, in my humble opinion, her best work yet. It is a wonderful blend of beautiful writing/scoring and world class improvisation.

To further appreciate Tony's playing in a more traditional setting, you can get John Fedchock's CDs on Amazon. Check out John's most recent recording "Up & Running". I feel this is John's best writing to date as well. The band is great with phenomenal soloists and great lead playing by Tony. Tony sounds especially great on the title track. The band really swings with Tony at the helm and Dave Ratajczak on drums.

With the holidays coming up, its a good time to add to your library.
Leon

By the way, a special hello to my friend George Tidwell. It's been 30 years since I've seen you but I still think of you and the inspiration you gave me. For those of you who don't know him, George is a fantastic player having spent many years as a mainstay in the Nashville recording scene. You've undoubtedly heard his playing with out knowing it. And he is a burning bebop player as well. I loved going to hear him play with a combo. I learned a lot and enjoyed every set. Thanks George.