Jan 16 2019
Best of 2018 #15: John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble – “All Can Work”
A manifestation of John Hollenbeck‘s lyrical perspective inevitably takes on a curious form. The most obvious example is on full display with Claudia Quintet, an outfit that established a form of modern jazz expressionism and a tangential post-jazz escape route that has served as a guiding light for other birds-of-a-feather musicians. But this perspective also reveals itself in other Hollenbeck projects, like his rearrangements of classic songs for jazz orchestra or his 2018 large ensemble project that pays tribute to collaborators and teachers. When a musician is dedicated to finding a personal voice and channeling it through a singular vision, the immaculate music of All Can Work is what happens.
Released on New Amsterdam Records.
Music from Binghamton, NY.
I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.
Michael
January 17, 2019 @ 9:46 am
Just FYI… your link to #9 (Myra Melford), aside from mysteriously omitting list items #10-14, actually takes you to your Best of 2016 page (even if you click the comment box – thus adding the comment here as I couldn’t add it there).
davesumner
January 17, 2019 @ 9:51 am
Hi, Michael.
Yeah, I just noticed that posted accidentally and I sent it back to draft. Interesting that the link-backup plugin takes you to Best of 2016 page.
I’ve been having some health issues the last few weeks (some expected, some unexpected), and it’s made a mess of my Best Of schedule. The good news is, I think I’m all past it now, and so starting today with #14 (which posted a couple hours ago), we should be revealing three albums a day, until the top five, which will be #5/#4, #3/#2, #1.
Cheers,
Dave
Michael
January 17, 2019 @ 9:14 pm
Glad to hear you are on the mend. Always enjoy your reviews and your end of year list. Hope the rest of 2019 is a healthy one for you!