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Walsall Jazz Orchestra
- Avg user rating:
Out of 23 votes - Similar Artists: Don Ellis, George Russell, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Mike Gibbs
Out of 23 votes
- Location: Walsall, Great Britain (UK)
- Genre: Jazz » Modern Big Band
Editor's review
This is not your grandfather's big band. The Walsall Jazz Orchestra combines a large brass section with traditional jazz improvisation, fresh arrangements, and a strong, complex rhythmic base.
Biography
The Walsall Jazz Orchestra is a 19-piece big band which, unlike the vast majority of big bands, plays contemporary, rather than traditional big band music. The band plays pieces written by well known composers such as Pat Metheny, Mike Gibbs, and Chick Corea, as well as a number of original compositions. WJO have released two CDs which have received rave reviews in the music press.
Selected reviews:
"What is most striking about WJO is the apparent ease with which these young musicians dismantle any chart, no matter how formidable. On Devil in the Detail, it seems that no detail has been undervalued or overlooked. A devilishly beguiling album by a world class Jazz ensemble" - Jack Bowers (allaboutjazz.com)
"Walsall Jazz Orchestra? Stunning - the town's best kept secret" - Terry Grimley (Birmingham Post)
"With its concise section work and fine used of dynamics this is a superb big band in its own right" - Chris Yates (Jazz Rag)
"Walsall Jazz Orchestra was playing a rendition of Pat Metheny's "Have you Heard?". I sat on the grass in the Montreux sunshine and had one of the best and least expected festival experiences ever" - Mike Bradley (The Times)
"Once upon a time there was a Walsall Youth Jazz Orchestra ... but it became so good, and made so many highly acclaimed recordings that a crucial decision was made. The word "Youth" would be dropped from it's name. Since then the band gas gone from strength to strength" - John Watson (Express and Star)
"I have to say at the outset, that it is a phenomenally successful outcome for all concerned. Not only does the group play out of its skin, but also offers respect and restraint in the process; the precision of their performances is awesome and so seemingly effortless, negotiating the oft-time complex charts with a panache and relaxation - brilliant and authoritative, incisive, confident and, when called for, blistering and sizzling" - Ken Rattenbury (Crescendo)
"This is one of the most thought provoking big band albums to come my way in a long time and I have no hesitation in recommending it to all open minded big band fans" - Stan Woolley (Jazz Journal)
