By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Code Blue
Great, swinging
big bands are few and far between these days. A lot of water has passed beneath
the bridge since we’ve heard groups that meet the standards set by Basie,
Ellington, Gillespie, Mingus, Adderley, Ferguson, Corea, GRP and Grusin. Well,
weep no more; Resuscitation, a big band led by Chris (Doc) Stewart, has
arrived.
Stewart is a real
doctor, and has practiced that art for more than 25 years. Before that, he
lived in the musical world. He was the sixth of nine children, in a family
where everyone played an instrument. Born in Anaheim, California, he moved
to a farm in Illinois, then back to Anaheim when he was 12 (where, incidentally,
he lived in a house just doors away from his future wife, Patty). He chose
the alto sax as his horn, complementing with flute during his high school
days. He won a talent contest at Disneyland, and played gigs during and
after his high school years.
He was good enough
to work with Louie Bellson, Bill Watrous, Toshiko/Lew Tabakin and others. He
and Patty were married in 1981, and for the next decade he lived two lives: playing
jazz and earning a medical degree. Patty was instrumental in the success of
the latter endeavor, and they recently celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary. Doc
currently practices in the ER section of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale,
Arizona.
In his “spare”
time, he spends hours transcribing the music of his favorite artists: all of
Eddie Daniels’ solos from his To Bird, with Love LP, and all of Cannonball Adderley’s solos (the basis
of Stewart’s 2005 release, Phoenix: A Tribute to Cannonball Adderley).
This new album is
stunning. The big band consists of six woodwinds, six trumpets and
flugelhorns, four trombones, piano/keyboard, bass and drums. Every member is a star
in his own right; as just one example, Stewart and pianist Matt Catingub have
played together for more than 30 years.
We begin here with the four movements of “Code Blue Suite,” written by Stewart and Tom Kubis; that vibrant
wake-up call runs more than 20 minutes. The next 10 swingers consist of traditional
charts used by the Cannonball Adderley Quintet and icons such as Kubis, Julian
Adderley, Hal Galpar, Oscar Pettiford, Bobby Timmons and Charles Lloyd. The
two American Songbook standards are Kern’s “The Way You Look Tonight” and Hubbell’s “Poor Butterfly.” Most
of the arrangements are by Stewart, Kubis and Catingub.
It all swings like crazy, and the solo work — whether by Stewart or other band members — is outstanding. I particularly enjoy the lines done by the entire woodwind sections, on “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Bohemia After Dark,” in the fashion of the old SuperSax band. All I can say is more ... more ... more!
It all swings like crazy, and the solo work — whether by Stewart or other band members — is outstanding. I particularly enjoy the lines done by the entire woodwind sections, on “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Bohemia After Dark,” in the fashion of the old SuperSax band. All I can say is more ... more ... more!
