ANITA BROWN JAZZ ORCHESTRA: 27 East

Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra

27 East

© 2003 Anita Brown (783707766126)

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Original contemporary, neo-impressionistic music for 17-piece jazz orchestra, encompassing hard driving grooves to time-suspending orchestral works.

notes

On March 11th, Ms. Brown became the first recipient of the 2006 ASCAP/International Jazz Composers’ Symposium’s New Music Award which was bestowed in conjunction with The Center for Jazz Composition at USF Tampa. As one of six finalists from a pool of over one hundred applicants, her piece, "The Lighthouse," was selected by three of the jazz community’s most highly regarded composers: Bob Brookmeyer, John Clayton and Dave Douglas.

RESPONSES FROM THE JAZZ COMMUNITY:

The following comment was made by one of Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra's strongest supporters, Chicago jazz journalist and author, Larry Kart: Organissmo Jazz Forums, August 8, 2007

"Not to play one woman off against another (which I don't think I'm doing), but one of the most impressive big band albums I've heard in recent years is this 2003 effort from Anita Brown, "27 East":

http://www.anitabrownmusic.com/

First, Brown (who happens to be the daughter of vaunted Tristano-ite tenor saxophonist Ted Brown and Phyllis Brown, also a onetime Tristano student) draws on the some of the same pool of NYC freelancers that Schneider does. Second, Brown's music is also fairly programmatic at times, though IMO she's one those rare composers who language gifts are spurred by programmatic setups (references to the sea, lighthouses, etc.) rather than being illustrative of them. Finally, (again IMO) she has a much more adventurous, sharp-edged musical mind than does Schneider, plus a wider range of colors and moods. And her band plays its collective ass off for her.

Check out the clips from the album (and elsewhere) on Brown's site -- the most effective in excerpt probably being "The Lighthouse" (written for Greg Gisbert) and "The Touch of You." Be sure too to click on the links in which Brown gives some background for each piece. Also, while these performances were done in the studio, they were, out of economic necessity, all complete unedited takes."

"Anita Brown writes ambling if disarming charts that...reveal myriad details of subtle wit and flexible spirit. 'The Lighthouse' shines a mournful beacon, using brass with the acumen and majesty of Johnny Richards."
--Fred Bouchard, DownBeat Magazine

"Anita's "27 East" is one of the best large ensemble jazz recordings I've heard in a long while. She has her own pallete and brushstrokes. To put it another way, to really write for an orchestra, one needs to have genuine orchestral thoughts, and Anita has them. She is a composer who's bursting with stories to tell. Urgent stories, and lots of different kinds of stories too. She has swallowed and legitimately incorporated her influences and sounds only like herself."
--Larry Kart, Author: Jazz In Search of Itself

"Anita Brown's debut recording makes a resounding statement of the wholesomely vital values of big band writing and performance. [Her] giftedness is channeled into her soulful music with strongly perceptible values... Carving out new growth paths...she smoothly weds substance with inspiration and passion, thus fashioning beautiful music. Anita Brown serves serious notice with her maiden voyage orchestra...[and] her unquestioned position of firm strength and resonant originality."
--Dr. Herb Wong, Jazz Education Journal

"[This] band is in the same category [as] the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Maria Schneider. [Anita's] compositions are marvelous tone poems...and the band brought them off beautifully. Serious, beautiful writing and a wonderful group..."
--Marvin Stamm, Trumpet Artist

“A loving, caring band making great music together. Fantastic arrangements. Anita’s charts blew me away!”
--Sheila Jordan, Legendary Vocalist

"This new recording by Anita Brown has been a long time in coming and it is truly worth the wait!! Anita has the ability to write music from the soul and for the soul. Get this CD, you'll love it! Guaranteed!"
--Jon Faddis, Trumpet Artist

"[This] CD is so good! I'm enjoying it...and hear new things every day."
--Don Sebesky, Arranger/Orchestrator

"The debut CD of the Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra fills me with hope and lifts my spirit. Her skills as an arranger and bandleader convince me that the future for big bands is in good hands!! "
--Dennis Mackrel, Drummer/Arranger

"Everything about '27 EAST' is so great. [Anita] seems to have captured every feeling [she] was inspired by."
--Gene Bertoncini, Guitarist

"I was very glad to be a part of this recording."
--Jim McNeely, Pianist/Composer &
Co-Producer of "27 EAST"

"You GOTTA hear this! It's so organic! It's time!"
--Lee Finkelstein, Drummer

"Watching her conduct her ABJO performing her own music is to witness joy in its purest form...a journey full of power, depth and imagination."
--Dr. Judith Schlesinger, Nite & Disc
www.allaboutjazz.com

"This superior album should be treated as a major event within the big band firmament... This is a major work that will transcend any doubts one may have about contemporary big band writing and performance."
--John Killoch, Mainly Big Bands: www.btinternet.com

"[Anita] couldn't have arranged a more impressive coming-out party... aided and abetted on 27 EAST by a blue-chip New York-based ensemble..."
--Jack Bowers, www.allaboutjazz.com

"Wonderful. A beautifully evocative record! I love it. Gorgeous textures, color, and tones."
--John Hammel, WNTI, 91.9 FM,
Hackettstown, NJ

"27 EAST" was recorded at Clinton Recording Studios on March 24 & 25, 2003 by Engineer James Farber, assisted by Jeremy Welch. While the executive producer is Anita Brown, musically the co-producers were both Jim McNeely and Anita Brown. It was mastered at AlgoRhythms by Michael MacDonald, with James Farber and Anita Brown on June 2, 2003.

Band Personnel is as follows:
REEDS: Dave Pietro, Todd Bashore, Tom Christensen, Jason Rigby, Ed Xiques.
TRUMPETS: Jon Owens, Evan Barker, Scott Harrell, Greg Gisbert, Nick Marchione.
TROMBONES: Mark Patterson, Pete McGuinness, Bruce Eidem, Mike Christianson, Jeff Nelson.
FRENCH HORN: Theresa MacDonnell
PIANO: Mike Holober
BASS: Mary Ann McSweeney
DRUMS: Tim Horner, Lee Finkelstein
VOCALS: Anita Brown

All selections were composed, arranged & conducted by
Anita Brown, Anita Brown Publishing, BMI.

Biographical Information:

Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra is an ensemble comprised of seventeen players, led by its founder Anita Brown. It is dedicated to performing her own compositions and arrangements under her direction and has been performing in Metropolitan New York since July 2000.

Following an extensive career in Music Education, Anita Brown made her way to the prestigious BMI Jazz Composers' Workshop in 1995, embarking upon her calling as a composer. There she began building a body of work for jazz orchestra under the guidance of Jim McNeely and Manny Albam. As a contributing composer featured in the workshop's annual concerts through 2003, she was nominated as a finalist in its 2001 and 2003 competitions for her works "27 EAST" and "Shifting Tides of Montauk", respectively. In 2000 she founded Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra, independently recording and releasing her debut CD "27 EAST" in 2003. This critically acclaimed recording appeared in six categories on the ballot for the 46th Grammy Awards and is currently available at www.cdbaby.com/abjo.
Brown's works have been featured by The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, The BMI New York Jazz Orchestra, The U.S Army's Jazz Ambassadors and she is currently writing for Nnenna Freelon's 2005 tour with The Count Basie Orchestra. She maintains her relationship with Music Education through her Composer Residency Project, a flexible supplementary curriculum designed to bring young musicians through the process of composition under her guidance.
The seventeen players Brown leads from the podium are among New York's finest, most seasoned jazz players. Many are involved in personal projects, with recordings released both commercially and independently. The band's collective credits include associations with The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Maria Schneider Orchestra, Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band, Joe Lovano, Clark Terry, John Pizzarelli, Ray Charles, Liza Minelli, Paul Anka, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, The New York Pops, The O-Jays, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Jamie Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops, Hofstra University, City College of New York and University of Miami as well as countless jazz recordings, Broadway shows, soundtracks, films and jingles. This exceptional ensemble breathes life into Ms. Brown's works with conviction and finesse.


ABJO is currently available for performances and clinics.

For more information please visit www.anitabrownmusic.com.

reviews

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  • Great CD!
    author: Sean Edging

    Anita Brown is an extremely unique composer and a great arranger, who can cover so many colors and ranges of emotion with a great palette of instruments. Wonderful music!

  • Elaborating on Darren's Title of BadAss
    author: Rae-Ann Murphy

    As far as the music itself is concerned, Ms. Brown happens to be one of the most original and creative composers of modern jazz. Her music is emotionally charged and unlike many artist/composers of today, she develops plot. Anita has the ability to tell a story within a single piece of music that it might take an author to develop of the course of a three-hundred paged novel. She is inspirational in her new and inventive concept of jazz, while holding true to some of the most traditional fundamentals of the music. More so than the creativity of her mind, is her ability to stay true to the piece she is working on. Her music is as Charles Mingus states in his autobiography about Davis’ playing “not to be considered background music.” It’s demanding of attention, affection. It draws an individual in with a soft inviting melody and transforms within the piece, your state of consciousness, often times with a counter melody that looms. To be able to do this through music is to have truly tapped into an inner power source of pure genius and brought it to the public for all to enjoy. Thanks for keeping great music alive.

  • Just The Way A Big Band Should Sound!
    author: Nick Tulli

    This CD is amazing! It's one of the finest new big band albums you will listen to. These songs are monsters that the band executes with perfection. If you love the blend of darkness and a classic big band sound, this is the CD for you. The band sets up amazing grooves (especially in "Montauk") that enables the soloists to express themselves with ease. What a great CD this is and congratulations to Anita for assembling such a great band with extremely difficult and fantastic compositions of hers. I look forward to many more albums please!

  • REVIEW
    author: STUDIO57A

    REVIEW 27 East ANITA BROWN Right from the first beat set by the illustrious composer Anita Brown, sets her band to a cadence only defined by pure artistic grace, genius and a controlled performance. Anita’s new album as reviewed here by this aging member of the Big Band era sidemen, is a truly a piece of remembrance. When I received the CD, I immediately previewed the entire piece in my studio and downloaded the entire selections into my iTunes folder dedicated to this fine artists works. I was intrigued. Next I set the studio feed to my audition room to DAT quality 48Kx 24 bit depth and ran into the room to really listen to it. Struck with immense proportions of the composers view, my vintage AR3 speakers spoke of not just quality, but near perfection of the interpolations of Anita Browns works. Though admittedly, I was awakened by the fact that the sidemen were obviously sight reading the material, and hence having not the total concept of her intentions, they performed as directed. Thou Anita’s compositions and directions were clearly written; it surpassed any of my biased inclinations to witness in my studio recreations, any improvisational renderings whatsoever. The composer failed here in allowing the latitude of each performer to contribute to the works. Basie and Kenton allowed each to interact with them, and hence, the piece was re-written to reflect the spirit of each artist’s interpolations. Albeit, the recording is of merit and an accurate representation of a perfectionist composer who needs to listen to the artists interpretations of guidance from the people who actually do the works. The recording was of exceptional quality, with correct microphones used for each instrument, and with no interphase (crossover) distortions. Nola Studios were a good choice here, along with correct placement of key instrumental microphone placements. I would like to add however; the reduction of key rhythm (drums) would have augmented the centre compositions by the increased awareness of the saxophone section, which appeared to be a part of the downtown NY street gangs. As a saxophonist, this disturbs be not to be a part of the action, you know what I mean. Take the drums out to the street where it belongs, and bring the real band into the studio. In total review, 27 EAST was a presentable album, worthy of publication, thou full of obvious cliché Kenton-Basie influences and void of their aformentioned artistic artists interactions and lack of much needed saxaphony presence; it will remain in my library.

  • Bad Ass
    author: Darren

    Get it, you won't regret it.

  • Great writing!!!!
    author: DjDrew

    After catching Anita's clinic at the 2007 IAJE conference and her band's performance, I had to get the CD. The music is great obviously because of the great musicians and Anita's writing, but after hearing her explanation of the background of the music featured on this CD, it makes listening to it so much more special. Great music and a great CD. Looking forward to hearing so much more from this composer/arranger/band leader!!!!

  • Love that Jazz
    author: Robin Hutchings

    I really enjoy listening to this CD. When I play it I have to stop what I am doing just to listen to every sound. My friends have the same reaction when they hear it. Although I do have to admit our heads are bobbing like we are just so cool.

  • technical control and a fresh perspective on a grand tradition
    author: Charlie Donches - music educator and performer

    Anita has great technical control of the colors and textures available to a big band. She also has a sense of humor that keeps her first recording from sinking under the weight of such an undertaking. She is reaching far and covering much ground on this, her maiden voyage. Anita and I attended a class in New York City in the mid-90’s for big band composition and arranging. I didn’t think the class was doing me any good, and dropped out after one year. Anita continued, and remains involved in the program to this day. I think you can hear that she certainly has gained through her experience there, as this can hardly be called a student work. It is great to hear someone continuing the beautiful tradition of the masters while adding a fresh perspective in any artistic endeavor. It is especially gratifying to hear a big band recording of original material, as the will required to realize the project needed to be multiplied by the number of musicians, and egos, required to play the music.

  • Outstanding new big band recording.
    author: Bob Dain

    It's such a pleasure to encounter a new and excellent big band! I have enjoyed this CD greatly and I look forward to the next one!

  • A great CD. Highly recommended.
    author: Verne Whitlock

    ABJO:27 East presents a wide range of tonal colors and moods. The compositions and arrangements are superb and the band has it ALL together. Masterful, sensitive, intelligent performances on every track. I hope we hear more from Anita Brown.

  • Can't reduce it to ten words.
    author: DOUG MANN

    Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra was an unknown quantity to me until this CD appeared.It is a splendid debut,with fresh and intriguing arrangements,superbly executed by a first class group of musicians.Thoroughly recommended.

  • New directions
    author: Lorraine

    Anita Brown takes the big band in new and unexpected directions on this sophisticated and engaging CD. She has a unique voice that is both consistent and creative throughout her charts. My personal favorite, "Add Venom Shake Well" not only has a great title, but pushes out to the edges with a lot of heartfelt energy. Very excting first release!

  • Wonderfully original charts, played by a great NY band!
    author: Ted Blumenthal

    I heard Anita's band at the NY Brass conference, playing some of these charts. The band is the usual New York great, and the music is highly original and way above the norm.

  • A master work
    author: Jean-Philippe Epitaux

    I didn't know anything about Anita Brown before I got her CD, thanks to an ad in JazzTimes and... thanks to you, too. Everything's great on that CD : the arrangements, the musicians, the recording... With such united talents, the future of big bands is more bright and promising than ever!

  • great track.
    author: matt
  • A really good band, well thought out arrangements
    author: Frank

    This was a really nice disc. I had met Anita at the Vanguard back in 1998. She is also a copyist. When I saw the name I recognized her and gave the disc a try. Very nice disc, great musicians. I think it's a good begininng.

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