Bucket List
Self-Released, 2020
8/10
The long running arranger and esteemed multi-instrumentalist Jim Waller comes through with a debut big band album, where a sizable jazz orchestra accompanies him across 14 tunes he arranged and a few he penned, too.
“Samba For Suzell” starts with energetic brass as Will Kennedy’s drum solo leaves an immediate impression on the lively, original, Latin-friendly big band opener, and “I Love Being Here With You” follows as vocals and a scatting solo from Jacqueline Sotelo complement the swing fun.
Halfway through, “Rhapsody In Blue” puts a fresh coat of paint on a Gershwin tune where Waller’s tenor sax solo steals the show amid elegant strings, while “Why Don’t You Do Right” brings Sotelo’s pipes back with a soulful quality. “Funksuite 109” then certainly lives up to its name as Waller sits behind the organ on the album standout.
As we get to the end, “God Bless This Child” allows Sotelo’s soaring vocals to shine between bouts of trombone and sax on the flawless reworking , and “This Is It” exits the listen with an original where a busy execution of fascinating interplay between the artists helps the effort finish on a very high note.
Waller has done many things in his exceptional career as a musician, producer and arranger, and now he can add recording a top notch big band album to his impressive resume.
Travels well with: Amber Weekes- The Gathering; Ellen Edwards- A New York Session