JJ 07/92: The George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band – Blues ‘n Dues Et Cetera

After some somewhat artificial but not inappropriate scratches, and some muscular guitars from John Scofield, Q-Base sets the pace and mood of this rewarding session with menacing brass plates. The rhythm is driving but flexible rock, the horn lines charging, large sonic monoliths richly dissonant. Hunter and Scofield solo, Hunter effectively combining Sanborn’s soul hysteria and Brecker’s harmonic sense.

The album has two bars of 12 bars – the most orthodox Datewith screaming Jon Faddis and thoughtful but fiery Wallace Roney, and Blues ‘n Dues Et Ceteraa bouncy blues that oscillates between two-way and swing and has excellent modern blues lines from Mintzer and Bergonzi.

Elements of musical theater inform the freeish, quasi-operatic General group and the rap ‘n’ scratch of Rap for the nap. Such good musicians might as well avoid the latter; Anderson sings like a bad David Byrne, his rapping a flabby parody of the real Desire thing.

sentimental mood gets a harshly abstract treatment, and similar spices of dissonance Two friends, the latter being distinguished by the very vocal tuba of Howard Johnson. It may seem that this dissonance doesn’t always work, but Gruntz rarely exaggerates it; it is just one element in an ever-changing kaleidoscope of orchestral colors. In any case, lyricism finds refuge in reflection forest cathedral.

Good soloists, deft handling of big forces, a wide range of moods, and a fearless, if sometimes comical, embrace of pop idioms set this album alongside Mike Gibbs’ long-lost Big Music.

Discography
Q-Base; Daten; Forest Cathedral; Blues ‘n Dues Et Cetera; Two friends; Rap for the siesta; Sentimental Over Mental Food – In a sentimental mood; Giuseppi; General group (67.19)
Collective staff: Gruntz (p); Mike Richmond (b); Adam Nussbaum (d); Marvin Stamm, Bob Millikan, Randy Brecker, Michael Mossman, Jon Faddis, John D’Earth, Wallace Roney, Franco Ambrosetti (t/flh); John Clark, Jerry Peel (Rhf); David Bargeron, Jim Pugh (eu); Howard Johnson (you); Chris Hunter, Bob Mintzer, Bob Malach, Jerry Bergonzi, David Mann, Alex Foster, Roger Rosenberg (reeds); John Scofield (elg); Ray Anderson, Art Baron, Dave Taylor, Dave Bargeron (tb); Art Baron (b recorder, conch); Ray Anderson, Desire, Dave Taylor (v); DJAD (scratch). NYC, January 4, 5 and 29, 1991.
(yes 6072 2)