(Vocal Jazz, Big Band) David Linx, Maria Joao & Brussels Jazz Orchestra - A different Porgy & another Bess - 2012, WEB, FLAC (tracks), lossless

The French classical label Naive has made a successful foray into jazz with recordings like Mina Agossi's Red Eyes (2012); and Tania Maria's Tempo (2012). A Different Porgy and Another Bess is the first thematic big-band offering from the label. Drawing from the George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward opera, Porgy and Bess (1935), A Different Porgy highlights eleven vocal pieces from the book. The music performed by the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, under the direction Frank Vaganee, features David Linx in the role of Porgy and Maria Joao as Bess. The arrangements are bright and progressive, courtesy of a wide swath of people in and outside the band.
A portion of the eleven pieces chosen for recital are expected. "I Love You Porgy," "My Man is Gone Now," "I Got Plenty of Nothing" and "Summertime" are all present and accounted for. But there are also Lesser-heard songs here: "A Red-Headed Woman," "Oh Lord, I'm On My Way" and "Oh, Dr. Jesus" are included to great effect in breaking up preconceptions and expectations that might cloud a Porgy and Bess-based disc. That said, there is actually no danger in this simply being one more interpretation of an over-interpreted collection of songs; the songs' arrangers and the Brussels Jazz Orchestra see to that.
A first listen sounds like a wild ride in one of those hover-cars from Luc Besson's 1997 film, The Fifth Element. Songs that should be familiar sound about as foreign as they possibly can: think playing "The Maple Leaf Rag" backwards in the Star Wars (1977) bar scene. Well, maybe not that jarring, but certainly provocative. Subsequent listens bear out the relationships of these songs with those Gershwin penned. This is where the invention of arrangement and free spirit benefit the old book, making it new again. This, coupled with a crack and very big band, makes A Different Porgy and Another Bess a valuable contribution to understanding the evolution of jazz. (C. Michael Bailey)

As a critic or "jazz advocate" there are shades of musical gray when it comes to taste. A release is simply a musical snapshot in time of the artistic place an artist finds himself. On occasion this snapshot reflects more than a look at the artist as it is a microcosm of history at a given point in time.
So "A Different Porgy and Another Bess" is the American classic with a slightly more contemporary spin. David Linx and Maria Joao soar while backed by the Brussels Jazz Orchestra. Taking an opera originally performed in 1935 and hitting fast forward without mangling the essence of the original is a daunting task. I would be remiss if I did not mention that part of the more contemporary riff on this 42 year classic is the removal and reworking of certain portions of the original that would be and for most people are considered politically incorrect for the current day. Remember an opera from 1935 is but a snap shot in time and of course what may have passed as acceptable in certain situations then would certainly and in most cases draw deserved condemnation in society today. The only question I would pose would be, "Does re-writing a classic piece of iconic theatre do anything other than camouflage the elephant in the room?" Most people are familiar with the adage if you do not learn from the mistakes of history you are doomed to repeat them.
That being said..."A Different Porgy And Another Bess" is magnificently transformed into a more modern adaptation of the original with perhaps the intent of raising the social consciousness of the audience as part of the desired intent. The musical and cultural traditions that are interpreted in the original Porgy and Bess are actually extended past the somewhat self limiting original characters and it is this brilliantly throughout extension that allows this adaptation to stand side by side with the original as a work of great cultural significance and advancing past stereotypical cultural expectations.
An epic work.

Frank Vaganee: lead alto and soprano saxophones, flute;
Dieter Limbourg: alto and soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute;
Kurk Van Herck: tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet;
Bart Defoort: tenor saxophone, clarinet;
Bo Van Der Werf: baritone saxophone; bass clarinet;
Serge Plume: lead trumpet, flugelhorn;
Nico Schepers: trumpet, flugelhorn;
Pierre Drevet: trumpet, flugelhorn;
Jeroen Van Malderen: trumpet, flugelhorn;
Marc Godfroid: lead trombone; Lode Mertens: trombone;
Ben Fleerakkers: trombone; Laurent Hendrick: bass trombone;
Hendrick Braeckman: guitar;
Nathalie Loriers: piano, Fender Rhodes;
Jos Machtel: double bass;
Martijn Vink: drums;
Chris Joris: congas;
Carlo Willems: glockenspiel, tam tam gong