(Big Band) Vanguard Jazz Orchestra — The Way (The Music Of Slide Hampton) — 2004, MP3, 320 kbps

Formed by trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra has been performing on Monday nights at the esteemed Village Vanguard in New York City since 1965. The ensemble has also recorded numerous albums since its inception--2004's Grammy-nominated THE WAY is trombonist and musical arranger Slide Hampton's first significant contribution to the current band's repertoire.
Using tributes to a variety of composers--including Billy Strayhorn, Tad Dameron, and the aforementioned co-founder Jones--as a launch pad for his imaginative, often complex compositions, Hampton crafts intricate mosaics of vibrant, interweaving horn lines, punctuated with dynamic syncopation. The first track serves, in part, as an oblique nod to John Coltrane, using the chords to the saxophonist's "Giant Steps" as a foundation for some powerful ensemble work. The sumptuous arrangement of "Gil" incorporates elements of much of the legendary Gil Evans's style, including quotes from SKETCHES OF SPAIN, to conjure his exotic oeuvre. The sophisticated, vigorous swing of the title track evokes images of pulsating nightlife, while "Frame for the Blues" harnesses the orchestra's inventive precision in a relaxed, after-hours finale. THE WAY is a fine tribute to a venerable, yet still vital, New York jazz institution.

Billy Drewes (flute, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Dick Oatts (flute, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Ralph Lalama, Rich Perry (flute, tenor saxophone); Gary Smulyan (bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Scott Wendholt, Glenn Drewes, Earl Gardner, Joe Mosello (trumpet); Luis Bonilla, John Mosca, Jason Jackson (trombone); Douglas Purviance (bass trombone); Jim McNeely (piano); Dennis Irwin (double bass); John Riley (drums)