One of the promising pianists who emerged on the jazz scene in the late '90s, pianist
Orrin Evans leads a big band on this live CD, compiled from three separate club dates, featuring a rotating cast of New York-based musicians young and old, several of whom are bandleaders themselves. Although time is at a premium rehearsing a big band made up of busy musicians, the Captain Black Big Band sound like a regularly working unit playing in the midst of a long tour. Surprisingly,
Evans takes a back seat as a soloist, featuring two other pianists and only taking one solo himself. The driving Latin vehicle "Here's the Captain" showcases Victor North's burning tenor sax, though the piece detours into more of a hard bop feeling during
Evans' solo. The promising bass clarinetist
Todd Marcus composed and arranged the forceful "Inheritance" in addition to delivering a stunning solo, while trumpeter
Walter White humorously begins his solo by quoting Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" from The Messiah and drummer Anwar Marshall builds things to a crescendo with a fiery solo. Todd Bashore arranged
Evans' upbeat riff tune "Captain Black," a breezy work that sounds like it could easily have been a part of
the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra's repertoire, featuring powerful solos by pianist Jim Holton, veteran tenor saxophonist
Ralph Bowen (a regular leader and sideman for Posi-Tone), and trombonist Stafford Hunter. The combined strength of the writing, ensembles, and solos all make one hope that the Captain Black Big Band will be making regular appearances in clubs and future recordings. ~ Ken Dryden