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This page contains three reviews.
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1. excerpted from www.Amazon.com
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This reviewer rated "Swingin' In The Windy City" a five-star (out of a total of five stars) CD release.
John Burnette is a fixture to those of us who listen to Chicagoland's best jazz station, WDCB, where he serves as the morning drive-time host. But John's real forte is his leadership of maybe the best contemporary swing big band on the planet, if you'll excuse the superlatives. In this, his first CD, his band is joined by clarinetist Buddy DeFranco for a revival of the tunes that put swing music on the charts and in the history books. "Sing, Sing, Sing" is the best rendition I've ever heard, and if your toes aren't tapping involuntarily within the first 30 seconds, you ain't got rhythm! From Basie to Goodman to Louis Prima, it's all on this CD. You're nuts if you don't order it now!
- Reviewed by John C. Lobert from Lisle, IL USA
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2. excerpted from www.AllMusic.com
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John Burnett has a day job as a jazz broadcaster for 90.9FM public radio station WDCB in Chicago. In 1999 he formed this orchestra comprised of top-notch Chicago musicians. Many of them have had considerable big band experience with outfits led by the likes of Glenn Miller and Barrett Deems. Several also play in another Windy City-based aggregation, Lenny King's Chicago Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra. For his maiden album, Burnett scores a coup by getting clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, an icon of jazz, to join the session. Although appearing on just three tracks, DeFranco's presence has clearly inspired the members of the band to go all out. The result is an outstanding hour's worth of music. The session recalls Duke Ellington's road performances: audience members could dance to his music, just sit back and listen, or do both, and get equal enjoyment.
For those who lean toward the dancing, there's a haunting Mike Brown arrangement of "Stardust" that recalls Artie Shaw, except the solos are taken by trumpeters Mike McGrath and Terry Connell (with Connell reaching the stratosphere with a high note at the end). The band's rendition of "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" brings back images of bodies swaying across a dance floor at one of the great ballrooms of the '30s and '40s. An album highlight is Hary Kozlowski's tender trombone solo on "My Foolish Heart." He gets a very unique sound out of that tricky-to-play instrument.
Non-dancing listeners can revel in such high-flying concert pieces as "Sing, Sing, Sing," "Corner Pocket," and "Shiny Stockings." DeFranco is on the first and holds back coming in until close to the end. His clarinet solo is not Benny Goodman's; rather, it reflects DeFranco's more modern and subtle clarinet approach, which works well in this setting. The role of Gene Krupa (cowbell included) is played by Bill Byan, who matches Krupa's hard-driving swinging, but with fewer dramatics. For icing on the cake, "girl singer" Frieda Lee steps to the mike on a truly lovely interpretation of "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and an upbeat "Deed I Do."
Excellent soloists, tight and disciplined ensemble playing, and exciting dynamics all make this an auspicious debut album. Highly recommended.
- Reviewed by Dave Nathan
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3. excerpted from www.AllMusic.com
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John Burnett, a transplanted Englishman who is best known to Chicagoans as the morning host at WDCBFM, a jazz-oriented outlet of the College of DuPage, has had a lifelong love affair with big bands, especially those that flourished during America's golden age of bigband music, also known as the Swing Era. He'd always dreamed of leading a band of his own, and in January '99 made that dream a reality by forming the John Burnett Orchestra whose main purpose is to help keep bigband swing alive in the Chicago area. Burnett stocked the ensemble with some of Chicago's most able-bodied sidemen, added vocalist Frieda Lee from the Jazz Members Big Band and scored an impressive coup by persuading poll-winning clarinetist Buddy DeFranco to sit in as guest soloist on the orchestra's debut album, the aptly named "Swingin' in the Windy City". As a glance at the song listing affirms, Burnett's no radical when it comes to bigband jazz. Most of these tunes were popularized by Basie, Goodman, Lunceford, Miller, Dorsey
and other Swing Era goliaths. About the most "modern" chart on the menu is trombonist Slide Hampton's "Blues," which was probably written for one of Maynard Ferguson's monster bands from the mid-'60s. But the ripened lineage of these songs doesn't stop any of 'em from swinging, which is what the album is all about. The orchestra gently pushes the eightball into Freddie Green's "Corner Pocket" and has enormous fun with Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing", Frank Foster's "Shiny Stockings" and Buster and Benny Moten's "Moten Swing", among others. Drummer Bill Byan is a tom tomthumping Krupa clone on "Sing, Sing, Sing", complementing well-shaped choruses by DeFranco, tenor saxophonist Frank Catalano and trumpeter Terry Connell. Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" is another highlight, thanks to eloquent trumpet phrases by Connell and Mike McGrath. Trombonist Harry Kozlowski is radiant on the ballad "My Foolish Heart", trumpeter Jim Donovan likewise "I've Got the World on a String". DeFranco and pianist Mike Flack
are the soloists on Johnny Green's "Out of Nowhere", while Donovan and Flack share center stage on "Shiny Stockings", and McGrath glows warmly on Brooks Bowman's "East of the Sun". Following "Moten Swing" (arranged by Ernie Wilkins; solos by Flack, tenor David Kublank and trumpeter Mike Shires), the orchestra boogies through Harry Neeck's steaming "Hot Java Jump" with Flack, alto Rich Corpolongo and trombonist Tom Stark dancing around the changes. DeFranco's third impressive solo, on the closing "Blues", is preceded by a similarly moving statement from trombonist David Gross. Lee, meanwhile, displays her ample vocal talents on "'Deed I Do" and the Gershwins' "Our Love Is Here to Stay" but could have been more successful on the latter if she'd paused long enough to learn Ira's lyrics. Burnett's newly-minted orchestra, a brash and brassy ensemble whose sharpeyed rhythm section shadows and accentuates its every move, makes "Swingin' in the Windy City" as agreeably refreshing as a midsummer breeze.
Contact: John Burnett
phone: (630) 844-1066
email John@JohnBurnettOrchestra.com
web site, www.JohnBurnettOrchestra.com
Track Listing: Corner Pocket; 'Deed I Do; Sing, Sing, Sing; Stardust; Our Love Is Here to Stay; My Foolish Heart; Out of Nowhere; I've Got the World on a String; Shiny Stockings; East of the Sun; Moten Swing; Hot Java Jump; The Blues (58:35).
Personnel: John Burnett, leader, conductor; Rich Corpolongo, David Creighton, alto sax; Frank Catalano, David Kublank, tenor sax; Bruce Mack, baritone sax; Terry Connell, Mike McGrath, Mike Shires, Jim Donovan, trumpet; David Gross, Tom Stark, Harry Kozlowski, Bill Walsh, trombone; Mike Flack, piano; Geoff Lowe, bass; Bill Bryan, drums; Frieda Lee, vocals. Guest soloist Buddy DeFranco, clarinet ("Sing, Sing, Sing," "Out of Nowhere," "The Blues").
- Reviewed by Jack Bowers
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