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I would love to hear critics of jazz education who argue that students are taught “by the numbers”
and can’t grasp the finer points of the music try to explain away albums such as this one by the
University of North Florida’s superb (and consistently swinging) Jazz Ensemble 1.
As if to prove those detractors wrong, the ensemble opens with (and decisively nails) a pair of
elaborate original compositions by faculty member Barry Greene (“Pentangle”) and tenor
saxophonist Brian VanArsdale (“The Beginning and the End”) before moving on to more
conventional fare (“Tenderly,” “Angel Eyes,” “Love for Sale”), then veering off again into uncharted
waters with VanArsdale’s “So Far,” Mulgrew Miller / Bill Mobley’s “Second Thoughts” and Bob
Brookmeyer’s “Love Is a Feeling.” Thad Jones’ supernal ballad “A Child Is Born” precedes Wayne
Shorter’s mercurial “Beyond All Limits” and the swaying, Kentonesque finale, Pete Rugolo’s
“Machito.”
One thing that sets the UNF ensemble apart from others is its sharp and dynamic rhythm
section, astutely led by drummer John Davis (one of the best I’ve heard at this level) and including
pianist Heston Dean, guitarist Steve Lesche and rock-solid bassist Billy Thornton. Another is the
large number of articulate soloists who do much more than merely pass the time. Alto saxophonist
Brian Hagans is featured on “Pentangle,” trumpeter Dave Champagne on “Tenderly,” alto Kenny
Hamilton on “Angel Eyes,” Dean and flugel Max Matzen on “A Child Is Born,” and there are cogent
statements elsewhere by Lesche, Thornton, Davis, trombonists Clarence Hines and Robert
Harrover, trumpeters Ray Callender and Jason Lichau and tenor Brendan Romaneck. VanArsdale
is splendid on “Love for Sale” and “Limits,” but I could do without his over-the-top screeching on
“The Beginning and the End.”
The ensemble never misses a cue or misreads a note, enabling Keith Javors to score a bulls-
eye on his second album as director. When all is said and written, university-level ensembles simply
don’t get much better than this, and I have no Second Thoughts about recommending the
album to anyone who appreciates a well-endowed contemporary big band.
Contact: UNF Jazz Ensemble, 4567 St. John’s Bluff Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224. Phone
904-620-2961; web site,
www.unfjazzensemble.com.
~ Jack Bowers
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Track Listing: Pentangle; The Beginning and the End; Tenderly; Angel Eyes; Love for Sale; So Far; Second
Thoughts; Love Is a Feeling; A Child Is Born; Beyond All Limits; Machito (64:19).
Personnel: Keith Javors, director; Kenny Hamilton, Brian Hogans, alto sax; Brian VanArsdale, Brendan
Romaneck, tenor sax; Rodney Hampton, baritone sax; Jason Lichau, Dave Champagne, Max
Matzen, Ray Callender, Abel Castillo (2, 3, 11), trumpet; Clarence Hines, Robert Harrover, John
Leschitz, trombone; T.J. Collazo, Marcus McGill (3, 11), bass trombone; Heston Dean, piano; Steve
Lesche, guitar; Billy Thornton, bass; John Davis, drums.
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