Playing With Fire
$16.98
Dallas Wind Symphony
Jerry Junkin
Jim Cullum Jazz Band
An All-American Collaboration!
The Dallas Wind Symphony and the Jim Cullum Jazz Band team up on this new sonic spectacular from Reference Recordings, PLAYING WITH FIRE! The five pieces presented here offer a musical panorama from composer Frank Ticheli (b.1958). Light to dark, to joyous jazz celebration, it is all here for the listener. The first four pieces are among the best by this famed concert band composer. The final composition, PLAYING WITH FIRE combines the mighty Dallas Wind Symphony with enthusiastic playing by the 7-piece Jim Cullum Jazz Band! Wind band fans and traditional jazz enthusiasts will revel in these splendid performances.
Conducted by Jerry Jerry Junkin and recorded in the Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas TX, the great music and its exceptional sonic palette are expertly captured by Reference Recordings’ world-renowned team of engineer Keith Johnson and producer Tam Henderson.
FRANK TICHELI is well known for his works for concert band, many of which have become standards in the repertoire. He has appeared as guest conductor of his music at Carnegie Hall, at many American universities and music festivals, and in cities throughout the world. Ticheli joined the faculty of the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music in 1991, where he is Professor of Composition. His music has been described as “optimistic and thoughtful” (Los Angeles Times), “lean and muscular” (New York Times), and “brilliantly effective” (Miami Herald).
Organized in 1962, the JIM CULLUM JAZZ BAND is known worldwide for playing classic jazz plus music by great American composers. Since 1987, the weekly Riverwalk radio broadcasts (PRI) have featured the ensemble with distinguished musical guests.
Conductor JERRY Jerry Junkin is Artistic Director and Conductor of the Dallas Wind Symphony, as well as Director of Bands at the University of Texas at Austin, where he also holds the title of University Distinguished Teaching Professor.
America’s premier professional wind band, the DALLAS WIND SYMPHONY was founded in 1985 and has made over 15 recordings. Consisting of woodwinds, brass and percussion, they perform and record in the I. M. Pei-designed Meyerson Symphony Center.
On This Recording
- POSTCARD SAN ANTONIO DANCES:
- Alamo Gardens
- Tex-Mex on the Riverwalk SYMPHONY NO. 2:
- Shooting Stars
- Dreams Under a New Moon
- Apollo Unleashed
- REST PLAYING WITH FIRE (By Frank Ticheli and Jim Cullum, orch. by Ticheli):
- A la Bauduc
- Shades of Blue
- Polyphonies and Riffs
Reviews:
“Many listeners need to know about this gem of a recording…you are going to like it at first listen…To top it all off superbly, the last few selections feature a truly traditional jazz band; I mean that if Louis Satchmo Armstrong was still around, he would want to play in the Jim Cullum Band…” —Positive Feedback
“It is a diverse collection of music that seems to have been written as much for the sheer enjoyment of the listener as to show off the exceptional range a wind band can have in its repertoire. From the powerful to the delicate, the music highlights what these 19 instruments and 51 musicians can achieve…The music bounces and flows — it’s Gershwin with a beat and one of the finest mergings of classical and jazz I’ve heard… Johnson captures the small identifying touches — the air being blown past a reed or into a mouthpiece — with a clarity that you cannot ignore, yet the the massed power of the Dallas Wind Symphony is astoundingly realistic. When the Cullum Jazz Band is added to the mix, the results don’t change one iota. From the brass to the bass to the drums, the jazz band sounds as realistic as I’ve heard…This HDCD is a world-class effort well worth seeking out.” — John Crossett, The Audio Beat
“…a spectacular album and Ticheli’s works are not the sort to alienate those averse to New Music…” —John Sunier, Audiophile Audition
