Yearly Archives: 1999

Phil Collins Big Band: “A Hot Night in Paris”

Phil Collins Big Band
A Hot Night in Paris

Atlantic (1999)
Time: 70:15

Musicians: Phil Collins (drums), the Phil Collins Big Band. Featuring Gerald Albright (alto sax).

Songs: Sussudio, That’s All, Invisible Touch, Hold On My Heart, Chips & Salsa, I Don’t Care Anymore, Milestones, Against All Odds, Pick Up The Pieces, Los Endos Suite.

Rating: * * * *

Many people are going to have problems with this CD. A lot of people know Phil Collins as the popular music artist who also played in the rock group Genesis. Some jazz fans will think yet another pop/rock artist is invading their territory. The pop/rock fans will accuse Collins of cashing in on the latest “Big Band” and “Swing” fad, and granted, what this album does will go over the heads of most Collins fans who know him only from Top 40 radio.

Collins started out in a very early edition of Genesis, joining the ranks as a drummer. When Peter Gabriel left for greener pastures (and a highly acclaimed solo career), Collins stepped out in front as the new lead vocalist for Genesis. On a brief hiatus from Genesis, and during a nasty breakup of his first marriage, Collins recorded some songs in his home studio, which resulted in his first big solo hit “In The Air Tonight.” Collins was also part of a cutting-edge jazz/rock group named Brand X. Recently, Collins had left Genesis, and put his solo career on hold.

The result of his activity for the past three years is this new CD, A Hot Night in Paris. Back in 1996, Collins travelled another musical path assembling a big band and making concert appearances around Europe, culminating in a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival. On that tour, Quincy Jones conducted, and Tony Bennett was a guest vocalist. Dead serious is Mr. Collins!

Reassembled in 1998, the big band toured the US and Europe, and was captured on tape in Paris for this recording. The song selection taps various interests. Included are popular tunes like Collins’ own “Sussudio,” “Against All Odds” and “I Don’t Care Anymore,” the Genesis hits “That’s All,” “Invisible Touch” and “Hold On My Heart,” an original Gerald Albright tune called “Chips & Salsa” (from a recent CD entitled GIVING MYSELF TO YOU), and a couple of covers like “Milestones” (yes, the Miles Davis classic) and Average White Band’s “Pick Up The Pieces.”

For me, the centerpiece of this set is the “Los Endos Suite.” True Genesis fans will recognize this tune from their 70’s album Trick Of The Tail, and it translates well into a big band arrangement. “Los Endos” was an instrumental track to begin with, and anyone who’s familiar with the album will recognize the reprise of many themes from that album. From the crowd’s response, it’s evident that there were quite a few hardcore Genesis fans in the audience!

How do the other Genesis or Phil Collins tracks translate? Variable, I’d say. “Sussudio” gets a hip-hopped arrangement with the melody taking a few harmonic twists and turns. “Invisible Touch” gets a nice Basie-fied traetment, loping along at a gait that Basie and Freddie Green would be proud of; this one was arranged by Sammy Nestico. “Against All Odds” features the crystal clear alto of Gerald Albright. John Clayton Jr. provides a tripped-up arrangement of “That’s All.”

No Collins album is complete without a remake of a classic oldie. Here, the band rips into a funkified Arif Mardin (!) arrangement of “Pick Up The Pieces,” which again features Albright, and is also joined by George Duke on piano and James Carter on tenor. The energy on this track crackles! And it’s a near tie for this one and “Los Endos Suite” as my favorite of the set.

“Milestones,” perhaps my favorite Miles Davis tune, is covered here in a John Clayton arrangement that translates the tune well to a big band. This track illustrates why I feel the Collins big band is a success in the jazz idiom. If you’re familiar with “Milestones,” it starts off with several measures of a melody, then cuts into some serious soloing. And that’s the spirit throughout this album. While a lot of the melodies are familiar, these are not short three-minute big band covers of popular hits. Aside from the ambitious “Los Endos Suite,” the arrangements let the band state the melody, and then drop out of the way so the musicians can cut into some serious solos.

The musicians themselves are all top drawer. Longtime Genesis/Phil Collins touring guitarist Daryl Stuermer plays throughout the album in a rhythm capacity. Years ago, he played in one of Jean-Luc Ponty’s fusion ensembles, so jazz is no stranger to his talents. I’d also give musical director and trumpet/flugelhorn ace Harry Kim a tip of the hat for being the glue that spiritually holds this band together.

But what about the drummer? For one, Phil Collins sings not one note on this set, nor does he switch to the piano or pick up a tamborine. He’s 100% drummer here, doing what he does best, and playing jazz like the seasoned veteran that he is. Aside from a couple of solo breaks and the “Los Endos” workout (which borders on being orchestrated to begin with), there are no drum pyrotechnics, no flashy displays of misspent energy, and no banging on the skins for the sake of making noise. Just some damn good playing here!

So how would I sum it up for everyone? Hard core Collins/Genesis fans will realize this is a new avenue for him and will enjoy it. Jazz fans who don’t know a note of his music from his “day job”, or who can get over the fact that he played that devil rock and roll music, will probably also enjoy the fine musicianship and well-arranged charts. The fans who will be disappointed are the ones who were expecting Collins to sing all of his favorites in front of a big band…mainly, the Top 40 crowd.

As I see it, he hasn’t sold out into the latest “swing” fad, which is where I’m sure many nay-sayers would disagree with me (most who have probably never heard this CD, or did listen but don’t understand it) . The booklet states that he became smitted with one of Buddy Rich’s bands way back in 1966 and thereafter pursued a lot of other big bands (Basie Ellington, etc.), and now that he’s established and probably has all the money he’ll ever need, he has the freedom to play music that presents a new challenge, and have a little fun in the meantime. Which is what I did! My recommendation is to buy this as a big band jazz album and leave it at that. Because that’s exactly what it is!

Brian Setzer Orchestra: “The Dirty Boogie”

The Brian Setzer Orchestra
The Dirty Boogie

Interscope Records
Released: 1998
Time: 49:43

Musicians: Brian Setzer (vocals, guitar), big band accompaniment.

Songs: This Cat’s On A Hot Tin Roof, The Dirty Boogie, This Old House, Let’s Live It Up, Sleepwalk, Jump Jive an’ Wail, You’re The Boss, Rock This Town, Since I Don’t Have You, Switchblade 327, Nosey Joe, Hollywood Nocturne, As Long As I’m Singin’.

Rating: * * * * *

Daddy-o, you ain’t livin’ until you get you some Dirty Boogie! Go grab this hot wax, slap it in your CD player, smack that play button, grab yer girl and let that party begin!

A few years back, Setzer traded in his rockabilly trio sound for a genuine big band, recording two albums and hitting the road for a string of concert dates. The first album, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, was a great mix of big band with Setzer’s guitar and vocals, and leaned more toward the big band side of the equation. The second album, Guitar Slinger was hard to put a finger on–it featured some more great tracks, but the cluttered production detracted from the music somewhat.

With this release, the production is cleaned up, and we find Setzer up to his good ol’ tricks again, but this time there’s more of the old Stray Cats sound in the ensemble than ever before. The sound is now rockabilly-based supercharged big-band, with the horns firing off riffs that would put many a rhythm guitar player to shame in the same setting! There’s the requisite bass player slappin’ away on the strings, just like the old Stray Cats recordings. Arrangements are mainly by Setzer and band member Mark Jones; the title track is arranged by Setzer and band member Ray Herrmann, and surprisingly, three of the tracks are arranged by none other than Patrick Williams!

The songs are from all over the musical map. The hard-driving title track, “This Cat’s On A Hot Tin Roof,” “Switchblade 327” and a few others are new Setzer originals. In cover versions, we have two Lieber/Stoller tunes, “You’re The Boss” and “Nosey Joe,” a remake of Louis Prima’s “Jump Jive an’ Wail” (which is the radio hit at this writing), the rock instrumental “Sleepwalk,” and Bobby Darin’s “As Long As I’m Singin’.” The piece de resistance, however, is the Patrick Williams arrangement of Setzer’s signature song from the Stray Cats era: “Rock This Town.”

And how has Brian Setzer fared over the years since the Cats first made their debut? His voice has become more confident, with quite the mature growl when he needs it. And his guitar playing–all I can say is that he is perhaps one of today’s finest, underrated guitarists. His is not a name that comes immediately to mind when one thinks of great rock guitarists, but his guitar technique has become more finely honed over the years, bending notes and ripping off literally handfuls of chords with reckless abandon, and can no doubt play circles around most of his contemporaries. Don’t rule out attitude–he has plenty to spare, and it infuses all of his performances.

To say this disc smokes from end to end is an understatement. I’d give it four stars for its great arrangements and fine playing by Setzer and the entire band that backs him up. The additional star is for that “fun factor” that most recordings today lack, and the overall energy level that literally blasts its way out of the speakers. This one should send Connick’s big band running for cover. If the reviews are any indication, Setzer puts on one helluva great live show with this band. Don’t miss it!