Don Sebesky's Masterwork Giant Box

Don Sebesky’s Giant Box is part of the CTI Masterworks reissues of classic CTI albums marking the label’s 40th Anniversary. Originally issued as a double album, the single CD here makes available the music that Sebesky contributed arrangements/orchestrations to along with some original compositions from him. While it might seem this was a tribute to him from the label’s artists, in fact it was his attempt to showcase some of the label’s soloists he had worked with, and while writing the material he had a feeling who should play specific solos. Sebesky himself the arrangements and compositions here were amongst the most ambitious he had written at that time.

Among those featured on the performances on this recording are Sebesky and Bob James on keyboards; Ron Carter on acoustic, electric and piccolo bass; Billy Cobham and Jack DeJohnette on drums; George Benson and Harry Leahy; Airto, Dave Friedman and Ralph McDonald on percussion; Paul Desmond, Joe Farrell; and Grover Washington, Jr. on saxophones; Milt Jackson on vibes; Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and flugelhorn; Hubert laws on flute; and Jackie Kral and Roy cain on vocals.

The liner notes to the original release are included and while there is considerable classical influence (including his full use of strings, horns and woodwinds) in how Sebesky approaches some of the performances, he affirmatively answers that the ultimate result is jazz. He uses Stravinsky's Firebird to frame his orchestral arrangement for John McLaughlin’s Birds of Fire that is one of the showcases for Hubert Laws’ flute along with Freddie Hubbard’s trumpet and Harry Leahy’s guitar. Paul Desmond’s dry martini alto saxophone is showcased on the interpretation of Joni Mitchell’s Song to a Seagull, on which Sebesky is heard on electric piano.

Sebesky’s electric piano opens his original Free As a Bird with soaring horns has outstanding solos that take flight from James on piano, Hubbard on flugelhorn, and Washington on soprano sax (note how he really digs in on this). James is on organ for the arrangement of Jimmy Webb’s setting for Psalm 150, with Jackie Kral and Roy Cain singing praise for the Lord with Hubbard’s trumpet and Carter’s bass adding to the joyful sounds. Desmond opens the interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise, which is followed by some vibes-piano interplay between Milt Jackson and Bob James along with more Desmond on a lovely performance with some flamenco tinges and lovely use of horns in the orchestration.

Sebesky invokes us with his vocal to fly high as we could if we only could try opening his original medley Fly/Circle. This performance opens somewhat dreamingly that has both Laws and Farrell both displaying a fair amount of reverb in their flute and soprano sax respectively before an interlude with DeJohnette and Carter followed by Farrell’s serpentine solo and a skittering solo from Laws. The closing original Semi-Tough has a funky groove, some skittering piano from Sebesky, a gospel rooted vocal chorus, some gritty alto saxophone from Washington, and George Benson making judicious use of pedal effects in his driving guitar.

The performances on Don Sebesky’s Giant Box display how his ambitious synthesis of classical, jazz and popular music was so realized. His orchestrations frame the featured players here and enhance the solos that exhibit the skill and imagination of some of the greatest jazz musicians of four decades ago with m,ore than a few spectacular moments.

I received my review copy from a publicist for the release.

Sunflower is a Milt Jackson CTI Masterwork

Milt Jackson's Sunflower (CTI Masterworks) was among the initial batch of CDs to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of CTI Records. This recording dates from late 1972 and had the great vibes played joined by a band that included Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on Bass, Billy Cobham on drums, Ralph McDonald on percussion, and Freddie Hubbard on trumpet. In addition there is a string section and classically oriented horns (alto flute, English horn, oboe, piccolo) on some of the tracks with Don Sebesky's arrangements on a re-mastered, remixed and re-edited reissue.

Jay Berliner's flamenco-styled guitar sets the mood on Jackson's For Someone I Love, with Jackson and Hubbard playing with lovely restraint on this ballad. What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life, by Michel Legrand, and Alan and Marilyn Bergman also displays Hubbard melodic side with immaculate support with the strings creating a dreamy cushion. Hancock switches to electric piano for interpretation of The Stylistic's hit, People Make the World Go Round, providing a base for the solos by Jackson and Hubbard before taking a lengthy one himself. Hubbard contributed the lilting title track on which strings reappear and it is followed by a Milt Jackson blues, SKJ, the most straight-ahead performance here with plenty of heat generated. It is performances like this one that really get this writer’s juices going.

Sunflower may be a bit sweet at spots for this writer's taste, but it is strongly played and easy to listen to.


My review copy was provided by a publicist for the label.