The Ed Palermo Big Band – Oh No! Not Jazz?!?! (2014)
Ed PalermoThe Ed Palermo Big Band is led by alto saxist and arranger Ed Palermo; he has had this big band with much of the same personnel for over 30 years, which is a hugely impressive feat in itself, and has had his band performing the music of Frank Zappa for 20 years. The band is a 18 piece ensemble of five woodwind players, four trumpeters, three trombonists, two keyboardists, guitar, violin, bass and drum.
Oh No! Not Jazz!! consists of two albums of musical performances. The first album (tracks 1-8) further explores Ed’s distinctive, big band interpretations of the music of Frank Zappa and for the most part, he concentrates here on Frank’s initial burst of creative works from original Mothers of Invention era of 1966-1970.
In addition, two notable pieces are performed here. One of Frank’s most loved works, Inca Roads, with a vocal by guest Napoleon Murphy Brock contrasts with one of his most ‘notoriously difficult’ works, The Black Page #2. All of the performances and arrangements of these great pieces are fun, musically witty and masterful. The second album (tracks 9-19) features Ed’s own colorful compositions, which are here featured on a recording for the 1st time in over 25 years!
This double album shows that despite the financial and practical difficulties of running a large sized band, that the very fact that there are so many musical voices in a big band allows for showcasing arrangements better than any other vehicle. This is an exciting listen for fans of Frank Zappa and all adventurous rock and jazz music.
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