The Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra - Mixed Bag

The Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra

(Summit)

By Ed Enright  |   Published May 2025

While the fourth album from The Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra is a deliberately mixed bag in terms of styles and repertoire, it is a model of consistency from start to finish when one considers the high standard of creative innovation behind the arrangements and orchestrations and the superb execution by the leader and his familiar roster of loyal personnel. Over the course of nearly two decades, the veteran players that make up this New York-based ensemble have done a stellar job of upholding the eclectic sensibilities and expansive vision of ace arranger and vocalist McGuinness, a former trombonist who played alongside many of his elite peers in the esteemed big bands of Maria Schneider, Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Heath, Woody Herman (under the direction of Frank Tibieri), Mike Holober and John Fedchock (who lent his skills as session producer for the new recording) as well as Broadway pit orchestras. Mixed Bag, which ranges from serious swing to simmering bossa nova, elegant balladry to bracing modernism, is no exception. In fact, it’s the orchestra’s most ambitious offering to date. McGuinness was spurred to delve deeper as a composer and a vocalist for the album, which marks the group’s first release since he was forced to put down his horn due to a chops-debilitating neurological disorder known as “embouchure dystonia.” A former student of legendary arranger-composers Bob Brookmeyer and Manny Albam, and currently a professor of jazz studies and arranging at William Paterson University, McGuinness emerges undaunted on Mixed Bag, revealing his determination to venture down unexplored avenues. He also puts more emphasis on his singing than on previous releases, showing off his tastefully restrained, lyrically nuanced tenor vocals and embracing his well-developed scatting skills as a way to express himself as a soloist. In the Great American Songbook bag, the program includes two Cole Porter classics: a bossa nova reimagining of the romantic classic “So In Love” and a swaggering take on “From This Moment On.” From the standard jazz canon, we get a Brookmeyer-inspired arrangement of “Body And Soul,” a samba-groove take on John Lewis’ “Django” and a bari sax-dominated version of Thelonious Monk’s “’Round Midnight.” Trumpeter Chris Rogers contributes “Rebecca,” a longtime favorite of McGuinness’ recast here with a Brazilian feel. The remainder of the repertoire mostly consists of McGuinness originals: “The Dark Hours,” which veers into turbulent terrain; “Down The Rabbit Hole,” with jagged 12-tone techniques that draw the listener into a harmonically intriguing wonderland; the plush, sophisticated “Lilac Blues”; and “The Sly Fox,” an advanced romp written in tribute to another of McGuinness’ composer-arranger heroes, the late Bill Holman. Mixed Bag closes with an extra-special track, a lush rendition of Johnny Mandel’s ballad “Where Do You Start?” It’s McGuinness’ first effort at arranging for studio orchestra with strings, graced by his own heartrending vocal and a sublime guest appearance by pianist Bill Charlap. For this poignant final track — which includes flute, clarinet, French horn and the trombone section in addition to violins, violas, cellos, bass and drums — regular PMJO pianist Holober expertly takes on the essential role of conductor.

from https://downbeat.com