''The Jazz Composer's Orchestra'' is a 1968 album by the
Jazz Composer's Orchestra recorded over a period of six months with
Michael Mantler as composer, leader and producer. Many of the key figures in
avant-garde jazz from the time contributed on the album including
Don Cherry,
Pharoah Sanders,
Gato Barbieri,
Larry Coryell,
Roswell Rudd, and
Carla Bley. The album's finale features a two-part concerto for
Cecil Taylor and orchestra.
Mantler "updated" the album in 2014 as ''The Jazz Composer's Orchestra Update'' on
ECM Records. It features the Nouvelle Cuisine Big Band, an orchestra with parallel instrumentation conducted by Christoph Cech and new soloists:
Michael Mantler (trumpet), Bjarne Roupé (guitar),
Wolfgang Puschnig (alto saxophone),
Harry Sokal (tenor saxophone),
David Helbock (piano), and the radio.string.quartet.vienna.
Michael Mantler Music, 2014
/ref>
Reception
Langdon Winner's ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' review stated "This is a record which all rock musicians as well as general audiences should listen to with care. The first JCOA album is a summit meeting on the Mount Olympus of contemporary jazz which deserves wide attention... By any standard of musical excellence it is a masterpiece."Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
stated: "The breadth of this piece, its expansiveness, and its tension between order and chaos is one of the single high-water marks of avant-garde jazz. ''Communications'' is a masterwork in and of itself and laid the basis for stunning work by others in decades hence, notably Barry Guy and his London Jazz Composer's Orchestra. It's an essential document for anyone interested in avant jazz and late-20th century creative music."
Track listing
All tracks by Michael Mantler
# "Communications #8" – 14:03
# "Communications #9" – 8:14
# "Communications #10" – 13:42
# "Preview" – 3:29
# "Communications #11" (part 1) – 15:32
# "Communications #11" (part 2) – 18:14
Personnel
* Michael Mantler – conductor, composer, producer
* Don Cherry – cornet, trumpet
* Randy Brecker – flugelhorn
* Stephen Furtado – flugelhorn
* Lloyd Michels – flugelhorn
* Bob Northern – French horn
* Julius Watkins – French horn
* Jimmy Knepper – trombone
* Roswell Rudd – trombone
* Jack Jeffers – bass trombone
* Howard Johnson – tuba
* Al Gibbons – soprano saxophone
* Steve Lacy – soprano saxophone
* Steve Marcus – soprano saxophone
* Bob Donovan – alto saxophone
* Gene Hull – alto saxophone
* Jimmy Lyons – alto saxophone
* Frank Wess – alto saxophone
* George Barrow – tenor saxophone
* Gato Barbieri – tenor saxophone
* Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone
* Lew Tabackin – tenor saxophone
* Charles Davis – baritone saxophone
* Carla Bley – piano
* Cecil Taylor – piano, liner notes
* Larry Coryell – guitar
* Kent Carter – bass
* Ron Carter – bass
* Bob Cunningham – bass
* Richard Davis – bass
* Eddie Gómez – bass
* Charlie Haden – bass
* Reggie Johnson – bass
* Alan Silva – bass
* Steve Swallow – bass
* Reggie Workman
Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey, in addition to Alice Coltrane, Mal Waldron, Max Roach, Archie Shepp, Tri ...
– bass
* Andrew Cyrille – drums
* Beaver Harris – drums
Production
* Paul Goodman – engineer
* Paul Haines – liner notes
* Paul McDonough – artwork, cover design
* Timothy Marquand – liner notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jazz Composer's Orchestra, The
1968 albums
Jazz Composer's Orchestra albums
Cecil Taylor albums
ECM Records albums
Albums produced by Michael Mantler
JCOA Records albums