MARIA SCHNEIDER JAZZ ORCHESTRA — Coming About (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Composer/arranger Maria Schneider and her 18-piece orchestra perform a variety of advanced and difficult music on this CD. The centerpiece of the set is her three-part "Scenes from Childhood" which deals with fear, confusion and grudging acceptance; do not look here for any childlike melodies or playfulness. In addition the big band plays a reworked version of "Giant Steps," the "Love Theme from Spartacus," the Spanish-flavored "El Viento" (which is slightly reminiscent of Gil Evans's writing for Sketches of Spain) and "Waxwings." There are strong solos from trumpeters Greg Gisbert and Tim Hagans, Rich Perry and Rick Margitza on tenors and baritonist Scott Robinson among others but it is the sound of the full ensemble that is most memorable about this rather heavy and melancholy set. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    El Viento 11:17
Composed By – Maria Schneider
Guitar, Soloist – Ben Monder
Trombone, Soloist – Larry Farrell
Trumpet, Soloist – Greg Gisbert
2    Love Theme From »Spartacus« 7:04
Composed By – Alex North
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Rich Perry
Scenes From Childhood    
3    Part 1: Bombshelter Beast 9:43
Composed By – Maria Schneider
Guitar, Soloist – Ben Monder
Baritone Saxophone, Theremin, Soloist – Scott Robinson
4    Part 2: Night Watchmen 11:26
Composed By – Maria Schneider
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Rich Perry
Trumpet, Soloist – Tim Hagans
5    Part 3: Coming About 12:48
Composed By – Maria Schneider
Piano, Soloist – Frank Kimbrough
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – Rick Margitza
6    Giant Steps 7:44
Alto Saxophone, Soloist – Tim Ries
Composed By – John Coltrane
Trombone, Soloist – Rock Ciccarone
Trumpet, Soloist – Tim Hagans
7    Waxwing 7:43
Composed By – Maria Schneider
Flugelhorn, Soloist – Greg Gisbert
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Tony Scherr
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Tim Ries
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Flute [Alto] – Mark Vinci
Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Clarinet, Flute, Theremin – Scott Robinson
Bass Trombone – George Flynn
Composed By, Arranged By, Conductor, Producer – Maria Schneider
Drums – Tim Horner
Guitar – Ben Monder
Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Tenor Saxophone – Rich Perry, Rick Margitza
Trombone – Keith O'Quinn, Larry Farrell, Rock Ciccarone
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Greg Gisbert, Laurie Frink, Tim Hagans, Tony Kadleck

MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA — Days of Wine and Roses (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Maria Schneider won the Grammy award in 2004 for her Concert in the Garden recording and has chosen to follow that accomplishment with the reissue of her long-awaited, hard-to-find recording released in 2001 titled Days of Wine and Roses. The CD was recording "live" at the Jazz Standard in New York City in 2000, and was originally packaged with a bottle of Riesling wine which bore Schneider's name. This CD-only reissue boasts the raw essence of the orchestra's "live" performance and is comprised of original compositions and five jazz standards including Henry Mancini's"Days of Wine and Roses." The song features great solos by Tim Ries on soprano sax and Rich Perry on tenor sax. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is a great vehicle for altoist Charles Pillow, while "That Old Black Magic" leaves you spellbound as a result of Rick Margitza's enchanting tenor saxophone solo. All of Schneider's arrangements are brilliant and provide excellent blowing vehicles for every section of the orchestra. Most notable are the excellent brass and reed solos on "Bird Count," a song named in honor of Charlie Parker and Count Basie. The set swings, sways, and seduces. Highly recommended. Paula Edelstein
Tracklist :
1    Lately 8:14
Soloist [Piano] – Frank Kimbrough
Soloist [Trombone] – Rock Ciccarone
2    The Willow 7:04
Soloist [Baritone Saxophone] – Scott Robinson
3    That Old Black Magic 5:31
Soloist [Tenor Saxophone] – Rick Margitza
4    My Ideal 7:17
Soloist [Flugelhorn] – Greg Gisbert
5    Last Season 2:48
Soloist [Piano] – Frank Kimbrough
6    Começar De Novo 6:42
Soloist [Tenor Saxophone] – Tim Ries
7    Days Of Wine And Roses 8:43
Soloist [Soprano Saxophone] – Tim Ries
Soloist [Tenor Saxophone] – Rich Perry
8    Over The Rainbow 7:20
Soloist [Alto Saxophone] – Charles Pillow
9    Bird Count 9:50
Soloist [Alto Saxophone] – Charles Pillow
Soloist [Bass Saxophone] – Scott Robinson
Soloist [Piano] – Frank Kimbrough
Soloist [Trombone] – Larry Farrell
Soloist [Trumpet] – Ingrid Jensen
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Charles Pillow, Tim Ries
Bass – Tony Scherr
Bass Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Clarinet, Flute – Scott Robinson
Bass Trombone – George Flynn (2)
Composed By – Harold Arlen (tracks: 3, 8), Henry Mancini (tracks: 7), Ivan Lins (tracks: 6), Maria Schneider (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 9), Newell Chase (tracks: 4), Richard Whiting (tracks: 4)
Drums – Tim Horner
Guitar – Ben Monder
Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Producer, Arranged By, Conductor – Maria Schneider
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Rich Perry, Rick Margitza
Trombone – Keith O'Quinn, Larry Farrell, Rock Ciccarone
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Greg Gisbert, Ingrid Jensen, Laurie Frink, Tony Kadleck

MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA — Allegresse (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Similar in nature to the lush, orchestral jazz work of J.J. Johnson and Gil Evans, Schneider here conducts a large group in a suite of detailed and neo-classical pieces. By turns sentimental ("Nocturne") and carefree ("Hang Gliding"), it is a largely satisfying effort. Tim Sheridan
Tracklist :
1    Hang Gliding 13:13
Soloist [Flugelhorn] – Greg Gisbert
Soloist [Tenor Saxophone] – Rick Margitza
2    Nocturne 7:49
Soloist [Piano] – Frank Kimbrough
3    Allégresse 11:43
Soloist [Tenor Saxophone] – Rich Perry
Soloist [Trumpet, Flugelhorn] – Ingrid Jensen
4    Dissolution 20:46
Soloist [Soprano Saxophone] – Tim Ries
5    Journey Home 9:01
Soloist [Alto Saxophone] – Charles Pillow
Soloist [Guitar] – Ben Monder
6    Sea Of Tranquility 8:19
Soloist [Baritone Saxophone] – Scott Robinson
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Tony Scherr
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Ben Monder
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Piccolo Flute, Oboe, English Horn – Charles Pillow
Baritone Saxophone, Saxophone [Bass], Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Flute, Flute [Alto] – Scott Robinson
Bass Trombone, Tuba – George Flynn
Composed By, Producer, Conductor – Maria Schneider
Drums – Jeff Ballard, Tim Horner
Percussion – Jeff Ballard
Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Flute [Alto] – Tim Ries
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Rich Perry
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Rick Margitza
Trombone – Keith O'Quinn, Larry Farrell, Rock Ciccarone
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Dave Ballou, Greg Gisbert, Ingrid Jensen, Laurie Fink
Trumpet, Trumpet [Piccolo], Flugelhorn – Tony Kadleck

MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA — Sky Blue (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Maria Schneider ventures deeper than ever into herself for this project, in which four of the five compositions were commissions from various prestigious organizations. Jazz usually doesn't operate like this, but one suspects that in the increasingly hostile future, commissions may be the only way in which high-minded big-band music will be able to be written, much as in the classical field. The results are often beautiful, uncommercial, and quite inward, for Schneider has her own feelings for sonority, time and pulse, sometimes doing away with the latter altogether in the meditative cores of some of these pieces. The introduction for the autobiographical "The Pretty Road" imaginatively evokes the ethos of a short road trip toward a Midwestern small town -- Schneider's hometown, Windom, MN -- with Ingrid Jensen's gentle flugelhorn and Luciana Souza's vocalizing overlooking the homely texture. At one point toward the middle of the piece, everything stops, and Schneider just lets the orchestra drift in idealized memory, with blissful digital-delayed effects adding to the realization that this happened a long time ago. Pat Metheny would understand this music completely. "Aires de Lando" runs through abrupt changes in tempo, mood, and especially meter (the ramifications of the latter are too knotty to even contemplate in this space). The gorgeous "Rich's Piece" finds Rich Perry intoning meditatively on tenor sax as Schneider's orchestra plays in a soft-textured way that barely cloaks the dense harmonic writing. She learned very well how to write this way from the master, Gil Evans, but the sound is all her own, a feminine counterpart to Evans' edgier surfaces. In "Cerulean Skies," nearly 22 minutes long, members of the band imitate various species of birds (Schneider is a passionate bird watcher) and an actual feathered friend, a cerulean warbler, turns up on tape near the end of the piece. Again, Schneider stops the action for a meditative interlude midway before ambling onward. And Sky Blue closes out on a contemplative note, with soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson nimbly imitating birdsong near the close. This CD won the INDIE music awards for Best Jazz Album, was nominated in 2007 for a Grammy award as Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, the track "Cerulean Skies" was nominated Best Instrumental Composition, and was declared a masterpiece by Downbeat Magazine.  Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1    The 'Pretty' Road 13:23
Soloist [Flugelhorn, Trumpet With Electronics] – Ingrid Jensen
2    Aires De Lando 9:56
Soloist [Clarinet] – Scott Robinson
3    Rich' Piece 9:29
Soloist [Tenor Saxophone] – Rich Perry
4    Cerulean Skies 21:55
Soloist [Accordion] – Gary Versace
Soloist [Alto Saxophone] – Charles Pillow
Soloist [Tenor Saxophone] – Donny McCaslin
5    Sky Blue 8:06
Soloist [Soprano Saxophone] – Steve Wilson
Credits :
Accordion – Gary Versace (tracks: 1, 2, 4)
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Piccolo Flute, Flute [Alto, Bass], Flute – Charles Pillow
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Flute [Alto] – Steve Wilson
Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – Scott Robinson
Bass – Jay Anderson
Bass Trombone, Trombone [Contrabass] – George Flynn
Cajón, Handclaps [Palmas] – Gonzalo Grau (tracks: 2)
Cajón, Handclaps [Palmas], Percussion – Jon Wikan (tracks: 2)
Composed By, Mixed By, Producer – Maria Schneider
Drums – Clarence Penn
Guitar – Ben Monder
Percussion – Gonzalo Grau (tracks: 4), Jon Wikan (tracks: 3, 4)
Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Donny McCaslin
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Rich Perry
Trombone – Keith O'Quinn, Marshall Gilkes, Ryan Keberle
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ingrid Jensen, Jason Carder, Laurie Frink, Tony Kadleck
Vocals – Luciana Souza (tracks: 1, 4)

MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA — Concert in the Garden (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Concert in the Garden is orchestral jazz great Maria Schneider's proudest achievement and a revelation for fans of big band, as well as jazz subgenres beyond. Though she proved with earlier discs, such as 1994's bright, thoughtful Evanescence, that her ability to transport moods and atmospheres into fully recognizable and deeply meaningful musical whirls was more intricately developed than many current composers, the performances she teases from her musicians throughout Concert in the Garden are an even sturdier testament to a fierce talent. Audible are the skills she developed under the tutelage of Gil Evans: the title track simmers with complexity and evokes grand dramatic themes, though she frames them in frailty courtesy of the graceful intertwinings of accordionist Gary Versace and vocalist Luciana Souza. Souza imparts to-the-bone feeling despite (perhaps because of) a wordless performance. Deposited into the middle of the disc are "Three Romances" -- three separate works bound by a full heart and notable for their lightness and varied Brazilian-flavored harmonies. It is final composition, "Buleria, Solea y Rumba," however, that dazzles most brilliantly. Tenor Donny McCaslin's inspired solo grabs hold in a work limned in fiery flamenco forms, fusing it together until it is a flawless whole. Few who hear this piece will doubt it draws its own oxygen; fewer still will doubt the genius and beauty of its creator. Tammy La Gorce
Tracklist :
1    Concert In The Garden 11:57
Soloist, Accordion – Gary Versace
Soloist, Guitar – Ben Monder
Soloist, Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Three Romances    
2    Part 1 Choro Dançado 9:46
Soloist, Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Rich Perry
3    Part 2 Pas De Deux 9:02
Soloist, Flugelhorn – Ingrid Jensen
Soloist, Soprano Saxophone – Charles Pillow
4    Part 3 Dança Ilusória 9:06
Soloist, Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Soloist, Trombone – Larry Farrell
5    Bulería, Soleá Y Rumba 18:24
Soloist, Flugelhorn – Greg Gisbert
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Donny McCaslin
Credits :
Accordion – Gary Versace (tracks: 1)
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute – Tim Ries
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Alto Flute, Oboe, English Horn – Charles Pillow
Baritone Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet – Scott Robinson
Bass – Jay Anderson
Bass Trombone, Trombone [Contrabass] – George Flynn
Cajón – Gonzalo Grau (tracks: 5)
Cajón, Cajón [Quinto] – Jeff Ballard (tracks: 5)
Composed By, Conductor, Mixed By, Producer, Liner Notes, Executive-Producer – Maria Schneider
Drums – Clarence Penn
Guitar – Ben Monder
Lyrics By [Poem Printed On Booklet] – Octavio Paz
Pandeiro – Luciana Souza (tracks: 2)
Piano – Frank Kimbrough
Tenor Saxophone – Andy Middleton (tracks: 3, 4)
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Rich Perry
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Donny McCaslin
Trombone – Keith O'Quinn, Larry Farrell, Pete McGuinness (tracks: 3, 4), Rock Ciccarone
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Greg Gisbert, Ingrid Jensen, Laurie Frink, Tony Kadleck
Voice – Luciana Souza (tracks: 1, 2, 5)