PALERMO, ED BIG BAND One Child left Behind
Description
Over the past two decades ED PALERMO has earned an avid international following with his brilliantly executed, reverently irreverent arrangements of Frank Zappa's tempestuous and wildly inventive music. On previous albums the New Jersey saxophonist, composer and arranger infused the world of Zappalogy with his own brand of incisive wit and bracing improvisation. He doesn't neglect Zappa on his fourth Cuneiform dispatch ONE CHILD LEFT BEHIND, but instead of offering another full Frank immersion he turns his big band loose like it's playing one of its regular gigs. Exploring an expansive array of moods and material, the band delivers an audaciously entertaining program that's full of surprises.
Featuring the same formidable cast of players as on his last release, Oh No! Not Jazz!!, the 18-piece band interprets a fatalistic film theme and a gorgeous Neil Young ballad. They demolish an existential Leiber and Stoller hit and rhapsodize with an intoxicating Los Lobos classic. Palermo also throws in some beautifully crafted originals, and of course offers a generous helping of Zappa too. As he's quick to acknowledge, One Child 'is more of a mixed bag, where my past albums were more thematic. I've been wanting to mix it up like we do at our live shows. These pieces are all road tested, and it felt like a good time to document them.'
Longtime fans of the Palermo band can rest assured that Zappa is well represented on One Child, which features veteran Zappa vocalist Napoleon Murphy Brock on three compositions by Zappa. Speaking of authentic Zappalogy, Frank's younger sister, Candy Zappa, provides vocals on two tracks.
At this point, the Palermo Big Band has honed some 300 Zappa arrangements, while steadily expanding the band's book with other composer's work and his originals, all featuring the kind of impressive arrangements and ensemble work that make One Child such a revelation. Nothing demonstrates the ensemble's ongoing vitality better than the stellar cast of players; many of these top-shelf musicians have been in the band for more than a decade, and they handle the diverse array of material with aplomb. One Child Left Behind doesn't leave Zappa behind, but it makes a compelling case that the Palermo bandwagon can comfortably accommodate a wild and wooly menagerie.
Titles
01. Cleetus Awreetus Awrightus (Zappa)
02. Dirty White Bucks (Palermo)
03. Spider of Destiny (Zappa)
04. Scarface (Moroder)
05. Grand Wazoo (Zappa)
06. Fifty-Fifty (Zappa)
07. Harvest Moon (Young)
08. Pygmy Twylyte (Zappa)
09. Po-Jama People (Zappa)
10. Kiko and the Lavender Moon (Hidalgo/Perez)
11. Vengeance (Palermo)
12. Evelyn, a Modified Dog (Zappa)
13. Village of the Sun (Zappa)
14. The Goat Patrol (Palermo)
15. Is That All There Is? (Lieber/Stoller)
16. Andy (Zappa)
Press
united mutations (EN · peter vanlaarhoven · 13/03/2016)
Ed Palermo did it again. With "One Child Left Behind", The Ed Palermo Big Band delivered another extraordinary album. On this brand-new album, the band performs some classic Zappa tunes, a few jazz standards (Moroder; Meober/Stoller) and a couple of Palermo originals. The Zappa pieces sound superb. We're treated to astonishing arrangements and performances of 'Cleetus Awreetus Awrightus', 'Spider Of Destiny', 'Grand Wazoo', 'Fifty-Fifty', 'Pygmy Twylyte', 'Po-Jama People', 'Evelyn, A Modified Dog', 'Village Of The Sun'and 'Andy'. A couple of these feature the inimitable Napoleon Murphy Brock who sounds as good as he ever did. Wow !! Candy Zappa also guests on two songs, the first one being the Hidalgo / Perez penned 'Kiko And The Lavender Moon', and the second one her brother Frank's 'Evelyn, A Modified Dog'. The mixture of Zappa compositions, jazz pieces and originals works fine. Ed Palermo's 'Dirty White Bucks', Vengeance' and 'The Goat Patrol' fit in perfectly. My favourite tracks on the album are the jazzed up version of Neil Young's 'Harvest Moon' and the excellent 'Village Of The Sun' (sung by Jenna McSwain). A great selection of tunes, fine arrangements, excellent soloing. We're being spoiled. Essential listening !!
