Jim Mcneely Expeditions [CD]

In 2025, the jazz world lost one of it's beloved talents in the arts of composing and arranging with the passing of Jim McNeely. But before he left, McNeely completed and recorded a suite of original music for his long time favored collaborative ensemble, the Frankfurt Radio Big Band. Expeditions is quite a journey, as the music suggests adventures through sound for individual musicians that McNeely had devised unique environments for. Originally from Chicago, Jim McNeely arrived in New York City as a young pianist in 1975, finding work with legends like Ted Curson and the burgeoning younger stars of jazz, like David Liebman and John Scofield. In 1978, McNeely began playing with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band at the Village Vanguard. A year later, Bob Brookmeyer became the music director of the band when Jones left. Brookmeyer was a major influence and led McNeely into focusing more on composition. Soon, McNeely was penning suites and long form pieces for Germany's WDR Big Band and others. But it was his long relationship with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band that was the longest realized and most rewarding, as McNeely became a resident composer and arranger. It is only right that McNeely's final piece, Expeditions, was written for and performed by the Frankfurt Radio Big Band. After years of working with the Big Band, McNeely had become familiar with all of the principal soloists and section musicians. On Expeditions, McNeely made sure to write in solo features for each member of the group, fully realizing an example set by the legendary Duke Ellington, who famously composed for each member of his vaunted orchestra in mind. Expeditions was premiered and recorded at Frankfurt am Main's hr-Sendesaal, Hessischer Rudfunk on June 13, 2024. Sadly, it would turn out to be McNeely's last premiere and conducting work with the Big Band. The program begins with "The Gathering, " a dynamic fanfare that establishes the excitement of what is to come. "Terra Incognita" blends meters and counterpoint melodies over a moodily swinging background, while "At Twilight" is a mysterious, floating ballad highlighting Miroslava Stareychinska's harp and Martin Auer's trumpet. Harp blends into piano on "Celtic Ramble, " a piece that borrows from the dancing rhythms of Irish folk song. Rainer Heute's haunting baritone sax is featured on "At Midnight, " a slinky slow ballad perfect for a late-night listen. The tempo picks up for "Monk Scales Everest, " an ambitious retooling of Thelonious Monk's "Evidence." The light and picturesque waltz, "At Dawn, " illuminates the bright sound of Oliver Leicht's alto saxophone. Utilizing the waltz form, "Lights on The Horizon" picks up the pace for another varied yet infectious McNeely tour de force. Christian Jaksjö's trombone wails over the avant-garde clash of piano innards and horns on "The Breakthrough." The tempo picks up and the textures thicken on "Arrival, " providing a perfect vehicle for features from trumpeter Axel Schlosser and drummer Paul Höchstädter. "Reflections on Coming Home" is a feature cadenza for bassist Hans Glawischnig, his masterful playing leading into the concluding piece, "Coming Home." The piece begins with a gorgeous horn chorale and trombone feature before building to an exclamatory climax. The loss of the great composer and arranger Jim McNeely has shaken the jazz world. But it is also worth recalling the tremors left by his music. With the aid of the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, Expeditions perfectly captures the full breadth of his command at composing and arranging across a wealth of styles and sounds that are collected within the mantle of jazz music.