The reason most jazz orchestras steer clear of the James Bond catalog is fear of ridicule. Bond music is deceptively difficult. To be convincing, the feel has to be sultry while the attack must be elephantine and brassy. Anything short of these characteristics in scope and sound will come off as lightweight and silly. So when I saw the album Nobody Does It Better: The CCM Jazz Orchestra as James Bond (Summit) last week, I had two simultaneous reactions—skepticism and pity. Yet another orchestra landing face down in 007's trap. [Photo above of Scott Belck, director of the CCM Jazz Orchestra]
Imagine my surprise when I put on the CD and was captivated. The arrangements are inventive and take liberties, but the music checks off all the Bond-score boxes. I'm no Bond piker. I have upward of 60 Bond-related albums, including the soundtracks, contemporary interpretations, big-band and small-group jazz covers, Latin approaches and the instrumentals by the U.K.'s Roland Shaw. I like my Bond music sassy, swinging and menacing. Mission accomplished.
CCM stands for the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. CCM is directed by Scott Belck, who contacted Sex Mob's slide trumpeter, composer and arranger Steven Bernstein to collaborate on a Bond orchestral album based on Sex Mob's Sex Mob Does Bond from 2001. Bernstein wanted to convert Sex Mob's relatively small-band charts to orchestral arrangements. In effect, the new album is a big-band treatment of the Sex Mob album, excluding Sex Mob's Teasing the Korean, 007, Oddjob's Pressing Engagement, Bond Back in Action and Over and Out, with the addition of You Only Live Twice and Thunderball. The latter two were arranged by baritone saxophonist Joe Duran. [Photo above of Steven Bernstein]
The songs on the new album are Dr. Yes (a Bernstein original); This Never Happened to the Other Feller from On Her Majesty's Secret Service; Battle at Piz Gloria from the same soundtrack; Bond With Bongos from From Russia With Love; Dawn Raid on Fort Knox from Goldfinger; Nobody Does It Better from The Spy Who Loved Me; You Only Live Twice and Thunderball.
Now, of course, I'm on a Bond jag and probably will be all day as I write.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Nobody Does It Better: The CCM Jazz Orchestra as James Bond here.
JazzWax clip: Here's You Only Live Twice...
from JazzWax http://ift.tt/2k2OUvP
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