Search - Dutch Jazz Orchestra, Billy Strayhorn :: You Go to My Head

Solid but not Commanding

Patrick Burnette | Crawfordsville, IN USA | 05/29/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Billy Strayhorn's reputation has grown exponentially over the last few years, bolstered by excellent books (David Hadju's Lush Life and Walter van de Leur's Something to Live For) and albums devoted to his compositions. In this cd, the Dutch Jazz Orchestra offer 14 of Strayhorn's versions of jazz warhorses like "Night and Day" and "I'll Remember April." Strayhorn was a brilliant arranger, but the charts here aren't the best introduction to his work. The tunes included are familiar to a fault: it's easier to recognize Strayhorn's talent in his deconstructions of Disney, Tchaikovsky and the Beatles, where the challenge of making workable jazz from the material was so much greater. The performances by the DJO do not compel attention. The band sounds far too genteel, with the lack of roughage in the section-work especially striking given that Strayhorn tailored his charts to the idiosyncratic Ellingtonians. At times the record veers dangerously close to elevator music. I'll pick on two special offenders: Ack van Rooyen's solos are so burnished they induce drowsiness, and the drummers' relentless tink-tinka-tink becomes Chinese water torture by the middle of the disc. It's good to hear these arrangements, eight of which languished unrecorded until now, and impossible to believe that the DJO offers them with anything but the best intentions. The results are never less than professional. But there are better places to encounter Strayhorn's gifts. Joe Henderson's Lush Life comes to mind, or take van de Leur's book in hand and start combing through the vast Ellington catalog for Stray's many contributions. The DJO's earlier release Portrait of a Silk Thread, while it suffers from some of the faults discussed above, at least offers fresh Strayhorn compositions as opposed to merely arrangements."

Authentic and mellow

Charlotte Vale-Allen | CT USA | 11/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderfully lush, beautifully produced collection of tunes--all Strayhorn arrangements, only one of which (Where or When, which was recorded with the Ellington orchestra) has previously been recorded commercially.Faithful to the era, even the vocals (by Marjorie Barnes) have great authenticity -- feeling very right for the charts. Considerably more than mere background music, these arrangements (primarily from the 40s) are notable for their elegant tone. Particularly nice is vocalist Barnes's rendition of "Lover Man," and "Autumn in New York" has a distinctly Manhattan feel to it--evocative of the city when it rains and there's a kind of hurried hush to the atmosphere.
Very highly recommended."