An impulse buy from the clearance bin based solely on the fact that it was released on DMP, the same label as Flim & The BB's. It contains eight lengthy big band originals written/arranged by tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer. In addition to Mintzer, the band has a few familiar names in it including the Brecker Brothers and Peter Erskine. The writing and arranging is first-rate, styles are varied, the performances are outstanding, and the production is so clean you could eat off it. It's a great big band disc and I should love it. However, it would seem that my interest in big band music has waned greatly over the past several decades. Back in the '80s, I was occasionally performing in big bands and doing some rudimentary composing and arranging for such groups. Heck, by 1989 I was directing a high school jazz band. I listened to a lot of contemporary big band stuff at the time, in particular the Dallas Jazz Orchestra and the renowned One O'Clock Lab Band. If I had heard this album back then, I have no doubt it would have been a favorite. So it's a quality release; this stuff just isn't in my wheelhouse any longer.
The CD purchase was an admitted misstep on my part, but it has caused me to adopt a new attitude when perusing the used CD bins. When I pick up a disc these days, I ask myself if I should buy it and the answer, to borrow a phrase from Derek Sivers, has to be an enthusiastic "Hell yeah!" or it's a no. I'm growing older and running out of space, so it's time to be a little more selective in my purchases moving forward. Whether I can stick with such a philosophy remains to be seen. After all, I'm a confessed music junkie.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart
Tracks: Track 4, Computer, is a fun little chart with the added attraction of sounding like a Mike Post TV theme from the '80s.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.
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