Notes:
Most Big Bands of the swing era, when jazz orchestras played for dancers, were headed either by virtuoso soloists or originators of a specific style. During the many decades since, and particularly during the past 30 years, the great majority of the leaders of big bands have been arrangers. The arrangers have been mostly drawn for the studios or academia.

Since 1994, the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra has been co-led by Buselli and trombonist Brent Wallarab, resulting in five CDs and plenty of stirring music. An Old Soul is entirely Buselli's project (the next outing will feature Wallarab) and the first full album of his arrangements. His charts focus on the ensemble's versatility, strong solo skills and group spirit. There is always a strong emphasis on melody in Buselli's writing, even during teh more dissonant and dense stretches. When working with a standard, he believes in preserving the song's theme rather than making it unrecognizable through excessive reharmonization. He also considers intonation and the blending of the individual voices of his sidemen to be extremely important, particularly since the 16-piece orchestra has four rather than the usual five saxophonists, resulting in a great deal of doubling.

Mark Buselli's arrangements throughout An Old Soul utilize the wide variety of sounds and colors available in his jazz orchestra. There is a lot to enjoy and savor on this program. He has created a set of music that is personal, unpredictable and inventive while also being melodic, swinging and a logical extension of the rich jazz tradition.

-- taken from the liner notes of Scott Yanow


Artist Roster:
Mark Buselli: Arranger, conductor, trumpet, and flugelhorn
Mike Stricklin: Woodwinds
Rob Dixon: Woodwinds
Tom Meyer: Woodwinds
Ned Boyd: Woodwinds
Joey Tartell: Trumpet and flugelhorn
Jeff Conrad: Trumpet and flugelhorn
Derrick Gardner: Trumpet and flugelhorn
Mike Hackett: Trumpet and flugelhorn
Loy Hetrick: Trombone
Jason Miller: Trombone
Richard Dole: Bass trombone
Celeste Holler: Horn
Luke Gillespie: Piano
Sandy Williams: Guitar
Jack Helsley: Bass
Bryson Kern: Drums
Deno Sanders: Drums
Kevin Kaiser: Percussion
Kelleen Strutz: Vocals
Indianapolis Studio Orchestra



Track Listing:
1. My Shining Hour
2. 135 B. Chiswick
3. If You Never Come To Me
4. Angel Eyes
5. An Old Soul
6. Chelsea Bridge
7. Open Up Your Heart
8. If I Should Lose You
9. Artificial Bebop
10. Fables of Faubus
11. When I Fall In Love



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