John Brown Big Band

Whenever someone puts a big band together these days, it is a huge effort. That many people hardly ever get together for the sake of a unified performance. John Brown is a terrific leader, tapping great resources from his background as music professor, which leads to a GREAT big band, and GREAT arrangements. John knows how to play that role perfectly - the players love it, the arrangements are kick ass, Dizzy Gillespie is always worth worshiping, and one of the "rock stars" of jazz players here, Nicholas Payton, just brings music down from heaven, with a supremely soft touch, huge and quiet confidence, and blasting brilliance when he wants it. That's what you call a Great Night. I wish they were doing this every month ........