Thad Jones

In 1975 and 1977, cornetist/arranger Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis traveled to Sweden and recorded with the Swedish Radio Jazz Group. The first five selections on this eight-tune CD (which are from 1975) also include the Jones/Lewis Orchestra's first trumpeter, Jon Faddis, who takes one solo and helps out the ensembles. Otherwise, the musicians are mostly obscure (although trumpeter Al Porcino is on the second date and guitarist Rune Gustafsson and altoist Arne Domnerus have achieved some fame) and the set not overly distinctive. The real stars of the CD are Jones' arrangements, his compositions (six of the eight numbers, including "The Waltz You Swang for Me," and a 13 1/2 minute version of "Greetings and Salutations," and "My Centennial"), and the expertly played ensembles, which sometimes fool one into thinking that this is the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi