To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the formation of the
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, and as an excuse to play the compositions of the late great
Thad Jones, a group of top jazz veterans was enlisted for this project. Michael Patterson arranged 11 of
Jones' songs, adapting
Thad's own arrangements, which were originally made for either combos or a big band, for the all-star octet. Each of the veteran musicians had an association with
Thad Jones. Happily, they all sound in pretty good form, with the tenors of
Benny Golson,
James Moody, and
Frank Wess battling it out on "One More." A tape of the late pianist
Sir Roland Hanna is used during the first part of
Jones' most famous original, "A Child Is Born."
Jimmy Owens proves to be an excellent fill-in for
Thad; this is one of his finest recordings. It is also fitting that
Thad's older brother,
Hank Jones, is on piano. The final number,
Thelonious Monk's "Monk's Mood," is included because it was one of
Thad Jones' favorite songs. All in all, this is a well-conceived and very musical tribute. ~ Scott Yanow