Excalibur The Steve Wiest Big Band AJ0180 A great musician generally is someone who “makes things happen” rather than waiting for something to happen, often taking some aspect of the music he has studied, adding experience to the mix, and fashioning new music based on these ingredients.   Steve Wiest has made it happen by writing a great program of music and assembling a smoking big band. At one time there were many big bands to play with and write for.   I honed my skills as a saxophonist and arranger playing in the bands of Buddy Rich, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis, and Gil Evans.   Musicians today don't have this luxury in quite the same way as the majority of name big band leaders are gone and working big bands are a thing of the past.   Hence the creation of this recording by Steve Wiest is a welcome addition to the big band jazz scene, both as a furthering of the art form, and an opportunity for the “cats” to get together and play some wonderful music. I admire Steve for taking on this project to study the great big band arrangers and orchestral composers in depth, and then use his studies as an organizational tool, to write music with his own spin on things.   Many, many hours of intensive work goes into such an endeavor.   You know you've been writing big band music when, after countless hours of the solitude inherent in the writing process, one winds up talking to one's self out loud.   I think this is because the act of writing large ensemble music requires a certain obsessive and soul-searching mind-set that makes one want to talk to somebody, anybody, even one's self. … Bob Mintzer, February 13, 2006 The Steve Wies Big Band Saxophones: Alto sax (lead) / flute I: Tim Ishii Alto II / soprano sax: Randy Hamm Tenor I / clarinet: Ed Petersen Tenor II / flute II: Sam Fettig Bari. / bass clarinet: Glenn Kostur Trumpets / flugels: Mike Williams (lead). Matt Antoniewicz, Scott Harrell, Mike Plog Trombones: Paul McKee (lead), Mark Bettcher, Barry Oosterwaal, Matt Ingman (bass) Rhythm Section: Matt Harris: piano, Bob Bowman: bass, Bob Rummage: drums (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8) Dave Bayles: drums (tracks 1, 4, 6) Mike Standal: guitar 1. Cheek to Cheek (Irving Berlin)     8:21     solos Bob Bowman: bass, Dave Bayles: drums 2. Excalibur (Steve Wiest)     7:37     solos Randy Hamm: soprano sax, Bob Rummage: drums 3. The Once and Future Groove (Steve Wiest)     9:72     solo Glenn Kostur: bari sax 4. I Concentrate on You (Cole Porter)     11:09     solo Matt Harris: piano 5. Cerulean 12 (Steve Wiest)     8:20     solo Mike Plog: trumpet, Tim Ishii: alto sax 6. The Silver Spin (Steve Wiest)     5:27 7. A Night in Pidruid (Steve Wiest)     9:34     solos Ed Petersen: tenor sax, Bob Rummage: drums 8. On Green Dolphin Street (Bronislau Kaper, Ned Washington)     9:04 ARABESQUE RECORDINGS - distrbuted in Australia by Rockian Trading