There's something about trains, the metronomic,
ringing clink-clack of metal wheels on metal
track, the fanfare of the whistle, the rhythm
and rumble of the coaches being propelled across
a countryside. Duke Ellington loved trains,
in a day when he and the band used the form
of transportion to get from gig to gig. Think
of “Take the A Train” and “Track
360.” Pianist/arranger/composer Mike
Holober loves trains, too, as his second outing
as leader attests—the big band set Thought
Trains.
Holober put together
a group of first call players, including Ron Carter on bass; Tim
Ries—recently of Maria Schneider Orchestra
fame—on saxophones and clarinet; Charles
Pillow (Maria Schneider Orchestra also) on
soprano and tenor saxes and flute and clarinet;
and John Riley on drums.
The band—working off of Holober's tunes
and arrangements—has a bold, upbeat,
almost brash feel to it, right out of the station
on the eleven and a half minute “Jump
Down, Spin Around,” that features no
less than four inpired
solos—Pat Halloran
on trombone; Joe Gordon on alto sax; Scott
Wendholt, trumpet; and Tim Ries on soprano
sax—in front of
the unwaveringly concise rhythm laid down by Carter, Riley and Holober.
Brilliantly arranged—I love the way Holober
pulls the band back for Tim Ries' soprano solo
and rolls on for an interlude with a piano/reed
duet.
The title tune murmurs in on a finesse mode,
John Riley's shuffling drums leading into a
swirling ensemble section followed by Tim Ries
cooking tenor sax, with Holober sounding very
crisp and succinct behind him.
And so goes the entire set. It's hard to
figure why it took so long to come out; Thought
Trains was recorded in '96. Probably Holober's
fine small ensemble outing, Canyon (Sons of
Sound, '03), gave him the pull to get this
one out into the light of day. One door opens,
another one opens...
— Dan McClenaghan
©
allaboutjazz.com, October
2004
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