THE CAPITOL SESSIONSTHE RODGER FOX WELLINGTON JAZZ ORCHESTRA

THE CAPITOL SESSIONS

12 Left Bank express (11:58) CC Composed and arranged by pete Jackson soloists alex nyman soprano saxophone rodger fox trombone andre paris baritone saxophone Jon papenbrook scream trumpet Lance philip drums

13 Jimi (12:41) asCap Composed and arranged by Bill Cunliffe soloists Colin Hemmingsen tenor saxophone alexis french trumpet andre paris baritone saxophone mike isaacs tenor saxophone Christopher fox trombone nick Granville guitar Lance philip drums

Lance philip plays Yamaha drums and uses regal tip sticks

nick Granville plays elixir strings, Cusack pedals and Lollar pickups

rodger fox plays Yamaha trombones

8 maxine (4:17) apra Composed by sharon O’neill arranged by Jeff Driskill Vocalist erna ferry

9 LOVe Of mY Life (4:33) apra Composed by Bruce Brown arranged by Jeff Driskill Vocalist erna ferry soloist rodger fox trombone

10 ain’t GOt nOtHinG But tHe BLues (4:40) CC Composed by Duke ellington arranged by Jeff Driskill Vocalist erna ferry soloist nick Granville guitar

11 rOGer WitH a ‘D’ (7:05) apra Composed by Christopher fox arranged by Bill Cunliffe soloists Colin Hemmingsen tenor saxophone alexis french trumpet alex nyman alto saxophone

4 Just squeeze me (5:49) CC Composed by Duke ellington arranged by John fedchock soloist rodger fox trombone

5 sOnG fOr LOuise (5:32) apra Composed by Colin Hemmingsen arranged Jeff Driskill soloist Colin Hemmingsen tenor saxophone

6 rOCkin’ in rHYtHm (6:37) CC Composed by Duke ellington arranged by Bill Cunliffe soloists mike isaacs tenor saxophone Colin Hemmingsen tenor saxophone Lance philip drums

7 HOneYsuCkLe rOse (3:23) CC Composed by fats Waller arranged by frank foster Vocalist erna ferry

1 BraziLian fantasY (7:23) asCap Composed and arranged by John fedchock soloists alex nyman alto saxophone alexis french trumpet

2 One O’CLOCk Jump (8:26) CC Composed by Count Basie arranged by Bill Cunliffe soloists anita schwabe piano nick Granville guitar Dean scott trombone andre paris baritone saxophone nick tipping bass Ben Hunt trumpet alexis french trumpet

3 tOp DaDDY (6:27) asCap Composed and arranged by matt Harris soloists anita schwabe piano andre paris baritone saxophone nick Granville guitar

trOmBOnes

Christopher fox - lead

Dean scott

Damian forlong

kurt Gibson - bass

keYBOarDs

anita schwabe

Guitar

nick Granville

Bass

nick tipping

Drums

Lance philip

rodger fox trombone / musical director

erna ferry vocalist

saxOpHOnes

alex nyman lead alto / soprano / flute

Hayden Hockly alto / flute

Colin Hemmingsen tenor / clarinet

mike isaacs tenor

andre paris baritone / bass clarinet

trumpets & fLuGeLHOrns

alexis french lead on tracks 3, 6, 7, 10, 12

sebastian soldrzynski lead on tracks 2, 5, 9

Jon papenbrook lead on tracks 1, 4, 8, 11, 13

Ben Hunt

Chris selley

THE RODGER FOX WELLINGTON JAZZ ORCHESTRA

Jazz has a habit of flying in the face of market

logic. its dogged endurance alone testifies to that,

despite an increasing output of crass commercial

offerings. it is however in the Dna of modern music

and popular culture. acknowledged or not, it is

here to stay in its various and evolving forms.

new zealand is a country of four million people, so

it is perhaps surprising that it has a number of jazz

orchestras, many owing their inception to the influence

of rodger fox. the rodger fox Wellington Jazz

Orchestra’s previous album (Journey Home, featuring

the music of alan Broadbent) won Best album at the

2012 tui Jazz awards. it was their first award, but fox

has picked up a heap of them over his long career.

in late 2012, rodger took the WJO to Los angeles

to record at Capitol studios. the word ‘iconic’

has become hackneyed in modern reportage

but this is a legitimate description of these

studios: an echo chamber designed by Les paul,

with the ghosts of frank sinatra and nat Cole

hovering over every note – a fitting place to

record a big band at the peak of its powers.

as you move through the tracks your attention is

drawn by the vibrancy of the sound. it’s hardly

surprising that a Capitol studios recording should be

so good, but let’s not take anything away from the

band. this is an orchestra with the punch of the WDr

and a finely tuned sense of swing. achieving this

requires hyper-awareness of what others are doing,

impeccable time keeping, and a lot of very hard work.

the track list is balanced between standards (Basie,

Waller, ellington), lesser known but well-established

big band numbers, and some very welcome new

zealand compositions. While the perennially popular

provides a yardstick to measure a band by, it is the

originals and explorative tunes that prove character.

the first track, Brazilian fantasy, was composed

and arranged by John fedchock. fox has previously

worked and recorded with fedchock, so he’s

familiar with his work. this is an especially good

opener as it confidently draws you in from the

first bar, the kind of tune that stops you in your

tracks and tells you that you are in for an enjoyable

journey. Big band music is at its best when it says

something new while referencing its origins. swing

is about dance and this track dances like crazy.

there are compositions and arrangements by Bill

Cunliffe, whose recent album, the Blues and the

abstract truth - take two (released on the resonance

label), elevated him to the pantheon of first class

modern arrangers. in addition there are arrangements

by Jeff Driskill, matt Harris, frank foster, rodger

fox and pete Jackson. Cunliffe’s Jimi is particularly

impressive, a composition that dives straight into the

psychedelic painted world of Jimi Hendrix. the blare of

horns tracks along the jagged edges of discord, until

we find ourselves happily buffeted by the vamp of Let

me stand next to Your fire. this pattern repeats as the

band recalibrates their viewpoint after each section.

Drummer Lance philip supports the orchestra in

the best tradition of big-band drummers. it’s a

specialised skill, and here he shows his true class.

Guitarist nick Granville carries the lion’s share of

the soloing with ease, soaring like a guitar-god.

it’s a great track, reminiscent of the edge that Gil

evans attained but without attempting to ride upon

his coat tails. Jimi’s fire still burns fearsome hot.

pianist anita schwabe is a solid presence throughout,

and her take on Basie in One O’Clock Jump is confident

and thoroughly enjoyable. there have been many

attempts at approximating the bouncy minimalist

hard swinging lines of Basie, and this sits comfortably

with the best of them. nick tipping is one of new

zealand’s most highly regarded bass players and

his propulsive bass lines manage to cushion and

move the band without domination – exactly what’s

required from a big-band bass player. nick Granville,

Dean scott (trombone), andre paris (baritone), alex

nyman (alto), Ben Hunt and alexis french (trumpets)

deliver superb solo performances as well.

song for Louise features its composer, tenor

sax maestro Colin Hemmingsen. Colin has a

gorgeous tone and solos with effortless skill. His

attractive ballad approximates a Jobim-like vibe,

offering the orchestra a chance to show that it

can swing just as hard in a gentler mode.

there are four tracks featuring singer erna ferry,

including her signature take on maxine (by new

zealand singer/song writer sharon O’neill). Jazz

arrangers and performers are no longer afraid to tackle

material outside of the genre. the awkwardness of the

past is long-gone, and music by the likes of Hendrix

and O’neill now offers valid and vital material for

exploration by jazz orchestras – long may it continue.

the Capitol sessions stands confidently alongside

the great jazz orchestra albums coming out of

america and europe at this moment. ultimately,

the recording is a testimony to the leadership of

rodger fox, who, with so many gifted soloists at

his disposal, never loses sight of the collective.

John fenton

JazzLocal32.com

member Jazz Journalists assn.

Orchestra, e & p Jamieson, Cm Jones, km marshall, Derrick

Halford, richard keller, matthew marshall, natalie Hunt,

Judith Bell, Grant Burns, Cameron kidby, philip Verstraaten,

anna Guenther, pablo, stacey, Bruce forman, John kliem,

Chanel Haami, Hemi frires, Julie Bevan, Jenni Bedford,

tom mcLeod, John mcCormick, Larry koonse, Gilbert

Hadfield, kirsten Henderson, arie rozendaal, Lisa tong,

Janna ferry, Cathy sneyd, kevin Downing, Jake Baxendale,

Jim Hollis, richard mckenzie, shannon Lawn, michael

William rowlands, sharon, nick Granville, neil Brown,

kavin king, Jeff kingsford-Brown, miriam alice Dixon,

paul toulson, roger Brasell, stuart Hubbard, karen Carter,

ian Hunt, Belinda mcfadgen, paul toulson, antony fox,

Darren Watson, rick Henderson, mike Lewis, kathy Jones,

fiona Boddy, Ben Wilcock, alice, phil, Liam ryan, annette

straugheir, Genevra scott, Jenn Jones, krzysztof zieniewicz,

pieter Bos, Catherine Leining, paul sanders, Chris Hipkins,

James tait-Jamieson, richard thai & scott Cooksley

massey university, professor neil quigley, Deputy Vice

Chancellor of Victoria university, professor elizabeth

Hudson, Director of the new zealand school of music, the

Griffiths family trust, the performing arts society, rt Hon.

Winston peters, the Wellington Jazz Club inc, paula & alan

keall, sir John todd, max Bradford, Graham Warren, Group

events (aust), ian Collier air new zealand, the nz Jazz

foundation, Chris parkin, upper Hutt music Centre, peter

Dixon, Hayden Hockly, anne french, Jennifer Bogoievski,

tommy’s real estate, mark malpass, Grant Willis,

Catherine fox, alex nyman, Jane & paul Dyne, pm scott,

David Greer, phil & sue monk, irek, elizabeth maxwell,

terry Collier, Brian ensor, Julie Boddy, Duncan Wylie, mike

and Holly, Grant Crowley, John Crawford, Bruce paulson,

paul matthews, David Balham, Les stephens, rob Winch,

Community radio 104.7fm Waikanae, Greg Crayford,

Chris Cresswell, susan Donaldson, richard isaacs, tony

Joyce, ross Culver, r Bradley, ms V Leighs, auckland Jazz

tHe CapitOL sessiOns aCknOWLeDGments:

David Hyams – Band manager

Grant Crowley – secretary Wellington Jazz Orchestra inc

Clem Griffiths - the Grand Hotel Wellington

paula salvatore - sr. Director / manager Capitol studios

Leon Grice – new zealand Consul-General, Los angeles

tina Hellier - executive assistant to the Consul-General/events manager

p J Ochlan – kJazz Los angeles

april Williams – talent Coordinator, Vitello’s Jazz Club – Los angeles

marsha ross – e-string Jazz Club Las Vegas

kuko -typhoon – Los angeles

Jared segawa – talent Buyer, saint rocke – Los angeles

evan avery – Head of music, Crossroad school of the arts Los angeles

trevor Davis – for lending nick tipping a double bass

Ben shepherd – for lending nick tipping a bass rig

Bruce forman – for lending nick Granville a guitar amp

musicworks nz & Lyn mcallistar - for support of Lancephilip with drum equipment

speCiaL tHanks

to book the band, please contact rodger fox on email rdfox@ihug.co.nzplease visit our website - www.rfwjo.com

recorded at Capitol studios, Los angeles, July 9-10 2012additional recording at tritone studios, Los angeles, July 11-13 2012mixed at tritone studio, Los angeles, august-september 2012

recording & mixing engineer: talley sherwoodassistant engineer: Jake Gorskysenior setup engineer: Bruce monical

recording & mixing assistance by Bill Cunliffeproduced by rodger fox & talley sherwood

photography by David Hyams, anita schwabenick Granville, kurt Gibson & nick tipping

Design by unklefranc