Missing the Big Band Bravado

Homage to Thad Jones
HR Big Band conducted by Jim McNeely
Suedbahnhof Musik Lokal, Frankfurt/Main, 27.01.2012
Tickets: 17 Euros

I had high hopes of the HR Big Band homage to Thad Jones, not least because it was led by Jim McNeely a seasoned veteran of The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra and a stunning jazz pianist in his own right. However, in the end the concert was rather a mixed bag.

Given that the halcyon days of big band music are long gone, it was fantastic to see such music performed live and to a sell-out crowd of some 300 fans. Indeed, the big bands funded by the German state broadcasters (in this case Hessische Rundfunk, hence HR) are amongst the few practitioners of this music remaining in Europe.

The 17-piece ensemble put in a professional performance of an impressive set-list that spanned Thad's entire career. Jim introduced each piece, giving just the right dose of anecdote in his smooth American accent.

The band took a while to get going and poor amplification did not help proceedings. Much of the original power and drive of the music was lost, especially since the drums were virtually relying on natural acoustics alone. Germany may be green, but who wants a sleepy windmill, when atomic energy is needed?

Nevertheless, 'A Child Is Born' with Jim McNeely himself taking the piano chair was an undoubted highlight of the concert. The audience stopped chewing their Wurst (sausage) for once, as the sheer beauty of this moving waltz demanded full sensory attention.

The set-up in the venue did not facilitate a full-out big band bash. The whole audience was seated at long tables and there was barely room for standing let alone dancing. In a mirror image to the aging audience, there was little kinetic energy on stage. At times, it looked as though these professional jazzers were just going through the motions, waiting for the next paycheck.

However, the finale went some way to bringing the house down. 'Suite For Pops' was a worthy blast of bebop magic and would have done Louis Armstrong proud. If only Jim could have whipped the band into such a frenzy earlier on, then this could have been a true revival of Thad's music. Like so many tributes, this could only hint at the genius of the original.