The Bob Mintzer Big Band has been a part-time affair for the past 18 years, but somehow the orchestra always manages to sound like a regularly working band.
The premise behind Gently was to have the Mintzer Big Band playing at a lower volume, with lyrical arrangements by the leader, along with a greater use of muted brass and flutes.
However the orchestra still romps in places and the tempos vary.
The big band (which boasts impressive musicianship) features solos from Mintzer on tenor, trumpeters Scott Wendholt, and Michael Mossman, trombonist Michael Davis, pianist Phil Markowitz, altoist Pete Yellin and others, with drummer Peter Erskine driving the ensembles.
The solo improvisations grow logically out of the arrangements, showing that Mintzer is expert at writing for specific soloists.
Among the high points are the title cut (a harmonically advanced medium-tempo blues), "Body and Soul," Thad Jones' "Don't Ever Leave Me," and "Who's Walking Who" (one of Mintzer's six originals).
The closing "Saxophone Quartet #2" is a complete change of pace, part of a suite that Mintzer wrote for four saxophones backed by Erskine.
There are times when the Bob Mintzer Big Band sounds a bit like the orchestras of Gil Evans, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis, or Don Sebesky, but in general it displays its own personality thanks to the writing and solos of Bob Mintzer.
Fans of modern big bands who enjoy hearing thoughtful music will want this set.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GentlyBob Mintzer | Bob Mintzer Big Band | Play | 06:39 | 15 MB | 41 MB |
| 2 | TimelessBob Mintzer | Bob Mintzer Big Band | Play | 07:20 | 16 MB | 42 MB |
| 3 | Original PeopleBob Mintzer | Bob Mintzer Big Band | Play | 05:26 | 12 MB | 29 MB |
| 4 | Body and SoulFrank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour | Bob Mintzer Big Band | Play | 11:48 | 27 MB | 65 MB |
| 5 | Who's Walkin' WhoBob Mintzer | Bob Mintzer Big Band | Play | 08:10 | 18 MB | 53 MB |
| 6 | Don't Ever Leave MeThad Jones | Bob Mintzer Big Band | Play | 06:37 | 15 MB | 36 MB |
| 7 | Bright LightsBob Mintzer, Dave Samuels | Bob Mintzer Big Band | Play | 07:01 | 16 MB | 45 MB |
| 8 | Saxophone Quartet #2Bob Mintzer | Bob Mintzer Big Band | Play | 04:22 | 10 MB | 16 MB |
| 57 mins | 131 MB | |||||
| 57 mins | 330 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jay Anderson | Bass, Soloist |
| 2 | John Clark | French Horn |
| 3 | Mark Conese | Assistant, Assistant Engineer |
| 4 | Michael Davis | Soloist, Trombone, Trombone (Tenor) |
| 5 | Peter Erskine | Drums |
| 6 | Frank Eyton | Composer |
| 7 | Larry Farrell | Soloist, Trombone, Trombone (Tenor) |
| 8 | Lawrence Feldman | Flute, Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Soloist |
| 9 | Johnny Green | Composer |
| 10 | Frank Greene | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 11 | Fred Griffin | French Horn |
| 12 | Julie Hess | Art Direction, Design |
| 13 | Edward Heyman | Composer |
| 14 | Thad Jones | Composer |
| 15 | Tom Jung | Engineer, Producer |
| 16 | Bob Malach | Flute, Sax (Tenor), Soloist |
| 17 | Phil Markowitz | Piano, Soloist |
| 18 | Bob Millikan | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 19 | Bob Mintzer | Composer, Flute, Liner Notes, Producer, Sax (Tenor), Soloist |
| 20 | Bob Mintzer Big Band | Primary Artist |
| 21 | Michael Philip Mossman | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 22 | Keith O'Quinn | Soloist, Trombone, Trombone (Tenor) |
| 23 | Charles Pillow | Flute, Sax (Alto), Soloist |
| 24 | Roger Rosenberg | Clarinet, Sax (Baritone), Soloist |
| 25 | Dave Samuels | Composer |
| 26 | Jim Seeley | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 27 | Robert Sour | Composer |
| 28 | David Earl Taylor | Trombone (Bass) |
| 29 | Scott Wendholt | Flugelhorn, Soloist, Trumpet |
| 30 | Bob Wintzer | Producer |
| 31 | Pete Yellin | Sax (Alto), Soloist |
Bob Mintzer Big Band
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |