PMR-030 "Bill's Waltz" © 2008
Gene Perla
Bass, Keyboard, Composer, Arranger, Orchestrator, Conductor
Elvin Jones
Drums
Don Alias*
Congas
NDR BigBand
Fiete Felsch
Lead Alto Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Piccolo
Peter Bolte
Alto Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet
Christof Lauer
Tenor & Soprano Saxophones
Lutz Buechner
Tenor & Soprano Saxophones, Clarinet
Frank Delle
Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet
Thorsten Benkenstein
Lead Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Ingolf Burkhardt
Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Claus Stoetter
Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Reiner Winterschladen
Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Dan Gottshall
Lead Trombone
Klaus Heidenreich
Trombone
Steve Trop
Trombone
Ingo Lahme
Bass Trombone
Vladyslav Sendecki
Piano
Bill's Waltz
5:23
Daybreak 7:29
Bogota Morning Bird 5:25*
Mickie 7:08
Sweet Rita 5:12
Chi-Chi 6:16*
Eclipse 3:46
Swissterday 3:42
Korinna 6:00
I'm Popeye The Sailor Man 4:15
All Compositions, Arrangements,
and Orchestrations
by Gene Perla
Pub. Perla Music (ASCAP) except
"I'm Popeye The Sailor Man"
by Sammy Lerner
Pub. Famous Music (ASCAP)
Arranged & Orchestraed by Bill Warfield P.M. Records
PMR-030
Copyright 2008 P.M. Records
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Purchasing
Information
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$14.99 |
| BUY ALL MP3s |
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$12.49 |
| Bill's Waltz |
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$1.30 |
| Daybreak |
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$1.34 |
| Bogota Morning Bird |
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$1.30 |
| Mickie |
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$1.34 |
| Sweet Rita |
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$1.30 |
| Chi-Chi |
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$1.32 |
| Eclipse |
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$1.29 |
| Swissterday |
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$1.29 |
| Korinna |
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$1.30 |
| I'm Popeye The Sailor Man |
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$1.29 |
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CLICK HERE TO READ
THE MAKING OF "BILL'S WALTZ"
|
| AWARDS:
:
Thank you so much for the wonderful music you have ever
done. I love your CD "3/4"and the way you found
out how to let Elvin be still alive.
Stefano Mainetti |
| |
It's killer!
Michael Feinberg |
| |
Just want to let you know how much I enjoyed the CD. It
sounded like a really good band with Elvin IN THE ROOM- no
easy feat. Great writing with a sense of humor too- Elvin
would approve!
Mike Migliore
|
| |
The CD came out great. Elvin's playing is strong. Incredible
job writing the charts after the drums were done.
Bill
Rankin |
| |
I love the Bill's Waltz CD... what a task to sync all that
up, not to mention orchestrate all of that... very cool!
Jason Smith |
| |
What a great record you did! I can't even imagine the amount
of work you put into it. Really great arrangemnets, great
tunes. Everything everything. If the music business made any
sense it would be at the top of the charts. Could you imagine?
Ken Basman |
| |
Man you did a great job making that record.
John
Cutrone |
| |
Thanks for the music. I've been listening to your CD of
interesting music and orchestration. Beautiful.
Tomas Janzon
|
| |
I listened to the first 3 cuts of the CD... Great! Billy's
waltz is wonderful. Pure Elvin of course... no one played
"3" like he did. Great arrangement, nice textures with the
horns. Amazing you put that together the way you did. Must
have taken a lot of time and energy, well spent time and energy.
I look forward to spending more time with the recording.
Ron Vincent |
| |
The music on your CD is fabulous!
Monika
Herzig |
| |
Great CD! Congratulations on everything, esp your writing.
Mark Levine |
| |
Great stuff!
Bill Chelf |
| |
Finally took a close listen to this album. Holy shit. This
like the best big band record of all time. Great charts, awesome
big band, solos, audio engineering quality. You should be
very proud of yourself for putting this together. Not easy,
right? Your hard work has paid off, my friend.
Tom
"Bones" Malone |
| |
Great!!!! Man you did a great job making that record.
John Cutrone |
| |
The song "Bill's Waltz" - beautiful theme:
Light and airy as a fresh breeze floating in the morning sun,
ascending, cresting and landing gently again...
Trumpet picks up the improv in the same spirit, surging and
soaring above the saxes and the piano....
Sax: gives it an oriental twang, very enticing.... love those
highs! tweeedly deeeeyahhh deeee!
Piano: cool and relaxed over the saxy background! smooth and
even-keeled....
Ensemble; picks it up and plays some more with the theme,
coming around to climax. Very cool.
A great piece, I love it! It is definitely an earworm for
me!
The more I'm hearing the more it's endearing!
Mona
Van Vooren |
| |
| Hey gene--finally getting to you on this music. I LOVE IT!
Took me a minute to get with the concept, but you did an amazing
job of capturing the essence of the stuff. Your playing, and
the arrangements, and the togetherness of the band with the
tracks is terrific. Just wanted to let you know even though
it`s so long after the fact. It`s always a thrill to hear
these guys play, and this setting presents them in a new and
different way, but no less satisfying.
Your playing and the arrangements and the togetherness
of the band with the tracks is great on the CD. You really
got the essence of the stuff. It`s always a thrill to hear
those guys and you, and though this setting is new and different,
it`s so nice to hear. I didn't like when they did this with
Jimi Hendrix. I heard Jimi 3 times live, and just couldn`t
get with the concept. And I felt the same with Frank Sinatra,
with the current Twyla Tharp project, where they use his
vocal tracks, but have a live band playing at the performances
along with the tracks.
But there`s something about your project that gets me. I
think the essence of it all is there, like I said.
Chip Jackson
|
| |
It is truly awesome music.
Jess Farlow
|
| |
The 3/4 album is an absolutely great tribute to Bill Evans.
Your work is masterful. The time you spent on this project
was obviously worthwhile as the result of your labor is outstanding.
The musical selections, arrangements and musicians you put
together are perfect for the wonderful result you created.
It is a pleasure to listen to the album.
Gerald
Gordy |
| |
We listened to 3/4 on the way home. Beautiful top to bottom.
The writing, arranging, performances... The concept is precious
- and the music is beautiful. I never met Elvin - but can't
imagine he would have been anything other than elated. What
a fine tribute.
Tom Knific
|
| |
I am giving your wonderful CD air play on KUNV in Las Vegas,
NV. When I listen to this work of art, I forget that Elvin
wasn't playing live with the band. The CD also touches me
in some very deep emotional ways. As a drummer who is a major
fan of Elvin, this CD touches me in the heart and soul, at
times moving me to tears of joy that you took such a beautiful
opportunity to celebrate this great man's playing. Thank you
Gene Perla!
John Nasshan
Jazz Host
KUNV 91.5 FM
Las Vegas, NV |
| |
| 1) Sounds just wonderful!
2) It´s a beautiful project, Gene - turned out very
good, I assume - you went through some journey here! Congrats
and wish you success with it!
Imre Bajka
|
| |
Astounding!
Jan Hammer
|
| |
"Bill's Waltz" accompanied me on my drive today to and from
the little town of Bethlehem. Great writing. It really works.
If I didn't know that Elvin didn't play with the band I would
never guess it.
Bob DeVos
|
| |
| Your new CD is wonderful! It's in my car player all the
time. Lots of feeling on that recording. |
| Steve Johns |
| |
That's a really interesting story about those Elvin Jones
tracks. It's a great CD, my favorite aspect of it is the bass
and drums, I guess that might be rare for a big band recording.
Nick Demopoulos
|
| |
I like your "3/4" album, very nice writing and some intense
players, the pianist in particular.
Rick Laird
|
| |
I like it very much. Nice work.
Thomas
DeSteno |
| |
I love it.
Harry Smith
|
| |
I want to thank you so much for sending me your cd. I am
almost at a loss for words in describing it. "Fucking phenomenol"
comes to mind! The conception of the idea down to the execution
of it is really inspiring. The tunes, arrangments and playing
are all great. You sound magnificent and Elvin....well I mean
it sounds like vintage Elvin - and recorded superbly! I've
played some cuts for some of my students and they were all
equally astounded so hopefully it will result in some sales!
I almost think it wouldn't have even been as cohesive as it
is had it been done live. Fantastic - a real testiment to
your love for Elvin and of music.
Jeff
"Siege" Siegel |
| |
Great album and memorial to the most distinctive jazz drummer
of his time.
Chuck Murray
|
| |
Really nice writing - I've been listening to it a lot.
Tom Goehring |
| |
Love your new CD. Great stuff.
Derrick
Lucas |
| |
Awesome CD, Bills Waltz. Love it.
Karl
Sterling |
| |
1) Wow, that's awesome. Thank you for the great music and
spirit.
2) I can only add that everything those guys had to say is
true and Your great musicianship has once again created a
wonderful soup. All the ingredients are perfectly balanced
. Mmmmm good!
Bruce Gertz
|
| |
| Thank you so very much for the disc! I just ordered
two more copies to be shipped to my friend in Florida.
I've only listened to the album once so far--so even adjectives
like "fantastic" and "extraordinary" don't do it justice,
because this album deserves--and will get--many more listens
and a full review. I can't wait to turn more people on to
it!
Of course I've known your name for years, and have heard
you on albums, but I didn't know you could write like that,
wow-- |
| Sue Terry |
| |
| Great album and memorial to the most distinctive jazz drummer
of his time. |
| Chuck Murray |
| |
Thanks so much for sending a copy of"Bill's Waltz" which
I have enjoyed immensely. I truly love the way you write--the
way you use clarinets, the doubling up with bass bone, bass
clarinet, and bass, the way you write for the trombone section...
I could go on and on and perhaps I should, but hopefully you
get the picture. Listening to this CD makes me wish that you
and Elvin had done a large ensemble project years ago with
your originals and songs such as "Simone."
In any event, "Bill's Waltz" is quite a triumph and you have
every right to feel good about the recording. For me, a longtime
drummer and an Elvin fan since 1959, I can only marvel at
this poignant and powerful reminder of how well and, of course,
how distinctly Elvin played brushes, and how strong--not necessarily
loud but strong--and smooth his swing feel was.
Special kudos to the NDR Big Band. I think they enjoyed playing
your music.
Thanks again for sharing and congratulations on some wonderful
music. |
| Hal Miller |
| |
Yes, Gene, I like it.
Thank You, Gene. That´s nice ! I think you did a great
job on this. Sound is also much better than we are use to
at NDR. So, Congratulations again. |
| Vladyslav Sendecki (Pianist,
NDR BigBand) |
| |
| The CD is a work of art. |
| Charlie de la Motte |
| |
| It sounds very nice to me... I was surprised in a very positive
way. It still is a special idea to do that thing with ELVIN...
and all Jazzcats know what that means. |
| Frank Delle (Baritone Sax, NDR BigBand) |
| |
| You did a great job carrying a worthwhile concept all the
way to fruition. |
| David Lahm |
| |
| I like it very much... I think the result is wonderful....
and I totally trust you and think that maybe Elvin would have
liked it, too. Beautiful tunes... I also like the sound very
much... the soloists sound almost like they are playing in
my living room. I think he was the greatest jazz drummer ever...
and I´m proud that I had the opportunity to be part
of this project. |
| Lutz Buechner (Tenor Sax, NDR BigBand) |
| |
| I'm on a second listen and I have to say it sounds great.
PLUS, I wish Gene could mix all of my trombone solos from
now on, I don't often get the sound I want on recordings. |
| Dan Gottshall (Lead Trombone, NDR
BigBand) |
| |
| I love the sides you did with Elvin. |
| Jeremy Kahn |
| |
| Nice, easy-flowing set inexpilicably built around Elvin
Jones drum tracks—yet still bursting over with the late
master percussionist's deep inner flame and the richly varied
hues of the virturally accompanying Perla and NDR BigBand.
And the arrangement of "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" is sure
to bring a smile. |
Peter Aaron
AAJ (All About Jazz) |
| |
| This is truly a remarkable recording... and not just the
music, but the way in which it was put together over such
a long period of time. I can't believe these cats were not
all in the same room together recording this! Thank you again
for connecting me to this disc of greatness, and I will let
you know where I submit the review. |
| Joe Milliken |
| |
| LOVE the Elvin CD. Wow! |
| Michael Stephans |
| |
Sitting here in my parent's house on the shore of the North
Sea. I love to get out here where it's really quiet. Where
I can re-load and get silent! I hear much better after a few
days here. I'm more resonant. And what sounds I heard this
morning! Your recording is absolutely sublime! Elvin's playing
filled me with so much energy that suddenly I just can't wait
to get back to the drums in the city. Thank's for putting
him so much "in front" in the
mix. His brush-playing especially blows my mind. What's going
on?!?! He's in so good shape on this record. You must have
had a blast that day in the studio.
It's amazing that the band can keep such a good swing playing
"on top" of your takes. I'm sure that has a lot to do with
you! To me it sounds like you really tie things together
on potentially difficult places. I remember talking to Andy
McKee about how he had to "break the Elvin code" in order
to make things swing, with that great, great tension that
Elvin ALWAYS creates within a beat. You totally got it Gene.
It sounds so relaxed and obvious. Nice compositions too,
some of the struck me to be "timeless" if you know what
I mean. Hope you have more in a drawer somewhere:-)
You must have had some serious considerations about this
record since it has taken you almost 22 years to get from
that day in the studio to this point. I don't know what
those considerations might have been about, and I'm just
emerging on the music scene myself, but I can only say this:
Thank's bringing it to life!
Thank's for sharing it with the rest of us!
Thank's for keeping Elvin alive!
All the best wishes, and a thousand thank yous!! |
| Christian Windfeld Pedersen |
| |
| Bill's Waltz is tight, man. Particularly "Bogota Morning
Bird" - what excitement! Almost every tune = architecturally
sound in addition to sounding gorgeous and swingin' the doors
off. Combine that with the tributes to Jones and others; the
coincidences that led to the band's involvement; the time
you spent developing this project: you've got a pretty meaningful
statement. C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s. I'm glad to have
seen it in its later stages. |
| Sean Gough |
| |
| I have always loved the melody of "Popeye The Sailor Man"
and this band simply takes this tune and creates a new musical
treatise. The solos are (solo is) pure magic and the arrangement
is a well 'oyled' piece of work. Gene Perla (Bill Warfield)
deserves a 'Seegar" for his efforts. I would give this recording
5 stars in fact, I will! |
| John Gilbert |
| |
A million thanks for sending me "Bill's Waltz". I am completely
astonished & marveled, completely in love with the record!
2008 Congrats! Besides the musical value, it's a fascinating
project too in terms of production. And when I listen to the
CD everything sounds so natural, everything flows so "easily,"
the NDR band plays so superbly that it seems a "musical miracle"
once you read about the whole odyssey of the recording process.
And God bless Danny Gottlieb for having introduced you to
NDR! From the first to the last note, it's fascinating. FOR
SURE it will place among the Top 10 albums of the year in
my annual poll, the most important in Brazil since 1979. Your
#1 Brazilian fan, |
| Arnaldo DeSouteiro |
| |
| Thanks for sending me 3/4. Wow! It's fabulous; and what
a moving tribute to two giants. I'm truly impressed, beautiful.
I hope 3/4 (and you) will get the attention it deserves. Merci
again for something sweet and tender. |
| Oscar Schnider |
| |
| I just had a chance to listen to your CD this weekend and
was very impressed. It's really beautiful jazz. |
| Hal Ponder |
| |
Photo by Richard Laird
:
| Wow.... This is great. You really did it (and did it...).
I look forward to this. Full of love, and completely in character.
See you soon......jeff" |
| Jeff "Tain" Watts |
| |
| This is gorgeous! I've been listening to it over and over. |
| Lee Ann Carpenter |
| |
| Congrats on the album, thats awsome. Elvin was the man and
still is. |
| Austin Bohlman |
| |
| It sounds great, and Elivin 's playing is SO intoxicating!
The band sounds great, and the solos really work well. I think
it's fantastic, and the mix is great. |
| Danny Gottlieb |
| |
| Sounds great. I have no idea how you are doing it but the
sound and feel are amazing. That's a good band. |
| Bob Gullotti |
| |
| You got the gold with that. Yikes, Incredible. |
| Jerry Bergonzi |
| |
| Amazing. Fantastic!! |
| David Liebman |
| |
| Way to go! I dig the different sonorities in the backgrounds
behind each soloist. And, the arrangement has a nice, relaxed
curve upward throughout the piece. |
| Scott Neumann |
| |
| The song w/Elvin is killing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Congratulations!!! |
| Leo Genovese |
| |
| I just listened to Bills Waltz that is killin, absolutely
killin. |
| Jacob Melchoir |
| |
| Bill's Waltz is great (pianist is tearing it up). |
| Sean Gough |
| |
| Great Chart....very tight.....Yeah, I can hear Elvin playing
that!!! |
| Bob Belden |
| |
| Sounds great - sounds like the Elvin Jones Big Band. |
| Mark Levine |
| |
| That track is incredible! Very nice…Elvin…big
band. It sounded beautiful. It was great to hear Elvin in
that context. Great chart! |
| Bill Washer |
| |
| Nice chart. There are some very good cats in the NDR and
what a treat to hear Jones (alive & well). |
| Adam Nussbaum |
| |
| The production is focused for jazz listeners. |
| Beat Kennel |
| |
| Sounds good. |
| Joe Carter |
| |
| Great to hear Elvin play in a big band. Writing sounds good.
Everything worked. |
| Ed Neumeister |
| |
| Great Waltz! love the music. |
| Jim Lynch |
| |
| I love it! |
| Patricia Schneider |
| |
| That's absolutely fantastic. After drying my eyes listening
to Elvin play and how he was the best, and such a great loss
he's no longer here, I appreciated all the other outstanding
elements of the that recording. It's a beautiful song and
arrangement of it, and one solo is better than the next. Lovely
recording. You certainly kept the bar raised high with this
recent recording. It's beautiful. Perhaps the most amazing
thing is how natural and relaxed the overdubbing is to the
drum track. That says it all. |
| Terry Silverlight |
| |
| Sounds great, I particularly like the piano man. The overall
piece is great. |
| George Ellin |
| |
| It's great! |
| Joe Cohn |
| |
| Sounded very good… Nice lines and ensemble moments
and of course... Elvin!" |
| Terry Plumeri |
| |
| Thanks for sharing this lovely music. |
| Ted Gioia |
| |
| This sounds wonderful. |
| Tom Lord |
| |
| I REALLY dig the recording. Great arrangement and, of course,
the drums are a pleasure to hear. |
| Brendan McGeehan |
| |
| Gorgeous and deftly arranged tune, lyrical and majestic.
It works beautifully with Elvin's explosively rolling rhythms
which seem to boost the big band style with an uncliched buoyancy.
Haven't really heard Elvin with a big band since the Gil Evans
sides. |
| Kevin Lynch |
| |
| Sounds great to me. |
| Joe Bourne |
| |
| Bill's Waltz is really impressive with the live orchestra! |
| Harry Smith |
| |
| What a great project. |
| Tony Cohan |
| |
| Sounds great! Amazing job of linking the band w/ the existing
track of you and Jones. |
| Joe LaBarbera |
| |
| BEAUTIFUL Recording and playing by all! WONDERFUL in everyway!!
Looking forward to hearing the complete CD!! |
| Justin DiCioccio |
| |
| Nice chart! Sounds like Thad and Mel’s band, good players,
pianist happening. And of course Elvin. |
| Rick Laird |
| |
| What a lovely chart. The whole thing sounds fantastic. |
| Danny Cahn |
| |
| The music is great, and arrangement!!! Well done for keeping
energy for doing this big things by those days!! You're a
real musician and music lover: it's a lesson to me! |
| Michael Cheret |
| |
| WOW, that's great! |
| Laurence Donohue-Greene |
| |
| It sounds good. I was positively surprised, how Elvin's
open style mix with the Big Band. Your song fits very good
to Elvin's playing. |
| Christian "Nidi" Niederer |
| |
| Wow, that music is incredible! That is extremely exciting. |
| Casey |
| |
| Its great to hear the music and to hear Elvin with a Big
Band. A different take on Big Band drumming for sure. I'd
say there'd be a lot of interest in the CD. |
| Mike Nock |
| |
| Some rhythm section on your CD! Great! You are obviously
are a big band arranger par excellence! |
| Peter Ingram |
| |
| This is the deal! Wonderful work. Great Bigband writing
and super solos. Has that real NYC sound. |
| Paul Amrod |
| |
| good on ya Gene |
| Ron McClure |
| |
| Bill's song sounds great! |
| Sophia Kramer |
| |
| Bill's Waltz' is beautiful. This is a very special project
you have and it really works. Congrats on putting it together! |
| David Lyttle |
| |
| I listened to the mp3s on the web and were very much impressed.
They are very excellent and gorgeous jazz music. |
| Hiroshi Takahashi |
| |
| I love this recording. GREAT work, Gene! |
| Karl Sterling |
| |
| Special thanks for the CD. It is KILLIN'! What an amazing
tribute to EJ. |
| Michael Stephans |
RADIO PLAY:
21 May 09
Well deserved airplay for BILL'S WALTZ. We have been on the
record now for at least 7-8 months. |
Eric Cohen
WAER, Syracuse, NY |
| |
20 May 09
We are playing the CD on KUNV with some frequency. |
John Nasshan,
Jazz Host
KUNV 91.5 FM, Las Vegas, NV |
| |
19 May 09
I am giving your wonderful CD air play on KUNV in Las Vegas,
NV. When I listen to this work of art, I forget that Elvin
wasn't playing live with the band. The CD also touches me
in some very deep emotional ways. As a drummer who is a major
fan of Elvin, this CD touches me in the heart and soul, at
times moving me to tears of joy that you took such a beautiful
opportunity to celebrate this great man's playing. Thank you
Gene Perla! |
John Nasshan,
Jazz Host
KUNV 91.5 FM, Las Vegas, NV |
| |
12 Feb 09
"Bogota Morning Bird" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
5 Feb 09
"Daybreak" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
29 Jan 09
"Mickie" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
22 Jan 09
"Bogota Morning Bird" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
| "We love your new CD at Jazz 90.1 Gene. Keep it up." |
Tom Pethic
WGMC, Rochester, NY |
|
15 Jan 09
"Korinna" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
9 Jan 09
"Sweet Rita" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
12 Dec 08
"Sweet Rita"
"Eclipse" |
Gary Vercelli
Capital Public Radio
Sacramento, CA |
| |
11 Dec 08
"Mickie" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
9 Dec 08
It is a marvelous project with some great musicians, and as
I expected, our listeners have reacted very favorably to it
over the past few weeks and months. |
Eric Cohen
WAER, Syracuse, NY |
| |
4 Dec 08
"Swissterday" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
27 Nov 08
"Chi-Chi" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
30 Oct 08
"Bogota Morning Bird" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
23 Oct 08
"Mickie" |
Nick Marrero
KALA, Moline, IL |
| |
| 18 Oct 08
"Eclipse"
"Swissterday" |
Serge Warin
Radio Canal Bleu, Objat, France |
| |
Photo by Richard Laird
REVIEWS:
What began as an intimate session involving Elvin Jones
and multi-instrumentalist Gene Perla back in 1986 culminated
in the November, 2008 release of a unique (if somewhat controversial)
album uniting archived tracks with ProTools-enabled contemporary
sessions involving members of North German Broadcasting’s
NDR BigBand. The same outrage inspired by dead celebrities
appearing in new commercials (John Wayne hawking Coors Beer,
Fred Astaire dancing with a vacuum cleaner, etc.) has surfaced
in the wake (bad choice of words?) of Bill’s Waltz. To
be deterred by all the brouhaha would be a pity, as there
are some authentic moments of spontaneous combustion to be
found on these sides, click track be damned!
"I’m Popeye the Sailor Man" may be an unlikely vehicle
for a jazz session but, propelled by this legendary drummer's
boundless energy, it runs downwind with a bone in its teeth.
The track opens with Elvin’s popping snare tattooing
a New Awlins- style march interpretation of the traditional
sailor’s hornpipe, a theme which resurfaces throughout
the arrangement, salted with tritones and arrgh-mented ninths.
Leading with a respectable imitation of Popeye’s staccato
laugh, trombonist Dan Gottshall delivers a satisfying, Olive
Oyl-smooth solo, piloting through bluesy, spinach-free channels
which never sound canned or Wimpy. Across the vast, improbable
gulf of time and space the entire ensemble is held together
and ignited by Jones’s unmistakable back beat, while
the signature hornpipe theme takes its final bow with a
drum solo tag.
Well, blow me down. Popeye aficionados are aware of the
scruffy cartoon sailor’s scatting ability, but who
knew he could swing? |
Bill Barnes
Jazz.com
26 Apr 09
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"Bill's Waltz"
Gene Perla
(PM)
Bassist and Easton, PA resident Gene Perla -- who played and
recorded with drum master Elvin Jones (1927-2004) from 1971
to 1975 -- recorded basic rhythm tracks with Jones in 1986.
Twenty-one years later, he orchestrated charts for those tracks,
onto which he overdubbed the NDR Big Band, based in Hamburg,
Germany. The result finds the boisterous, driving, deeply
musical Jones booting, albeit electronically, a large ensemble,
and is worth owning simply for that. Then there are Perla's
remarkable orchestrations that fit perfectly with Jones' vibrant
playing, making it seem like a live date. The tunes, all by
Perla save one, also sparkle, mixing a singing melodic feeling
with popping swing and are ebulliently performed by band members,
Perla and the crackling Jones. Work well done. |
Zan Stewart
Star Ledger
03 Apr 09
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Bill's Waltz
Elvin Jones/Don Alias/NDR BigBand
PM Records
This incredible CD features, Elvin Jones playing with the
NDR BigBand from Hamburg, Germany. But the way it came about
is quite extraordinary. It began in 1986 when bassist/pianist
Gene Perla took Elvin into a New York studio for two days
to record him playing some tunes Perla had written. Perla
played on a Fender-Rhodes piano along with Elvin on drums.
The original plan was for Perla to then "use MIDI and play
everything myself, paying attention to Elvin's unique attacks,"
with the idea of creating large ensemble arrangements based
on Elvin's drumming. For some reason this never happened and
the recordings stayed in Perla's possession.
As
he recounts, "Twenty years later, during a July ‘06 Flims,
Switzerland gig alongside drummer Danny Gottlieb, I played
him some of the rough tracks that I had finally started working
on earlier in the year. Danny excitedly told me that the NDR
Big Band from Hamburg, Germany would probably be open to playing
along with the Elvin tracks. A deal was struck." Perla then
spent a month in Paris arranging and orchestrating the tunes,
giving one tune to Bill Warfield to arrange.
The result is an astonishing recording featuring this outstanding
band with Jones in the driver's seat. One would never know
there was a 2O-year gap between when the drums were recorded
and the arrangements were written and recorded.
The
ten tunes are, without exception, wonderful. The writing is
great and the performance is beautiful. And Elvin sounds like
he's been playing in big bands all his life. Among the gems
on this CD is "Bill's Waltz," the opening track that is built
around Elvin's one-of-a-kind way of playing in three. "Bogota
Morning Bird" is based on Elvin's Afro-Cuban feel and also
includes conga work from Don Alias that he overdubbed on this
and one other Latin tune. The time is amazing on this one!
Elvin plays brushes on several ballads and medium tempo tunes.
Perla's writing is beautifully intertwined with Elvin"s brushwork,
again creating the effect that everything was done together.
Of special note is the
doubletime section of "Korinna," in which Elvin's polyrhythmic,
swinging brush playing can be heard propelling Claus Stoetter's
trumpet solo. "Swissterday" is a more up-tempo chart, and
Elvin's ride cymbal swings the band right along. The killer
drum solo section must be heard to be believed. The CD ends
with a shuffle arrangement by Warfield of "I'm Popeye the
Sailor Man." I had never heard Elvin play shuffle, and ccrtain1y
not in a big band setting. But, of course, he sounds amazing.
Perla has given a beautiful
gift to all who love Elvin Jones' drumming and appreciate
great big band writing. It is a real treat to hear Elvin in
this context. and I'm sure he would be very proud of the result. |
Thom Morgan
Percussive Arts Society
"Percussive Notes"
April 2009
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| Elvin Jones is a master of time, but time takes on new meaning
in this intriguing project. Gene Perla, a bassist, recorded
some duo tracks with Jones in 1986 - no charts, no other instruments,
just the master drummer's unique, meter-bending, river-flowing
extemporization. Fast-forward to 2006, when Danny Gottlieb
persuaded Perla to retrieve these tracks, essentially erase
the piano parts, and use the drums alone as seeds for what
is now a multi-instrument extravaganza, featuring Jones, Perla
once again, and the NDR Big Band, a celebrated ensemble from
Hamburg, Germany. The methodology seems excruciatingly technical,
boiling down, in Perla's words, to "a Firewire hard drive
loaded with Protools files." And yet, the results are triumphant,
probably on the level of a wooly mammoth brought to life by
a shot of DNA. Among the highlights are the interactions between
the soloists and Jones: Had this been recorded with the drummer
present, we would marvel over their intuitive synchronicities.
Instead, we credit the preparations undertaken by Perla and
these artists, whose graft of coherent, structurally solid
charts over Jones' freewheeling grooves are even more breathtaking
than the music itself. |
Robert L. Doerschuk
Traps Magazine
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| Drummer Elvin Jones should get equal billing with Perla.
The two laid down basic Fender piano-and-drums tracks in 1986.
Following Jones' death in 2004, Perla wrote orchetrations
for the pieces. With Jones digitally present, he recorded
them in 2007 with the NDR BigBand in Germany. Jones drives
the band, and it reacts as if he were in the studio with them.
The NDR has a great day. The NDR seem to always have a great
day. |
Rifftides
Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters... |
|
| Click
on this link. |
Mike Joyce
JazzTimes
|
Legendary bassist Gene Perla, who has had the pleasure of
recording and/or performing with many jazz icons including
Sonny Rollins, Jack DeJohnette, Chick Corea, Sarah Vaughan
and Elvin Jones among others, releases his first CD as a leader
which features nine original compositions written, arranged
and orchestrated by Perla with the help of the aforementioned
late Jones, Don Alias and the NDR BigBand.
The original concept of the compositions revolved around
the idea of orchestrating the late Jones' amazing drum sound.
Way back in the fall of 1986, Perla (on Fender–Rhodes)
and Jones spent two days in a New York City studio recording.
What emerged from those tapes was Jones' amazing isolated
drum technique for Perla to build and orchestrate his compositions
around. In the original concept Perla had planned to use
MIDI and play everything himself while concentrating on
Elvin's one–of–a–kind drum attacks.
Then some 20 years later (2006) at a gig in Switzerland,
Perla played some rough tracks of his long–standing
project for drummer Danny Gottlieb, who suggested that Germany's
NDR BigBand would be a perfect fit for these unique Elvin
tracks. After going to Paris (May, 07') to arrange and orchestrate
the music and then to Hamburg (July 07') to conduct the
band, Perla then returned to the states for the final editing
and mixing of the tracks.
The end result is 10 tracks featuring as close a facsimile
as one could get to what it would have sounded like to hear
Jones in a big band setting, something Perla says his friend
always had a desire to do. Perla also states that as he
now looks back, he is amazed at the fact that in seven out
of the nine tracks, Jones did not even know the songs. He
merely listened through the music once or twice (played
by Perla) and nailed it!
Then after years with the project sitting on the shelf,
Perla picked up where he had left off. Back in ’86,
another close friend, drummer/percussionist Don Alias, then
added some percussion to the two Latin–flavored tracks,
and 20 years later the NDR BigBand donned headphones and
fit their horns around Elvin's original drum grooves.
Quite frankly, and with the way these cats flow, it is
almost hard to believe that the drum tracks were laid down
over 20 years prior to the rest of the music. It is evident
that this CD was a labor of love for Perla, a collection
of originals (except for one track, “I'm Popeye The
Sailor Man”) some 20–plus years in the making.
A very unique project that started out as two band mates
jamming in the studio, but in the end would become a tribute
to a dear friend. Bill's Waltz is a highly recommended collection
and a piece of very unique jazz history. |
Joe Milliken
Message Arts & Entertainment
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Bill's Waltz, bassist Gene Perla's well-executed tribute
to his former boss, drummer Elvin Jones, is one of those albums
that could only exist in this modern world of digital recording
techniques and studio trickery--and therein lies the rub.
Many jazz listeners are conservative in their conception of
what recorded jazz is and how it should be made. To these
listeners, jazz should be recorded live in the studio directly
to two-track tape (just like Rudy Van Gelder did it). After
all, such listeners assert, how can jazz's integrity as an
improvisational form be maintained if musicians aren't playing
in each other's presence, allowing them to play off of one
another? These objections were raised--quite strenuously in
some cases--with the release of Ray Charles Sings, Count Basie
Swings (Concord, 2006). Many listeners were outraged, to put
it mildly. Archival Ray Charles vocals overdubbed by the current
Basie ghost band?
Imagine, then, how some listeners will feel when confronted
with Bill's Waltz, an album that reunites bassist Gene Perla
with the late, great Elvin Jones (as well as deceased Latin
percussionist, Don Alias, for two tracks)? Even worse, how
will those listeners react when the album turns out to be
pretty remarkable?
As related in his liner-notes, Perla recorded the basic
tracks with Jones in the fall of 1986 (with Perla on Fender
Rhodes). His intention had been to orchestrate the entire
album himself using MIDI and playing all the parts. Alias
was later brought in to add congas to two Latin tunes. Flashing
forward twenty years or so, Perla played some prelimiary
tracks of the Jones tracks for fellow drummer Danny Gottlieb,
who suggested that Perla have the NDR Big Band (of Hamburg,
Germany) play along with Jones's original tracks. Perla
recorded some bass parts in 2007 and went to work with the
band for five days, resulting in a Firewire hard drive loaded
with Protools files which Perla and engineer Nick de la
Motte set to work editing and mixing.
All well and good, some might say, but how does it sound?
In a word: remarkable. The original 1986 recordings of Jones
have been seamlessly integrated into the big band setting
recorded more than two decades later. And Jones is in top
form, producing his patented polyrhythms all over the place.
The NDR band is fantastic, creating a provocative multilayered
sound that manages not to overwhelm the work of the rhythm
section. Perla himself steers the entire proceeding from
the rear, everpresent but never overbearing (some consider
this a defining mark of a truly great bassist). Soloists
are not singled out in the notes, but everyone acquits himself
admirably (one example is a particularly fine flute solo
on “Eclipse”). Perla notes in the liners that
Jones had more than once expressed his desire to work with
a big band, and it is indeed wonderful to hear him in this
setting.
But what of the improvisational spirit of jazz? How can
an ensemble, however talented, interact with a prerecorded
drum track? Here's a possible answer. One of the essential
tenents of improv is saying “yes, and...” to a
fellow performer's offer. In other words, the improvisor
agrees with the offer and adds his or her own unique contribution.
On the 1986 tracks, Jones is making plenty of offers and
the 2007 ensemble is saying “yes, and...” to each
of those offers. This is the very essence of improv. And
it makes really tremendous music. |
Alexander M. Stern
AAJ (All About Jazz)
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Bassist Gene Perla has struck gold with this album, Bill's
Waltz, in that he has harnessed (if that's the right word)
the soaring talent of Elvin Jones, aided and abetted by conga
player supreme Don Alias, and somehow married
these talents to the German NDR BigBand from Hamburg. The
recordings are a marvel of patience, lots of years in between,
more patience, and technical challenges and triumphs.
The project started in November 1986 and was concluded
in August 2008. That is some gestation period!
There are 10 tracks on the album, Bill's Waltz (named after
Bill Evans) and nine of these are original Gene Perla compositions.
The exception being Sam Lerner's I'm Popeye The Sailor Man
in which trombonist Dan
Gottshall struts his stuff with laid back confidence. The
ensemble work of the big band, the soloists, and pre-recorded
tracks is showcased in Perla's tune Bogota Morning Bird,
allowing a fat sound to get behind Fiete Felsch and Peter
Bolte on alto saxes and Gene Perla on bass.
I don't know why, but the overall sound, to my ears, is
not that of a traditional US or UK big band. There is an
intangible sound quality that makes you pay attention. Maybe
it is the phrasing of the brass or the reed section that
creates a 'foreign' sound and I don't mean that in a negative
sense.
This album is a tour de force for Gene Perla. Having played
with Elvin Jones at the Five Spot in NYC in the mid-1960s,
Perla knows his man and the music, and as he says in his
liner notes, "I can't begin to tell you how
many times I have shed tears listening to Elvin and thinking
how he probably would be happy to hear himself in this project."
Couldn't have put it better myself, Gene! |
Brian Hough
The Jassman
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| Extremely creative writing and arranging; loved the reed
section's flexibility, technique, and tonal color mix. The
grace and drive of Elvin Jones always amazes me, and this
CD is a real testament to that ability. As the founder for
the Bill Evans Archives at his alma mater, (Southeastern Louisiana
University) Bill's Waltz was especially rewarding. I will
present an Evans lecture Oct 14th, and will include your arrangement
at that time. |
Ron Nethercutt
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| I love absolutely the work of Gene Perla as composer and
arranger. When I listen "Bill's Waltz" I get an impression
of a jazz symphony. Superb, really. My playlist as soon as
possible. |
Serge Warin
Radio Canal Bleu |
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