John Edwin Mason: Documentary, Motorsports, Photo History

Soulful Sunday: Duke Ellington, "Come Sunday," Barbara Bruckmueller Big Band

One of the happiest things that happened to me in 2011 was being introduced to the music of Barbara Bruckmüller.  Barbara is a young Austrian composer, arranger, and conductor who's been leading a big band in Vienna for the last several years.  She's been following two related paths -- reimaging the music of jazz greats and her developing own funkified, rocked-out sounds.  I wish I'd stumbled across her sooner.

This reworking of Duke Ellington's great hymn is terrific.  I love it.  I bet that you will, too.

 

 

Come Sunday:  Written by Duke Ellington / arranged by Barbara Bruckmüller

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 The Barbara Bruckmüller Big Band:

Soloists on "Come Sunday":  Cédric Gschwind, tenor saxophone; Karl Sayer, bass.

Barbara Bruckmüller:  composer, arranger
Andi See, Viola Falb, Cédric Gschwind, Martin Harms, Florian Fennes:  saxophones
Andi Pranzl, Bastian Stein, Simon Plötzeneder:  trumpets
Hermann Ebner, Michael Handler:  French horns
Robert Bachner, Mario Vavti, Martin Grünzweig:  trombones
Hepi Kohlich:  piano
Peter Panayi:  guitar
Karl Sayer:  bass
Wolfgang Kendl:  drums

Recorded at Porgy and Bess, Vienna, Austria, 3 January 2012.

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PS  You can check out more of Barbara's music on her website, here.

Funky Friday: "Tigger's Bounce," Barbara Bruckmueller Big Band

Funky Friday from Vienna, Austria?  You bet.

For the last few years, the young Austrian composer, arranger, and conductor Barbara Bruckmueller and her band have been cooking up a tasty musical gumbo in the wilds of central Europe.  All sorts of good things go into their pot -- ballads, New Orleans styles, odd meters, the Great American Songbook, Brazilian music, funk, rock, punk, and a little chanson.  That list might look like a mish-mash, but, like good Louisiana chefs, Brockmueller and company bring it all together.

The video below is a terrific example.  It's from a gig just a week or so ago at Porgy and Bess, a club in Vienna.  It starts slow, and it ends big.

 

 

 

The Barbara Bruckmueller Big Band:

Andi See, Viola Falb, Cédric Gschiwnd, Martin Harms, Florian Fennes:  saxophones

Andi Pranzl, Bastian Stein, Simon Plötzeneder:  trumpets

Robert Bachner, Mario Vavti, Martin Grünzweig:  trombones

Hermann Ebner, Michael Handler:  French horns

Hepi Kohlich:  piano

Peter Panayi:  guitar

Karl Saye (subbing for Gina Schwarz)r:  bass

Wolfgang Kendl:  drums

Barbara Bruckmüller:  composer, arranger, leader

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Yes, it's Friday the 13th.  If anything's going to bring you luck on this trickster rabbit of a day, it's good music.  Spend the day listening, that's my advice.