Really a great performance by Sonny on Saturday. Pleasantly surprised with the acoustics although the guitar sounded a bit lost. How was Charles Tolliver? This was also on my list but I couldn't make it? Was that big band stuff? Did he play the tunes on the album that has just been released? The Charles Tolliver Select is a must have in my opinion.
Yes, the Charles Tolliver was by his US Big Band playing mainly material from the new album. They were an absolute powerhouse - some of the tracks can be heard on latest 'Jazz On 3' at the BBC site. I thought the acoustics in person was better than the BBC managed to get on this recording - was sat right in front of Billy Harper and Howard Johnson on the right hand side so got the full-on sound of this marvellous sax front line. Billy Harper was on fantastic form - his first solo was particularly good (on 'On The Nile'). Toliver too played a reasonable amount of his distinctive solo trumpet - was playing with better lip, in fact, than on the Blue Note/Mosaic disk. He's also a very 'involved' and enthusiastic conductor of the band, with a fantastic sense of timing. Reminded me a lot in that respect of Gerald Wilson.
Fellow O-board member David Weiss by the way was in the trumpet section and nicely featured in at least one solo spot.
One of the nicest things about the concert was hearing bass player Reggie Johnson (sounded great in tandem with Kirk Lightsey). I was pondering who this great bassist was for a while as he sounded so familiar but then I recognised the sound from Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note sessions such as 'Medina' and realised to my delight who it was.