Max Frank Music
Fine music for discerning connoisseurs
Fleet Street
The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
A modern big band interpretation of the hit musical, “Sweeney Todd,” arranged by Terry Vosbein
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In 1979 Broadway history was made. Sweeney Todd, that diabolical demon barber of London’s Fleet Street, emerged onto the stage in Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece of musical theatre. The moods and melodies are exquisite. The drama is timeless. There is great beauty and great darkness.
Composer Terry Vosbein witnessed the magic that summer and was moved to tears. Now, over thirty years later, he has blended Sondheim’s dramatic compositions with his own quirky big band style and come up with a modern jazz masterpiece.
LISTEN TO THE ALBUM
PERSONNEL
SAXOPHONES
Doug Rinaldo – alto
David King – alto
Alan Wyatt – tenor
Will Boyd – tenor
Tom Johnson – baritone
TRUMPETS
Stewart Cox
Michael Spirko
Tom Fox
Rich Willey
Michael Wyatt
TROMBONES
Tom Lundberg
Don Hough
Jamie Warren
Chris MacTavish
Brad McDougall – bass
RHYTHM
Ben Dockery – piano
Rusty Holloway – bass
Keith Brown – drums
Mark Boling – guitar
David Knight – bongos
REVIEWS
"Fleet Street" is another stunner, the work of Mr. Vosbein, a composer and arranger who teaches composition at Washington and Lee University and is far from a household name. This full-length instrumental treatment of "Sweeney Todd," Mr. Sondheim's 1979 masterpiece, is not only a tribute to Mr. Sondheim, but also to bandleader Stan Kenton; the overall groove and tonal colors of "Fleet Street" owe much to Kenton's classic 1962 jazz version of "West Side Story" (with lyrics also by Mr. Sondheim).
Like Kenton's arranger Johnny Richards, Mr. Vosbein relies heavily on deeply voiced trombones to paint a dark, somber portrait—highly suited to a heavy melodrama about serial killing and cannibalism. But while "West Side Story" is a dance-oriented show with lots of songs in tempo, Mr. Vosbein has to look hard for lighter moments in the "Sweeney Todd" score, and he makes the most of them. "Green Finch aand Linnet Bird" is almost a throwaway on stage, but it now becomes a major part of "Fleet Street," as do the two versions of "Johanna" (reflecting the way it's sung in Act 1, as a ballad, and Act 2, much more upbeat).
“An album of enormous professional maturity and sensitivity..” (Marc Myers, JazzWax.com) read more…
Remember when jazz orchestras skillfully adapted the music of Broadway musicals? Notable examples from the '50s and '60s include Les Brown's Dance to South Pacific (1958) and Stan Kenton's West Side Story (1961). Rather than send up cute pop caricatures, the best arrangers crafted interpretations that often were bigger, bolder and more dynamic than the originals. Add Terry Vosbein's new Fleet Street (MFM) to the list.
Terry who? Terry is a composer, arranger and educator at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA. On Fleet Street, Terry conducts the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra through his arrangements of Stephen Sondheim's music from Sweeney Todd. The result is superb reworking and a throwback to an age of introspective interpretation.
Even if you aren't completely familiar with Sweeney Todd, this album radiates with writing intelligence. At times the arrangements feel like brooding Johnny Richards charts for Kenton. At other times there are swinging shades of Bill Holman. And at every turn, the music captivates you with its dramatic, jazzy feel and fine understanding of how to improve on a brilliant original.
The immediate beauty of Fleet Street is that it never bogs down in somber neo-classical configurations. From the start, Fleet Street swings, zig-zags and constantly catches your ear before shifting into new territory. And it's big. There are 20 musicians here—five saxes, five trombones, five trumpets and a five-piece rhythm section.
As Vosbein told an interviewer:
“From the moment that I first saw Sweeney Todd in 1979, when it was brand new, I thought it was the most amazing thing that I had ever seen on every level—the performance, the writing, the dialogue. I've always loved it.
“When I was working on my previous CD for the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra (Progressive Jazz 2009), I had finished the music and had some time. So I wrote an arrangement of Johanna, one of the pieces from Sweeney Todd, and we added that piece to the album. Maybe I always knew I was going to come back to it, but I thought once the first piece was completed that I should continue and do the whole show."
Born in New Orleans, Vosbein has composed works for orchestra, wind ensemble, various chamber ensembles and choir, and he has written works for jazz bands of all sizes. Fleet Street is an album of enormous professional maturity and sensitivity.
Sample Pretty Women, Wait, The Ballad of Sweeney Todd (Reprise) and Not While I'm Around. An album like this would be impossible if Vosbein didn't have enormous reverence for Stan Kenton and his arrangers. To pull off such a project, you need a sense of grandeur, restraint, a love for beautiful melody lines, respect for those lines and an ear that has done an enormous amount of careful listening.
Most of all, you need to know your big-band audience. And Vosbein does.
“One of the most exciting new big band albums of recent years.” (Pat Goodhope, International Association of Jazz Record Collectors Journal) read more…
For some background, New Orleans born Terry Vosbein has been a music composition teacher at Washington and Lee University who also happens to be a world class classical composer with numerous commissions to his credit from various organizations such as the Cleveland Symphony. Having played music of all kinds as a bassist, he has also composed and arranged for jazz bands of all configurations.
Vosbein's work here in writing arrangements from the score of Steven Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street for the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra is sensational. Fresh, modern and original, there seem to be no overwhelming writing influences exhibited in his orchestrations short of a Kenton-like affection for trombones. Certainly no complaints with that! This set swings fiercely at times and purrs quietly at times, surging and swelling to blazing shout choruses with all the roar of any full throated big band. This outfit is simply on fire. Considering the history of album length jazz interpretations of the major Broadway shows, much of Sondheim's post "Gypsy" work seems to have been forgotten by the jazz world. Vosbein and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra resolve that here in a dramatic way. (As a side note, there is another marvelous new Sondheim tribute album out by pianist Billy Mays and bassist Tommy Cecil called Side By Side Sondheim Duos. Get your- self this one too.)
The writing on this set is busy, no question, but always interesting and yet there is still plenty of room for the soloists to breath. This Knoxville Jazz Orchestra plays it all with such a visceral joy that there is no doubt the musicians love to play these charts. And wouldn't this program be something to see presented live? My guess is that it would have to be that much more scintillating in person than on record. It grabs you in the overwhelming way a great big band can, carrying you away with that roar of sound and emotion.
Terry Vosbein and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra may be little known outside of Tennessee but this album demands to be heard. Track this CD down, fire up your speakers and wail. The remaining question is whether Stephen Sondheim has heard this album and what he thinks of it.
“The voice that emerges is unmistakably Vosbein's, placing a fresh and indelible big-band stamp on Sondheim's cogent narrative.” (Jack Bowers, All About Jazz) read more…
Although it is presumptuous to draw any firm conclusions, this is one possible direction in which big-band trend-setter Stan Kenton might have gone had he remained alive to carry the torch into the twenty-first century. Clearly, there are echoes of the Kenton style and sound in Vosbein's strong and voluptuous charts, which accentuate the ensemble while making room for perceptive solo statements by its various members. Throughout, Vosbein remains true to Sondheim's vision, never downplaying the composer's precocity or melodicism in favor of his own scenario. Having said that, the voice that emerges is unmistakably Vosbein's, placing a fresh and indelible big-band stamp on Sondheim's cogent narrative.
Even though a handful of his songs ("Maria," "Send in the Clowns," "I Feel Pretty," "Everything's Coming Up Roses," "Tonight") have enjoyed a measure of popular success, Sondheim writes for the theatre, not for a wider audience, and so most of the songs here may be unfamiliar. Nevertheless, they are consistently charming, and at least one—"Not While I'm Around"—encompasses a melody that beguiles the mind long after it has been heard. The others are simply Sondheim, and for most champions of superior music no more need be said, save that Vosbein not only amplifies their most desirable qualities but also makes sure they swing.
As for the KJO, it's about as proficient a regional ensemble as could be hoped for, diving earnestly into Vosbein's multi-layered charts and bestowing on each one a special warmth and vitality. Brass and reeds are snug and resourceful, the rhythm section (anchored by drummer Keith Brown) alert and flexible. Soloists too are a cut above the norm. Trombonist Tom Lundberg is showcased on the opener, "The Barber and His Wife," trumpeters Rich Willey and Stewart Cox on "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" and "By the Sea," respectively. Others who elevate the discourse include Brown, trumpeter Michael Wyatt, altos David King and Doug Rinaldo, tenors Alan Wyatt and Will Boyd, trombonist Don Hough, pianist Ben Dockery and percussionist David Knight.
In his earlier album with the KJO, Progressive Jazz 2009, Vosbein confronted music by Bob Graettinger, Pete Rugolo, Claude Debussy and even one song repeated here (Sondheim's "Johanna"). He showed his prowess on that occasion, and has done so again. This is Sondheim neatly redesigned and tailor-made for big-band enthusiasts.
“Easily merits a place alongside Kenton’s West Side Story, and is most certainly worthy of Grammy consideration.” (Robert J. Robbins, Big Band International Magazine) read more…
Thirty-two years later, Vosbein, now a Professor of Music at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA, has injected his love for Sondheim’s monumental score into his lifelong admiration for Kenton, and the result is a near-perfect synthesis of two musical geniuses (Kenton’s only previous association with Sondheim, aside from the former’s Grammy-winning 1961 adaptation of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story for which the young Sondheim had provided the lyrics, was Dave Barduhn’s arrangement of “Send In the Clowns”, from A Little Night Music, on the Kenton ’76 album).
From the opening trombone choir on “The Barber and his Wife” to the final explosion of Keith Brown’s drums, the Kenton aura is steadfastly maintained, reflecting the influences of such iconoclastic Kenton-affiliated composer/arrangers as Pete Rugolo, Bill Russo, Bob Graettinger, Gene Roland, Johnny Richards, Bill Holman, Dee Barton, and Willie Maiden.
Foremost among the band’s soloists is trombonist Tom Lundberg, who represents a continuation of Kenton’s lead/solo trombone legacy epitomized by Kai Winding, Milt Bernhart, Bob “Fitz” Fitzpatrick, and Dick Shearer, and whether quoting Sondheim’s “archrival” Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber (“King Herod’s Song” from Jesus Christ Superstar) in “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir” or joining section mate Don Hough in a duet on “My Friends” (a paean originally sung by Todd to his long-lost razors in the production!), Lundberg is consistently outstanding.
Vosbein’s arrangements of “Johanna” and “Not While I’m Around” faithfully echo the Kenton ballad tradition, with solos from Lundberg, Hough, and lead trumpeter Stewart Cox on the former, and pianist Ben Dockery, lead altoist Doug Rinaldo, trumpeter Mike Wyatt, and (of course) Lundberg on the latter. Other soloists include tenor saxists Alan Wyatt (“The Ballad of Sweeney Todd”, “Pretty Women”), altoist Dave King, trumpeter Rich Willey (“Green Finch and Linnet Bird”), and Latin percussionist David Knight.
In my book, Fleet Street easily merits a place alongside Kenton’s West Side Story, which was recorded a half-century earlier, and is most certainly worthy of Grammy consideration.
PROGRAM NOTES
Attend the tale...
August of 1979 found me with my good friend Tom Lundberg in Manhattan. Two young pups, fearless and set loose in the city. We feasted on great jazz, seeing Roy Eldridge, Dexter Gordon, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, the Heath Brothers and many others at jazz clubs around town. We walked miles, ate well and rarely slept. And we saw a new musical by the already legendary Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd.
The box office was sold out, but we managed to secure matinee tickets from a man on the street. And that afternoon in August two young men from Atlanta had their minds blown by this incredible work of art. Our seats were not together, but as we descended to the lobby at intermission, on separate escalators, our eyes met. Without a word, and in an instant, we agreed. We were witnessing a masterpiece. And not just in the realm of musical theatre, but in a more complete sense.
In 2009 I had the chance to collaborate with the fabulous Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. In addition to many original compositions, I created a setting of “Johanna,” the emotional ballad from act one of Sweeney Todd. From that one song came the idea to work with more of this great music. So I set about working my way through the Sondheim score, imagining how I might transform this work of musical theatre genius into a cohesive set of big band numbers.
My approach was to maintain the tone of the original score, although I did not always stay true to the mood of each song. The dramatic balance of dark and light is integral to the show. And I tried to capture that drama. Some selections retain much from the original, while others, such as “Pretty Women,” are transformed completely.
The orchestra, comprised of five saxophones, five trumpets, five trombones and a five-piece rhythm section, is that of the Stan Kenton Progressive Jazz Orchestra. It is my favorite collection of instruments for which to write. The range of emotions and rhythmic excitement available are virtually limitless, from the softest pianissimo to the dramatic fortissimo climaxes.
Having Tom with me when I first saw Sweeney Todd, it is only fitting that his trombone be prominently featured on this new project. He and his colleagues in the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra are some of the finest musicians to be found. I am privileged to have them making my music come alive.
Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.
— Terry Vosbein
TERRY VOSBEIN was born into a musical family in the musical city of New Orleans. He spent his first decades immersed in the world of jazz composition and performance, playing and writing and learning.
Somewhere along the way he got a few degrees, wrote some symphonies and found himself in teaching at a university in Lexington, Virginia. He is the co-director of the Vosbein Magee Big Band.
In 2008 he spent seven months living in Paris and Copenhagen creating new music for twenty-piece big band. Some of these compositions can be found on his first CD Progressive Jazz 2009, featuring the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra (Max Frank Music).
The critically acclaimed performance of Vosbein’s arrangements of the music from Sweeney Todd is available on Fleet Street, once again featuring the fabulous Knoxville Jazz Orchestra.
Stradivarius Christmas, a CD of favorite holiday songs skillfully arranged by Vosbein for violin and piano, and featuring Jasper Wood and David Riley, emerged in 2012, and has become an annual concert event in Canadian towns.
La Chanson Française, a jazz nonet perspective on classic French songs, has been garnering airplay and critical success since its release in June of 2016.
And Come and Get It! features brand new Big Band compositions performed by the Vosbein Magee Big Band.
Vosbein is one of the world’s leading authorities on jazz icon, Stan Kenton. He is the founder and curator of the Stan Kenton Research Center in Staunton, Virginia.
Learn more at vosbein.com
The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra is comprised of East Tennessee’s top professional musicians and performs a wide range of music from America’s jazz tradition. The group’s performances have been described as energetic, exciting, engaging and highly entertaining.
The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra was formed in 1999 by trumpeter/arranger Vance Thompson. Since that time, the band has appeared at jazz festivals in Europe, released four critically acclaimed CD recordings and performed dozens of concerts in Knoxville, many featuring internationally recognized guest artists. The orchestra’s local season features themed events including Jazz is for Lovers, A Swingin’ Christmas, Evening with a Legend, and a Tribute Concert.
Visit the band’s website at knoxjazz.org, where you can listen to free samples, purchase CDs and sign up for their mailing list.