Besame Mucho | The One and Only Maynard Ferguson This track has been nominated for a Grammy this year in the category of "Best Instrumental Arrangement". I had the great pleasure of writing this for my friend and mentor Maynard Ferguson for what would become his final CD: "The One and Only". We recorded this after a sold-out engaement at New York's Blue Note. The band was killin (Wayne Bergeron, Denis DiBlasio, Stockton Helbing, et al) What a treat to perform one more time with the great man, and to have the piece niminated for a Grammy is a huge honor. Thanks Boss!
Excalibur (excerpt) | "Excalibur: The Steve Wiest Big Band" I wrote this original to reflect the struggle between good and evil as exemplified in the Arthurian sagas. The evil texture is handled by the gifted (and quite non-violent!) Bob Rummage on drums with swirling dissonances from the horns (check out Mike Williams screamer at the end of the final evil section!). The good section is a 12/8 Art Blakey groove based on the chord changes from Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma". "Don't let it be forgot...that once there was a spot...called Bebop!" (or something like that)
On Green Dolphin Street | "Excalibur: The Steve Wiest Big Band" I took this well-worn veteran of the jam session wars and wrapped it up in Rich Matteson's idea of two keys: "C" and "Eb". Thus, the controversy of key centers spawned by the all-mighty Real Book is resolved, and some neat changes are enjoyed. The excerpt picks up in the middle of the arrangement where an interlude is taking place that features the low-note prowess of both Matt Ingman (bass trombone) and Glenn Kostur (bari sax). This leads to a shout chorus that lets Mike Williams cut loose in the stratosphere. I wrap things up with a cadenza that morphs into a Thad-type series of chords and drum solos.
I Concentrate on You (Interlude) | "Excalibur: The Steve Wiest Big Band" This is an orchestral interlude in the arrangement that I wrote of Cole Porter’s "I Concentrate on You" for my new CD. I wanted to stretch out and write something in the studio orchestra style of Slide Hampton, and thanks to the genius doubling abilities of the woodwind section of Tim Ishii, Randy Hamm, Ed Petersen, Sam Fettig, and Glenn Kostur it turned out very well indeed.
Cheek to Cheek (excerpt) | "Excalibur: The Steve Wiest Big Band" This is an arrangement of the Irving Berlin standard that takes many unusual paths. The melody is tailored onto a killer shuffle groove that leads into some hip substitution chords. With lots of space to feature the lead trumpet playing of Count Basie veteran Mike Williams, a beautiful bass solo by Bob Bowman and yours truly throughout, "Cheek to Cheek" is a groove from beginning to end.