John Daversa Artful Joy - Cr73359 - Jazz - by Challenge Records

It takes a rare talent to be able to make a large band sound “small” (in terms of agility as well as in the transparency and lightness of orchestration), and, vice-versa, some measure of genius to make a small band seem big. While much credit can go to the production team on this album, I aim these parti- cular kudos at the players and their fearless leader, John Daversa. This band sounds huge. And let’s not forget modern. “New” is in rare supply these days, but you’ve found yourself some new right here. rack-by-track and blow-by-blow descriptions leave me breathless and take away the fun of the listener experiencing the music on their own. So I’ll exercise discretion in that regard. But I am happy to go on record and say that this is great album. Even better: “John Daversa’s Small Band is a joy to listen to.” And you can quote me. - Peter Erskine (in the liner notes). In addition to his Progressive Big Band, Daversa leads the John Daversa Small Band. This powerhouse ensembletransitions with ease from sections of incredible sensitivity to vignettes of intensity rivaling that of his own Big Band. The Small Group’s latest album Artful Joy (2012) features Bob Mintzer and Gretchen Parlato