The 14 Jazz Orchestra - Cartoon Bebop

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There is nothing cartoonish about CARTOON BEBOP, the newest release by composer/arranger DAN BONSANTI’s band, THE 14 JAZZ ORCHESTRA. The album is a swinging, contemporary take on jazz compositions by modern masters. This is the third release by the group, following The Future Ain't What It Used to Be (2018) and Nothing Hard Is Ever Easy (2015).
 
The 14 Jazz Orchestra is a 13-piece jazz ensemble under the direction of arranger and producer Dan Bonsanti. The group comprises 13 outstanding jazz musicians who have recorded and performed with many of the top names in jazz and pop. The basic instrumentation of the group consists of four saxes/woodwinds, two trombones, three trumpets, guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums.
 
Bonsanti is a sax player who earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Miami. After graduating, he began his professional career performing with big bands like the Stan Kenton Orchestra, Jaco Pastorius’ Word of Mouth Orchestra, and Doc Severinsen, as well as with artists such as Nat Adderley, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Jimmy Cobb, Bob James, and Dave Liebman, to name just a few. He also recorded with Barbra Streisand, The Bee Gees, Dionne Warwick, and Dolly Parton, among others. Bonsanti, who began arranging in 1979, wrote charts for The Jaco Pastorius Big Band, a tribute band to Jaco’s legacy, and the Atlantean Driftwood Band.
 
He also began teaching in 1975, and taught at Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill & Greensboro, and, most notably, at the University of Miami, where he was Associate Director of Jazz Studies from 1976 until 1990.

Bonsanti formed a rehearsal band in 2013 as a creative outlet for South Florida Jazz and studio musicians. The band initially played existing arrangements from Bonsanti's personal library. After a while, they began presenting concerts around South Florida. Their performances were very well-received, and the band would soon become The 14 Jazz Orchestra.
 
It took Bonsanti over a year to choose the tunes for Cartoon Bebop. He says, “I spent countless hours listening to music across a wide spectrum of styles to choose the music for this project. I wanted tunes that I felt would stand up to repeated listening. In fact, I listened to each song on this album by different artists at least 100 times before I felt it had enough color, passion, and energy to engage the listener, while providing the setting for our soloists and rhythm section players to showcase their talents.”
 
Although Bonsanti has written extensively for large ensembles, he prefers smaller configurations for his own recordings. “My goal is to ‘not’ sound like a big band. I like the lightness and colors you can get with less instrumentation,” says Bonsanti. “I prefer to get orchestral flavors by mixing instruments from different sections of the band. It allows for a softer, more fluid, and less strident sound.”

(19526905538)

SKU 19526905538
Barcode # 19526905538
Brand U.S. Independent

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