Charles Tolliver
The Charles Tolliver Big Band
Mosaic Select
www.mosaicrecords.com

Sam Rivers
Sam Rivers & The Rivbea Orchestra-Trilogy
Mosaic Select
www.mosaicrecords.com
By George W. Harris

Usually known for delving deep in the past, Mosaic records has not only issued something from not TOO long ago, but, lo and behold, are releasing something from just the past few years, and it’s never been out there before. Go figure!

Charles Tolliver is best known for leading small groups with his long time bud Stanley Cowell, and he put out a Big Band disc a few years ago that was, frankly, a bit of a disappointment. Here, though, Mosaic Records releases his classic 70 and 75 big band sessions, Music, Inc. Big Band and Impact as well as a previously unreleased session with the NDR Big Band and the results are absolutely stupendous.

The Music Inc Big Band session includes names like Garnett Brown, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Heath, Clifford Jordan, Howard Johnson and Cecil McBee, and Tolliver himself sounds like vintage Freddie Hubbard as he floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee on “Brilliant Circles.” Cowell has got hands made for cutting diamonds here, as he just takes apart “On The Nile” and “Departure” while the whole band creates swing that mixes modern directions with old school swing. The Impact session includes Tolliver soloing over some caressing strings on “Mother Wit” while the whole band which includes Reggie Workman, Harold Vick, James Spaulding and George Coleman is simply other worldly in their excellence on tunes like “Plight” and “Grand Max.” The session with the NDR band includes ringers Herb Heller and Benny Bailey, and while they get some space on “Ruthie’s Heart” and “Lynnsome” the star is still Tolliver, who shows the strength of Captain America on “Rejoicin.” This is a set that needs to be heard by everyone who shows even a hint of interest in music. WOW!!!

Breaking with tradition, Mosaic has released music from 08-09, covering three incredible sessions with the orchestra that jazz giant Sam Rivers assembled in that hot bed of music, Orlando Florida. Don’t laugh! These guys have some chops, and they NEED it for these mind boggling charts that mix latin and funk rhythms with adventurous harmonies. The rhythm section is as bare as a Spartan’s dressing room-just bass and drums, while the 14 horns give punctuated statements between concise yet thrilling solos. The first and third discs contain songs that are between 8-14 minutes, but you never lose your interest or concentration, as the themes and accents keep coming back like volleys from a machine gun nest. The second disc is more concise, with the tunes ranging in the 4-6 minute period, and the moods are a bit mellower. Except for Big Phat Band’s Brian Scanlon on trumpet, you won’t recognize any of these names, but you’ll be amply impressed just the same. Enthusiastic is an understatement here, with Rivers having the vibrancy of Caleb when he volunteered to conquer Canaan in his 4th score. His churched family would be proud of the preaching that Rivers does here, with his baton and horn delivering a musical type of good news.

Don’t forget that both these releases are limited-editions of only 5000 copies, so he who hesitates is lost.