Intersections: Jazz Meets the Symphony, No. 5
The '50s saw the beginning of "third stream music," whereby musicians attempted to fuse jazz and classical music into a viable synthesis. More often than not, either or both were diluted, but sometimes successful, colorful, movielike music resulted. On this live date, Lalo Schifrin (ofMission: ImpossibleTV fame) employs the WDR Rundfunkorchester of Cologne and the jazz talents ofChristian McBride(bass),David Sanchez(tenor sax), and Jeff Williams (drums) to create a textural and cohesive whole. Lush strings and punctuating brass frame numerous solo sections where Sanchez and trumpeter James Morrison shine. Schifrin's expansive orchestral scores make effective use of jazz rhythms, particularly on arrangements of Coltrane's "Naima" and Alex North's "Theme from Spartacus," creating a wholly engaging and cinematic third-stream experience.--Wally Shoup