Plays Well With Others
A trumpeter with chops from here to San Diego, a no-nonsense approach to soloing, and an 18-piece band that hits and swings hard, Wayne Bergeron is a classic product of the West Coast studio system. The patron saint ofPlays Well With Othersis the late Maynard Ferguson, whose appearance here on the comparatively toned down "Maynard and Waynard" was one of his final recorded efforts. Bergeron, who has been heard behind countless pop artists, is not the stratospheric threat Ferguson was, but he embodies the same brash aesthetic in leading his well-drilled ensemble through a program that ranges from driving originals by the likes of Big Phat Band leader Gordon Goodwin to a rhythmic awakening of "Georgia" to go-for-the-throat ballads like "Requiems" to a frisky reading of Rimsky Korsakov's "Scheherazade." Those who like a bit more subtlety or wit in their mainstream big bands might want to look elsewhere. But for those who like these sounds straight up and fancy free, this is a good place to be.--Lloyd Sachs