Group Therapy
Jim McNeely cut his teeth with theThad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestrain the late 1970s, and has been the pianist of choice for any number of big bands since then. YetGroup Therapy, recorded with McNeely's own crack 10-piece unit, suggests that the little big band may be his ideal setting. McNeely gets right down to work with "The Fruit," a deconstruction ofBud Powell's classic that slices and dices the melody into aerated, unpredictable fragments. He pulls off a similar hat trick with "Silent Night," disclosing the tune one phrase at a time and finally re-harmonizing it as a lilting waltz. Even the mother of all standards fails to intimidate this champion arranger: his take on "Body and Soul" boasts a conventional bridge, but the choruses float atop an assortment of vamps and fat chords, marred only byDick Oatts's slightly epicene soprano. McNeely's own compositions are a little less distinctive. Still, the title cut--in which a somber and memorable theme is repeatedly interrupted by solos, duos, and more than one musical ménage à trois--is a rousing success, as is "A Perfect Six," with particularly snappy contributions from the leader and bassist Cameron Brown. And whichever hat he's wearing, McNeely maintains an agile, helium-light ensemble sound. Yes, there are echoes ofBirth of the Cool--thanks in part to the inclusion ofTom Varner's French horn--butGroup Therapyis an original creation, without a revivalist bone in its body.--James Marcus