The Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra
Nimmons 'n' More
McMurdo Sound
2007

This two-disc set is the second in which the Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra has paid its respects to the dean of Canadian composer/arrangers, eighty-four-year-old Phil Nimmons (the first, comprising three CDs as a part of the Canadian Composers Portraits series, was released in 2005). This time, it's Nimmons 'n' More, as compositions by the honoree ("Mod's Mode," "Conversations") bookend others by McMurdo, Mike Malone, Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane, the standard "Over The Rainbow" and the late Harry Freedman's four-movement "Jazz Suite," written in 1958.

McMurdo introduces the members of the orchestra at the end of Disc 1, and he and Nimmons say a few words in the middle of Disc 2, separating Freedman's suite from Nimmons' thirty-two minute "Conversations" (subtitled "Aural Communication"), commissioned by the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) Canada and performed by McMurdo's ensemble in January 2006 as Nimmons accepted the inaugural SOCAN/IAJE Phil Nimmons Established Composer Award.

It's a marvelous work, bright and lyrical, that opens slowly, gains momentum and evokes various moods as it shines the spotlight on a number of the orchestra's world-class soloists before ramming through some turbulence and coming to a smooth and trouble-free landing. The urbane "Jazz Suite," which runs for nearly eighteen minutes, is presented by an octet led by trumpeter Malone and including guest Karen Rotenberg on English horn. As on "Conversations," there's scarcely a fleeting moment that is less than engaging.

Besides the groovy "Mod's Mode," Disc 1 embodies Malone's rhythmic "Patita" (on which he is featured on flugelhorn with bassist Paul Novotny) and McMurdo's soulful "Song For Antony," dedicated to the memory of Antony Roberts (solos by tenor Alex Dean and guitarist Reg Schwager). Adderley's "Wabash" swings hard behind bristling commentary by altos John Johnson and Don Englert, as does Trane's "Impressions," on which Quinsin Nachoff wrests every ounce of emotion from his tenor. McMurdo arranged "Over The Rainbow," a showcase for Johnson's expressive alto.

Now that Rob McConnell has retired the Boss Brass for good, McMurdo's orchestra is arguably the best Canada has to offer. No argument here. This is a superb ensemble, an opinion that Nimmons 'n' More serves only to underscore. The album, by the way, is available only through McMurdo's web site, www.davemcmurdo.com