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Big Tall Wish

Big Tall Wish is the brainchild of Mike Barile (guitar) and Steve Armstrong (bass), created in January 2004 while both were students in the University of New Orleans Jazz Program. Having moved from different parts of the country (Barile from Boston, Armstrong from Kansas City) in search of more playing experience in the jazz idiom, Armstrong and Barile found themselves fully immersed in New Orleans' world-renowned music scene, studying music by day and playing it by night. This was a period of substantial growth for both musicians, yet they felt the need to express themselves in a greater creative capacity than the standard jazz band would allow. While Barile and Armstrong listened to jazz music regularly, they found themselves increasingly intrigued by the sounds of modern electronic musicians. They also wanted their music to"connect" to their own generation in a way that jazz music typically did not, to create a style and a concept that was both fun for non-musicians to listen to and satisfying for musicians to play. These somewhat vague ideas formed the basis for Big Tall Wish.

The project started off with simple drum loops and samples, but it soon grew into something much larger and more involved as Armstrong and Barile gained creative control over their newly chosen mode of expression. They eagerly tapped into the improvisational talents of various friends from the New Orleans jazz scene. Saxophonists Rex Gregory (Jill Scott, Nicholas Payton) and Ed Petersen (Dizzy Gillespie, Fareed Haque, Kurt Elling) and vibraphonists James Westfall (Terri Lyne Carrington, The Thelonious Monk Institute) and Matt McClimon (QMR, Red Shift) all lent their considerable talents to the Big Tall Wish project, and drummer Evan Howard was recruited to create an organic groove that the music needed.

BigTall Wish released their debut album "Leverage" (Digital Papa Records) on March 1, 2006. Since arriving in New York City, the "official" band now consists of Barile (guitar), Armstrong (bass) and Dave Miller (drums) with a rotating cast of talented soloists and affiliates who contribute to the group's unique sound. It is the constant influx of new ideas from outside sources and a small dose of irreverent humor that keeps the group fresh, inspired and unpredictable.


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177
Album Review

Big Tall Wish: Leverage

Read "Leverage" reviewed by Mark F. Turner


It's not clear whether the tune “Punk Jazz, by the late great jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius, was a protest against the acoustic jazz establishment or not. But for decades musicians have continued to produce their own statements of self-expression using whatever technologies and influences available at their disposal. The group Big Tall Wish, like many jazz-oriented musicians today, use everything from hip hop beats, electronics, and jazz on Leverage , mixing music that reflects a variety of modern urban skins. ...

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117

Recording

Big Tall Wish Releases New Album Leverage

Big Tall Wish Releases New Album Leverage

Source: All About Jazz

Big Tall Wish is proud to announce the release of their new album Leverage. The band combines tight grooves, a jazz sensibility and inspired soloing for a new and unique sound, all delivered with a sense of fun and a small dose of irreverent humor. The CD contains stellar guest star performances by Texan sax player Rex Gregory (Irvin Mayfield, Jason Marsalis), tenor saxophonist Ed Petersen (Kurt Elling, Fareed Haque, vibraphone players James Westfall (The Thelonious Monk Institute, Terri Lyne ...

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Leverage

D-Popa Records
2007

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