Cannon-Lechner Big Band

Cannon-Lechner Big Band: Live at 66 California

by Jack Bowers
March 1, 1999

It’s always a kick to inscribe a new name in the catalog of contemporary Jazz ensembles, especially when said group shows as much promise as the Southern California–based Cannon–Lechner Big Band. Co–leaders Boyd Cannon (drums) and Paul Lechner (baritone sax), apparently unaware that the big bands were pronounced dead and unceremoniously buried years ago, have built a lively ensemble around some of the area’s most able–bodied sidemen (and one woman, the splendid alto saxophonist Karolyn Kafer). The band was recorded ...