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Pierce College Jazz Ensemble: Suiteness
by Jack Bowers
The name of this superlative album by the Pierce College Jazz Ensemble, clearly a play on words, refers to the fact that the ensemble has chosen to perform four suites for orchestra, one of which became a jazz classic in its primary incarnation, a second whose three components are familiar but not as a suite, and two that may be almost unknown but are no less resourceful and exhilarating.
Playing the suites must have been a breeze compared to the ...
read moreThe Pierce College Jazz Ensemble: The Weekly Dance / Pierced Ears
by Jack Bowers
I first heard the Pierce College Jazz Ensemble at the IAJE Conference in Long Beach, CA, in January 2001 and was quite impressed, enough so to ask director Norm Wallen to keep me in mind for reviews if the ensemble were to record any CDs. After sending a master of the band’s performance at the conference, Norm followed up with these two albums, the band’s first “official” recordings ( The Weekly Dance came first), which show clearly why many observers ...
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson