University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Jazz Ensemble 1, Jazz Singers, Jazz Combo: When You Wish Upon a Star

by Jack Bowers
March 1, 1999

The University of Minnesota appears to have a respectable Jazz ensemble; too bad it’s not showcased more often (two of eight tracks) on this abbreviated compendium of music from 1992–95 (the smaller Jazz Combo is heard on “Cockroach Clusters,” the Jazz Singers from 1992, ’94 or ’95 on the other numbers). The ensemble leads off with Dave Liebman’s surprisingly mainstream “Picadilly Lilly” (with serviceable solos by trumpeter Frankowski and alto saxophonist Thomson) and returns for Ellington’s “Concerto for Cootie” (perhaps ...