PAPATAMUS REDUX

GREENLEAF MUSIC  (RELEASED JANUARY 31, 2025)

The compositions and arrangements of trumpeter Kenny Wheeler were just as modern in the late 1960s as they are today. Need proof? Listen to Some Days Are Better, The Lost Scores from the Kenny Wheeler Legacy. A native of Canada, Wheeler moved to the UK in 1952 were he quickly established himself as a highly regarded trumpeter, composer and arranger. So much so, that between 1968 and 1972 he was the leader of his own band that appeared on annual/bi-annual BBC broadcasts. Although those broadcasts are lost in space, the music was stored in the BBC archives. Nick Smart of the Royal Academy of Music (London) and John Daversa of the Frost School of Music (Florida) combined forces to recreate some of those charts on Some Days Are Better. The hallmarks of Wheeler’s work are all here —advanced harmonies, distinctive melodies, swinging rhythms, lush horn arrangements and well-crafted frameworks for even the most adventuresome of soloists to ply their craft. The eleven charts featured on this disc run the gamut from the full head-on swing of “Smatta” to the lilting feel of “Sweet Yakity Waltz” to the Latin mood of “Who’s Standing in My Corner” to the ballad feel of “Introduction to No Particular Song.” More than simply a showcase for Wheeler’s writing and arranging skills, Some Days Are Better is a showcase for the versatility and excellence of the Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra, the Frost Jazz Orchestra and the soloists who take full advantage of Wheeler’s open compositions and arrangements. Some of the many soloists featured on Some Days Are Better include trumpeters Ingrid Jensen, Etienne Charles and Brian Lynch, saxophonist Chris Potter (who recorded with Wheeler in 2005), pianist Shelly Berg and two former Wheeler colleagues who appeared on the original BBC broadcasts — vocalist Norma Winstone and saxophonist Evan Parker. Trumpeters Nick Smart and John Daversa not only lead their respective bands but capture the soul of Wheeler on their respective solos. Ten years after his death, the music Kenny Wheeler wrote earlier in his career is as fresh and vibrant as it was when it first aired on BBC. Hopefully, the Kenny Wheeler Legacy will continue to bring more of Kenny Wheeler’s music  to light in the future!

BOTTOM LINE: If you were listening to BBC broadcasts between 1968 and 1972 there is a chance you may have heard some amazing compositions and arrangements performed by the Kenny Wheeler big band. For those of us who did not have that opportunity, we have it today thanks to the Kenny Wheeler Legacy’s Some Days Are Better, The Lost Scores. It’s a reminder of the impact Wheeler had on today’s modern jazz orchestras.