A Dream of Hungarian Lanterns
 

"...Swings like crazy and performed with enormous energy," Jerry Swanberg, Twin Cities Jazz Society and Big Band Scene (KBEM) 

Here in the Twin Cities we are blessed with several jazz ensembles that bring majesty to brass—Snowblind, The Hornheads, Pete Whitman’s X-Tet. Now count among them the CC Septet. With sounds that recall diverse influences from Latin Big Band to Swing to Maria Schneider, this group of musicians, all tied to Century College’s Jazz Orchestra, will celebrate the release of A Dream of Hungarian Lanterns at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis on Monday night, December 17th.  

The CC Septet includes Century College jazz director Larry Neumann (alto and soprano sax), Paul Peterson (tenor and soprano sax), Scott Snyder (trumpet and flugelhorn), Ralph Brindle (trombone), Tim Lackas (piano), Greg Stinson (bass) and Brett Smith (drums).  Under Neumann’s direction all have at one time or other played as part of the Century College Jazz Ensemble, and appear on the CCJE recording, Swing House (2000). The septet recording was produced by pianist Lackas, bassist Stinson and (brother?) Gerry Stinson, who also served as recording engineer at GSA Studios in St. Cloud. 

If the band has half the energy and inventive interplay on the live stage as they demonstrate on this recording, the Dakota may need extra fire protection on December 17th! One factor that contributes to their success is the playlist of all original compositions, four each by Tim Lackas, Paul Peterson and Greg Stinson. 

Tim Lackas provides the most playful tracks. “65 and Sunny” indeed is like a bright summer day with dancing basslines, big band harmonies, and fine soloing across the ensemble. Lackas’ own interlude yields more abstraction while Peterson’s honky tenor provides a contrasting statement. “Too Much” is a funk-kissed track with energetic propulsion from bass and drums. On his tenor solo, Peterson scatters notes around like confetti, colors going every which way with urging from his hornmates, then seamlessly yields the floor to Brindle’s equally engaging trombone. “Whaddya Know” is a Monkishly playful tune that swings hard. Brindle shines in the early spotlight in a bop-minded jaunt, followed by a gruff alto verse from Neumann. Brett Smith provides popping drum breaks throughout, while Scott Snyder’s muted trumpet whines over an assertive bass foundation. Following Peterson’s sinewy tenor solo, a final chorus brings it all together as if in a round, each instrument jumping in and adding its own layer until it all lands on the final note. Lackas’ fourth composition, “Suzy’s Strut,” is aptly titled, moving along like an early Herbie Hancock classic. A tart trumpet from Scott Snyder carries on a conversation above the other horns, followed by funky grooves from soprano sax and bubbling electric bass.  

Paul Peterson adds four tunes to the repertoire that harmonically seem to be the most elegant of the recording. “Feets” features beautiful chords filling a melodic track with a lot of swing and a touch of small town nostalgia, enlightened by Scott Synder’s bright trumpet, Brindle’s songful and peppy trombone, and steady punctuations from Brett Smith. A ballad, “That’s How I Know” features a mellow bassline from Greg Stinson followed by Brindle’s reminder that the trombone has a sweet side, made sweeter with support from Smith’s brushwork. Tim Lackas is at his most lyrical and tender. “Bruno Bruno” starts as a bass vamp over chiming cymbals, joined by chordal statements from the piano and finally the entrance of soprano sax. As the sax picks up on the vamp phrase, the horns have a brief rendezvous followed by trombone and soprano sax solos. With both Neumann and Peterson listed on soprano, it is impossible to know to whom the credit belongs, but it’s a solo worthy of Branford Marsalis. Peterson’s final composition, “Strange Tales,” features the horns harmonizing like a chorus of birds, all different species with different calls and cadences, still hanging together as one flock. 

Greg Stinson’s four compositions tend toward the funkier end of the spectrum. The opening “Tues Blues” is a funky strut, with horns engaging in back and forth conversation with the rhythm section following the initial attack of percussion. Stinson’s “El Toro” would make a great soundtrack or theme for a television adventure series, his own bass percolating throughout while Peterson takes a twisty solo spin on tenor. Cool interweaving among the horns precedes Brett Smith’s drum clinic.  On “Cirrus,” Stinson sounds his opening theme in unison with the horns, giving it a mournful majesty. But then the septet kicks it up a few notches with rich harmonies flowing across the hornline, a funkier pulse developing via the bass while the Scott Snyder’s flugelhorn takes it in a more celestial direction, like a journey to another galaxy (riding on a current of cirrus clouds perhaps), with little hints of a Latin groove. But the masterpiece among Stinson’s works is the title track, a waltzing finale that brings together all of the elements of the septet—harmonic horns, assertive pulse, fine solo voices intermingling with ensemble interplay, at times a thicket of sound yielding to a single lead voice and back again. It’s triumphant, as is the recording as a whole. 

Individually, the members of the CC Septet are not among the big headliners in Twin Cities jazz. Yet this recording proves that some of the best local music is sounding beneath the radar. Listen to A Dream of Hungarian Lanterns and come to the Dakota Monday night to hear the high energy and creative artistry of an ensemble deserving wider recognition. 

The Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis; www.dakotacooks.com. Sets begin at 7 pm; cover $5. (That’s less than $1 per musician!) CDs will be available at the show. 

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