Tuesday Morning Feeling

4 1/2 STARS When a bandleader says he plans to rely less on arranging the music of others to focus more on his own compositions and charts, the usual response is a prolonged sigh or indifferent shrug of the shoulders —which makes it all the more remarkable that when pianist and composer Ben Markley did exactly that on Tuesday Morning Blues, the third recording by the Colorado-based Ben Markley Big Band, the finished product demands not a sigh or shrug but a straight-from-the-heart standing ovation.

Simply put, Tuesday Morning Blues is one of the more colorful and electrifying big-band albums produced in many a moon, and the lion's share of credit for that must be ascribed to Markley's superlative compositions and arrangements. Markley wrote seven of the album's eleven spellbinding numbers, and not one of them is less than compelling and persuasive. The same can be said for the outliers: a brace of originals by Cedar Walton, another by Thelonious Monk, and Willard Robison's durable standard, "Old Folks."

Every composition, of course, needs seasoned musicians to unravel it, and Markley not only assembled a high- quality band comprised of many of Colorado's finest but upped the ante by inviting several world-class artists to lend their invaluable helping hands. Trumpeters Bijon Watson and Terell Stafford answered the call, as did trombonist Steve Davis, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, bassist David Wong and drummer Kyle Swan. To note that their presence makes an appreciable difference would be to understate the reality, as they are an essential part of the album's makeup and persona.

Led by shouting brass (a hallmark of the album as a whole), the band swings out of the starting gate with Markley's plainspoken "Tell the Truth," a dazzling opener on which Nelson, Markley—whose talents at the keyboard should not be discounted—and Stafford sculpt incisive solos. There is no letdown on Markley's muscular "JIFE" or the luminous and captivating "Ben's Tune," either of which would no doubt merit a place of honor in any big-band library. Swan, guitarist Steve Kovalcheck and alto saxophonist Remy LeBoeuf solo on "JIFE," Markley, Swan and Davis on "Ben's Tune."

Monk's "Off Minor" is a pleasant surprise, prancing straight ahead in Markley's perceptive arrangement while embracing ambitious solos by Nelson and tenor Peter Sommer and setting the stage for the far-from-gloomy "Snowy Range Blues," amplified and bedecked by Nelson, Davis and Stafford, whose lyrical showpiece, the venerable "Old Folks," is next in line. As envisioned by Markley, that "Tuesday Morning Feeling" is luminous and refreshing, as are the deft ad libs by Nelson, Wong and Stafford.

The name "1330" must refer to a train, as the ensemble and Swan mirror the unmistakable sound of a choo-choo in motion at the outset and in an extended coda. Davis solos in the interim, as does alto Wil Swindler, who makes certain his first appearance is one to place in the "noteworthy" column. "NPS," the first of Walton's themes, hurries along a similar track, chugging relentlessly onward behind gutsy solos by Nelson and Stafford, after which Markley invites everyone to "'Mon Back" for one more high-powered blast before invoking once more the essence of Walton for the lively and impressive finale, "Groundwork." Swindler makes his second notable appearance (with Kovalcheck and trumpeter Gabe Mervine), while Stafford, Swan and tenor Jared Caffey share the last words on "Groundwork."

Even though brass and reeds are ascendant on every number, enough good words cannot be said about the band's alert and attentive rhythm section, firmly anchored by Swan and including Markley, Kovalcheck and Wong. With backing like that, it is well nigh impossible to crash or even stumble. Everyone on Tuesday Morning Feeling is in lock-step, and, despite its adamant intensity, there is nary a stray note or clam to be found anywhere in the studio. The album, Markley writes, reflects how he hears a modern big band: "swinging hard, grounded firmly in the tradition, and centered around giving the musicians space to be themselves." Boy, did he ever check all those boxes!

Tuesday Morning Feeling is an astute and collaborative tour de force from start to finish, on Tuesday or any other day. And the album's 78-minute playing time is icing on an already delectable cake.