“Wow! A big band record – a dream come true,” writes Trinidad-born trumpet player Etienne Charles in the cover notes to his 10th album. A gifted player and composer, Charles has been waiting for a stab at his grand opus for the past decade, since singer René Marie asked him to arrange big band parts for her. Since then he has become a celebrated arranger, collaborating with the New York Philharmonic and the Charleston Jazz Orchestra among others.
His command of his 22-piece Creole Orchestra proves impeccable and absolute, dovetailing elaborate woodwind and brass parts with finely wrought solos. There’s a nod to big bands past on Benny Goodman’s Stompin’ at the Savoy and Jimmy Forrest’s Night Train, but the standouts are Charles’s own. A torrent of horns and percussion opens the album on Old School, while the jaunty Douens, named after creatures of Trinidadian folklore, is one of several Carib flavours. Joe Henderson’s A Shade of Jade allows saxophonist Michael Thomas to parade his hard bop chops, while Poison refashions Bell Biv DeVoe’s 1990 R&B hit. Marie shines with feline charm on Eartha Kitt’s I Wanna Be Evil and her own sultry Take My Breath Away. A brilliant recasting of tradition – “sometimes it takes a village,” says Charles.
