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THE ED PALERMO BIG BAND
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Paul Adamy • Bob Quaranta • Ray Marchica • Ted Kooshian • Cliff Lyons • Phil Chester • Bill Straub • Ben Kono • Barbara Cifelli • Charles Gordon • Bruce McDaniel • Joe Fiedler • Matt Ingman • Ronnie Buttacavoli • John Hines • Carl Restivo • Ed Palermo
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EDDY LOVES FRANK
RUNE 285
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Ed and his amazing 16 piece band (+ guests) return with his third album of his distinctive, big-band interpretations of the great 20th century composer, Frank Zappa. This body of work has won them huge acclaim from both new and old fans of the music and they even appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition for a short feature which was heard by millions of listeners in 2006. For those not already familiar with Ed's colorful, jazz-based arrangements of Zappa's compositions, Ed has led a big band for 30 years (!) and has had his band performing the music of Frank Zappa for 15 years. Many years of playing these pieces in front of hugely enthusiastic crowds have honed the band’s skills interpreting Zappa's beautiful but notoriously difficult material to where they are able to perform these challenging charts with apparent ease. All of these musicians are high caliber, hugely talented NYC professional players, and most of them have been playing this music for a decade and a half with this group, not because it is a good paying gig (it isn't) but because they all admire and appreciate the genius of Zappa's work and they love having the opportunity to be able to perform these terrifically exciting charts.
"Wonderful, breathtaking, fantastic, exhilarating, great sound, great production, great musicianship...I run out of superlatives..." – paradoxone.uk
"Palermo developed these charts during years of live shows with these musicians, and their mastery of the material shows in the performances, which turn on a dime yet feel fierce with spontaneous invention.... Palermo’s arrangements and these performances are precise, dedicated, raucous and incisive—just like Zappa himself." – JazzTimes
"Palermo uses Zappa's compositions as a framework for inspiration, rather than simply trying to recreate what is already available on CD." – allaboutjazz.com
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TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF WHEN YOU DANCE
RUNE 225
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Ed Palermo is a alto sax player and arranger; he has had a big band for twenty-five years, which is an impressive feat in itself, and has had his band performing the music of Frank Zappa for over a decade. Years and years of playing these pieces in front of enthusiastic crowds at a number of venues in New York City and beyond have honed the band’s skills with this difficult material to where they can glide through these charts as if they were butter. There are a number of ensembles performing the music of this great 20th century American composer, but no one does it with this ease, skill and originality; Ed is not afraid to turn a piece into a salsa number (the title track) or to take what was a one minute miniature and to develop it out into a six minute work. The band is a 15 piece ensemble of 6 woodwind players, two trumpeters, three trombonists, two keyboardists, bass and drums, plus a few guests. All of these musicians are NYC professionals, and they have been playing this music for years with Ed, because, like Ed, they recognize and appreciate the genius inherent in the huge body of Zappa's work, and they want to keep this great music alive and in front of the public.
"[Palermo's] wisely chosen to emphasize Zappa's early and mid-career work, as that's the music which is more fluid and graceful--and more apt to swing....reveals the lighthearted playfulness and rhythmic intelligence at the core of Zappa's best work..." - Downbeat.
"In arranging Zappa's tunes for big band, Ed Palermo has thrown new light on his legacy while retaining the composer's original melodic and harmonic designs. The arrangements also leave plenty of room for the band's gifted soloists..." - The Washington Post.
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