George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band - Theatre (1984)

The unusual Theatre is nearly as much theater and performance art as it is jazz. The music is frequently dramatic, featuring the vocals of Sheila Jordan on two of the four works. "El Chancho" is a showcase for the bandoneon of Dino Saluzzi, while the 25-minute "The Holy Grail of Jazz and Joy" has portrayals of the Knights of the Round Table with short spots for many of the musicians in the all-star group. Slightly more conventional are "In the Tradition of Switzerland" (even if it has a spot for Seppo "Baron" Paakkunainen on a Finnish birch bark flute) and "No One Can Explain It" (though Jordan's vocal is otherworldly). There are solo spots along the way for avant-garde altoist and soprano saxophonist Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, trombonists Dave Bargeron, bass trombonist David Taylor, and trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg. However the music overall is for selective tastes and it never really seems to flow, making it of limited interest.

Tracklist:

1. El Chancho
2. In the Tradition of Switzerland
3. No One Can Explain It
4. The Holy Grail of Jazz and Joy

Personnel:

Charlie Mariano - Flute, Reeds, Sax Alto, Soprano
Seppo Paakkunainen - Flute, Reeds, Sax Tenor
Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky - Clarinet, Reeds, Sax Alto, Soprano
Howard Johnson - Clarinet, Clarinet Bass, Sax Baritone, Tuba
Tom Varner, Peter Gordon - French Horn
Tom Harrell, Bill Pusey, Marcus Belgrave, Palle Mikkelborg - Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Dave Bargeron - Euphonium, Trombone
Julian Priester - Trombone
David Taylor - Trombone, Trombone Bass
Dino Saluzzi - Bandoneon
George Gruntz - Keyboards
Mark Egan - Bass
Bob Moses – Drums
Sheila Jordan - Vocals