Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Purchasable with gift card
$10USD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Includes unlimited streaming of The Blueshift Big Band
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 7 days
$10USDor more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Our first record pressed by Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland, Ohio. This 2LP set features a wide-spine jacket with artwork by Shana Fiduccia.
(Black vinyl pictured right, Transparent Blue pictured left)
Includes unlimited streaming of The Blueshift Big Band
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 3 days
$35USDor more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Our first record pressed by Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland, Ohio. This 2LP set features a wide-spine jacket with artwork by Shana Fiduccia.
(Black vinyl pictured right, Transparent Blue pictured left)
Includes unlimited streaming of The Blueshift Big Band
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 3 days
$40USDor more
The Blueshift Big Band 2 x LP Vinyl Album (Waxmage)
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Our first record pressed by Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland, Ohio. This 2LP set features a wide-spine jacket with artwork by Shana Fiduccia. The Waxmage variants are limited to 25 copies and will sell out very fast.
Each 2LP set contains two different Waxmage discs - the Clear / Blue Splatter and the Black / Blue Quad.
Includes unlimited streaming of The Blueshift Big Band
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
The Blueshift Big Band, founded in 2017 by drummer Joel Baer and guitarist Chris Parsons, continues the legacy of big band music in Chicagoland. It began as a reading band, that is, a band playing compositions and arrangements originally written for other groups. “We both missed playing big band music,” says Joel, “and most of the rhythm spots in the big bands around town were taken.”
Their original repertoire included selections from the Count Basie, Buddy Rich, and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Bands. Those groups are famously hard-swinging, but also served as showcases for unique compositional voices and original interpretations of music outside the jazz idiom. Did you know all three covered different Stevie Wonder tunes? Continuing that tradition, when Blue Shift began commissioning original music, it covered a great breadth of styles: not just swing, but blues, bebop, and the Beatles, singer-songwriters, fusion and funk. (Stay tuned for Blueshift’s next record, exclusively covering music from video games.) In the hands of a lesser group, the approach might seem scattershot, but Blueshift does a great job of respecting the tradition and history, swinging hard when it’s time to swing, and showcasing creative local voices — all while having a great deal of fun.
This record features two original compositions: Hum Drum is a gem from the late great Bob Ojeda that recalls the energy of the Count Basie Orchestra in which Ojeda was trumpet soloist for 15 years. This Won’t Be the Last Time is a lively samba by another trumpeter/arranger/composer: Jon Rarick. You can almost feel the sunlight on your face listening to this one. Both composers return as arrangers in the disk: Rarick with a fun take on On the Sunny Side of the Street and Ojeda with the beautiful ballad I’ve Never Been In Love Before — featuring Rarick.
Mike Pinto’s arrangement of Frank Caruso’s Sixth Sense is a beautiful tribute to the recently departed pianist and features a solo by Caruso collaborator and Chicago jazz legend Mark Colby. Aaron Whittier provides an energetic take on Weather Report’s Latin-fusion odyssey Elegant People. Too Marvelous For Words, a swing number with Latin inflection, features a bass trombone solo from arranger Nick Roach. My contribution to the record, an arrangement of Charlie Parker’s Billie’s Bounce, adapts an arrangement originally for marching band(!) in turn inspired by a solo treatment from guitarist Deen Anbar.
In addition to his guitar and co-leader duties, Chris Parsons contributes two contrasting arrangements: a swinging take on Rogers and Hart’s I Could Write a Book and an introspective jazz-waltz interpretation of singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson’s The Chain.
Blueshift’s other co-leader, Joel Baer, has many exhilarating solos throughout and is the fuel to the band’s fire. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention trumpeters Chuck Parrish and Adam Roebuck, ably splitting lead duty.
It’s August 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic is raging across the globe. In many ways, it’s been a lonely year for us all and listening back to this record, I had a Proustian reverie of the recording session: the sinking couch in the recording room, the homemade chili we shared for lunch, and, of course, the music. With the current protections and regulations in place, it would be impossible to record this album the same way. This is an artifact from a time when musicians could sit less than 6 feet from each other (without a mask!) and move great volumes of air in a small space with the singular intention of working collectively to make a dynamic, swinging sound. In a world where that experience is impossible, this record is the next best thing.
- Joe Clark, August 2020
credits
released November 6, 2020
Personnel:
Joel Baer - Drums // Co-Leader
Chris Parsons - Electric Guitar // Co-Leader
Woodwinds:
Matt Beck (lead) - Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Flute
Matt Zmuda - Alto Saxophone, Flute
Gerald Martinez - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet
Steve Kidera - Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet
Tom Zimny - Baritone Saxophone
Trumpets:
Chuck Parrish (lead)
Jon Rarick
Adam Roebuck (lead - tracks 1,8)
John Dorhauer
Brendan Donnelly (tracks 8,10)
Trombones:
Josh Torrey (lead)
Ryan Christianson
Andrew Meyer (tracks 2-3, 6-10)
Conner Eisenmenger (tracks 1,4,5)
Nick Roach (bass trombone)
Rhythm:
Brad Macdonald - Piano, Fender Rhodes
Dan Parker - Electric Bass
Recorded January 5-6, 2020 at Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL
Producer: Joe Clark
Engineer: Jon San Paolo
Mixing / Mastering: Brian Schwab
Album Artwork and Layout Design: Shana Fiduccia
Barista Extraordinaire: Matt Smalligan
Joel Baer uses Sabian Cymbals, Canopus Drums and Humes and Berg Cases
Joel and Chris would like to thank:
The band. Your musicianship, patience and most importantly, friendship, made this album possible. We set a goal to make a record that honored the tradition and spirit of the Big Bands we’ve loved and have been inspired by. You all helped make that goal a possibility.
Joe Clark- Thank you so much helping us navigate all of the unknowns of making our first Big Band record. In addition to your guidance on the session dates, your input during post-production helped so much in making all the details come together.
Mark Colby - Thank you for being a such a wonderful teacher, mentor, and friend to not just us, but every member of the band. It was an honor and a privilege to have you play with us on our debut record. You are the best.
Brian Schwab - We had so much fun mixing the record with you. Even though circumstances required social distancing to be the only way to get it done, your professionalism and kindness made the mixing sessions from home a wonderful highlight during such a crazy year.
Jon San Paolo - Thank you for being such a calming and cool presence in the studio. After our first meeting, we knew we were in great hands for the recording session.
A final thank you goes to our wonderful, caring, and deeply understanding wives, Kait Baer and Melanie Johnsen. Thank you for letting us pursue this crazy passion for Big Band music.
This record was completed during the year 2020, when the world as we know it was turned completely upside down. The musical tree the from which we pull our inspirations from was planted and cultivated by black American musicians for over 100 years. We would not have the opportunities we have today without these musician's creativity and sacrifice. In honor of the release of this record, a donation was made to the Black American Music Association. It is our small way of paying thanks to the past and doing what we can to invest in the future of communities we’ve pulled so much inspiration from. It will never be enough, but it is a start. - Joel and Chris
The Blueshift Big Band is a 17-piece jazz orchestra lead by Joel Baer and Chris Parsons that plays original arrangements based on Blues, American songbook tunes, pop music and video games.
Strong debut album as a leader/composer/saxophonist. Smith leads 21 musicians through jazz styles from edgy to calming. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 18, 2015
