Album Review: Across the Field from Visions Jazz Ensemble
Album: Across the Field Artist: Visions Jazz Ensemble Label: Patois Records Website: www.visionsjazzensemble.com Led by trumpeter Sam Butler and tenor saxophonist Garrett Fasig, the Visions Jazz Ensemble embarked on an ambitious task to turn a collection of college fight songs into modern jazz tunes on the ensemble's 2024 release Across the Field. Produced by Brent Wallarab, Wayne Wallace, and Greg Reynolds, Butler and Fasig corralled a group of graduate music students from Indiana University, the duo's alma mater, and formed the ensemble, embarking on a quest to celebrate and revitalize jazz music's roots anchored in college anthems. Many of the songs chosen for the recording were written at least 100 years ago, according to the press release, and many are based on marches that influenced early New Orleans street music. Butler and Fasig chose songs they connected with, could tweak with modern jazz treatments, providing fresh takes on each tune. Start...