New Release: 6th Avenue from Mike Thompson
6th Avenue from Mike Thompson Label: Hexproof Records Release Date: May 16, 2025 Website: https://www.mjthompsonmusic.com 6th Avenue , the debut album from Mike Thompson is a contemporary big band collection of six Great American Songbook standards and four original compositions. Thompson is a student of vibraphone, marimba, concert percussion, jazz composition, and contemporary writing. He has teamed up with songwriter Sam Nickson for this debut, who wrote string arrangements and co-produced the offering. Leading a 17-piece ensemble (five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and a four-piece rhythm section) comprising mostly of veteran players from the local Boston big band scene, Thompson displays traditional big band pageantry with billowing flourishes reminiscent of Glenn Miller Orchestra and elegant sophistication akin to the Guy Lombardo Big Band. Special guest vocalist Charlize Vermaak performs an impassioned rendering of Cole...