Modern Art Orchestra’s Legendary Albums series presents the most important and unique albums of jazz literature, performed by MAO. By learning and playing these compositions and arrangements, the musicians are paying tribute to the jazz legends and are undergoing an intense process of musical improvement. The band absorbs the material of the original recordings, sticking to the arrangements, forms and compositional features. As improvisation is the blood of jazz, solos are invented by the players at the moment. Due to the respect shown towards the original conceptions of the legendary composers and the level of craftsmanship known from Modern Art Orchestra, the Legendary Albums series both brings you the essence of jazz tradition and guarantees a fresh musical experience.

Legendary Albums – Bob Brookmeyer / Tom Harrell: Shadow Box

The date issued in 1979 under the title Shadow Box, featuring one of the greatest trombone players of all times, Bob Brookmeyer can be described as the meeting of generations.  The doyen of the recording, the master of the valve trombone, who used to play with Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Jim Hall and Jimmy Guiffre, who became a colossal big band arranger later, was not yet fifty. A young master already in his own right, trumpet player Tom Harrell was 32, and provides dreamlike beautiful soli. The piano seat was occupied by the 46-year-old Benny Aronov, who provided all the arrangements. He had gathered a vast experience as the pianist and musical director of singers, soloists and studio bands, but, maybe due to his modesty, until then he had only published one record as a bandleader. Here the band performed three original compositions of his, too, such as the extremely powerful title track. In the studio he was not only the head of the rhythm section, consisting of Buster Williams and Joe Le Barbera, but he was actually the bandleader on this date. The LP was released this way, however digital reissues have put the name of Brookmeyer up front.
The recording proves that there is absolutely no reason to look down upon some of the mainstream jazz records of the seventies, especially when the groovy, laid back rhythms and the unhurried soli provide concealed tension. It also proves that an attentive attitude towards the other band members only increases the final result. No doubt that the famously modest pianist in possession of inexhaustible knowledge, Gábor Cseke will find this role absolutely fitting. The brass players of great fame, representing various generations (Kornél Fekete-Kovács, Attila Korb, Béla Szalóky), each of them playing a number of different brass  instruments, will look at their role as a reward and as chance to be further inspired by their fellow band members.