David Berger & The Sultans of Swing, Hindustan - 1h 1m 36s

Tracks & Durations

1. Stompin' on a Riff	4:11
2. No Refill	5:21
3. Hindustan	7:57
4. Monkey Business	5:03
5. Bumper Cars	3:56
6. Poor Butterfly	4:34
7. Too Marvelous for Words	2:27
8. The Very Thought of You	3:47
9. I Don't Hurt Anymore	2:55
10. Do It Again	5:37
11. The Rising Storm	6:39
12. A Whole New You	4:58
13. Parting Words	4:01

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Review

Coming from an Ellington-inspired band whose previous albums include Harlem Nutcracker and Marlowe, which featured an atmospheric suite that conjured the world of Raymond Chandler's hardboiled detective, Hindustan raises expectations of another extended thematic piece, perhaps along the lines of Duke's Far East Suite. But the album title and desert-themed cover art derive from the inclusion of a 1918 tune given a colorful, expansive and characteristically refined reading by the Sultans of Swing. The rest of Hindustan ranges far and wide in showcasing David Berger's gifts as a writer and arranger and the seasoned orchestra's winning ability to combine Ellington's coloristic flair and Count Basie's lightly treading approach. Unlike those ensembles that stiffly mine big band tradition, this one remains flexible, whether illuminating Thelonious Monk's ties to Ellington on Berger's "Monkey Business" or highlighting the country-blues side of Dinah Washington via Aria Hendricks' vocal of "I Don't Hurt Anymore." With a nod to the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis band, the boppish elements fit like fist in glove: even as Mark Hynes heats up on tenor saxophone on "Poor Butterfly," the answering reeds remain insistently mellow. --Lloyd SachsHindustan is the fourth recording of composer/arranger/conductor David Berger and his band, The Sultans of Swing. This spectacular documentation of big band jazz in full swing features vocalist Aria Hendricks and 15 first-call, world-class musicians. It was recorded in Malmo, Sweden at the end of a Scandinavian road trip in September 2005. Hindustan follows Bergers critically acclaimed CD, Marlowe, and is his most compelling expression to date--as creator, composer, producer and conductor. Hindustan proudly and exuberantly displays its lineage to the famous big bands of a bygone era; however, the music that is conceived from Bergers mind and soul, and played by these master musicians, is anything but retro, and far from being a throwback. This is due in part to its emotional impact, which ranges from the universal and timeless feelings of ebullience (swing) to those of lamentation (the blues). Throughout the recording it is pleasingly evident that, like the great bandleaders that have put their indelible stamp on the jazz idiom, Berger has composed and arranged this music with these particular players in mind. And, in return, they have expertly crafted their improvisations to complement and complete the written music. David Berger & The Sultans Of Swing sound like one glorious, magnificent instrument on Hindustan--one that is capable of providing much pleasure to the ear, heart and mind. The sonic experience is heightened by the extreme care taken to record the band live in the studio without headphones, mix it with absolutely no compression and run it through an analog board, so that what you hear on this CD is as close to a live performance as ever captured on any jazz CD. Leif Marten Olofsson the CEO/Chief Designer of Marten Design, makers of top-of-the-line audiophile speakers says, In the autumn of 2005 I had the pleasure to see and listen to David Berger and his Sultans of Swing live in Sweden. Since then they have been a favourite for me both musically, and when we do demos with our speakers. This latest album has a directness and uncompressed dynamic that shows all the benefits of our speakers. Fantastic!

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