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Tim Gill is a Los Angeles-based Downbeat award-winning vocalist/trumpeter who leads a power-infused ten-piece ensemble (the All-Stars) on their debut recording entitled Bon Appetit, featuring fourteen selections blending music from the Great American Songbook with jazz cover tunes and four originals. This is good old fashion big band swing jazz with vocals being the main item on the menu and Gill serving the main course. Not your standard vocalist, Gill is a young crooner using a hushed low-key intimate vocal style to front a small ensemble with a big kick.
The first serving on the menu is a high-octane rendition of the Ray Charles song “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” followed by the finger-licking swinging title song, a Gill original where Gill’s trumpet and the brass drive the music. Two of the finer delicious tasting vocal pieces include the original “She Can’t Belong To Me” and the Illinois Jacquet chart “Baby, Don’tcha Go ‘Way Mad.” Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” opens up with a thunderbolt of energy where the band weighs in with a meaty performance, Gill is especially sprite. The Young Rascal’s pop classic “Happy Together” is served up with an exciting new arrangement.
All is not swing however, as Gill lightens up offering a softer touch on the Brooks Bowman jazz standard “East of the Sun (West of the Moon) with more tender moments coming on “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.” Though the majority of the repertoire are vocals, the band dazzles on the instrumental rendition of the Count Basie tune “Jumpin’ at the Woodside.” Other dishes served well include “Undecided,” the Rogers and Hart classic “I Wish I were In Love Again” and the swinging finale “Baby, Quit That Bangin’ Around Upstairs.”
If you like tasteful vocals of the big band kind, then Bon Appetit! Should be on your menu for it is one unexpectedly appetizing dish you may wish to consume often. Tim Gill and his All-stars serve up a pleasurable full-course meal that is simply finger-licking good, impressive debut. - eJazz News
Discography
"Bon Appetit," 2010 (independent)
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Bio
Old. Fogyish. Crusty. Stale. Boring. Inaccessible. These are the adjectives that Tim Gill and his All-Stars seek to banish from the name of big band Jazz.Their irresistible cocktail of swinging, vintage groove mixed with hip, youthful energy puts a 21st century spin on the iconic crooner image.
Downbeat-award winning Singer, Trumpeter, and Arranger plunges into the fray with his high-octane ensemble of world-class entertainers. He crafts a new take on American Songbook classics and serves up unique, ear-catching original tunes; whether they are packing a dance floor or heating up a happening night spot, Tim Gill and his All-Stars always deliver a one-of-a-kind show you ll never forget.
Convinced that a male vocalist fronting a big band didn't have to resort to hackneyed Sinatra covers, arranger/vocalist/trumpeter Tim Gill sought to give new life to the genre using spanking-new, creative arrangements and a unique blend of musicians who possessed extraordinary onstage charisma. As Tim puts it: “I didn't want to do the same old thing. I wanted to take the classic American Paradigm of the nightclub 'crooner' and big band, and look at it from a modern-day perspective; both in the energy of the show and the material we cover.” The result is a slam-bang mashup of old-school groove and grit with new-school flair, a band that covers everything from Cole Porter, to Ray Charles, to The Beatles.
But it ain't just about the man behind the mic- they're called the “All-Stars” for a reason. “My goal with the All-Stars was to assemble a group of friends whose personality and rapport would make the music something special,” says Tim. Given their long history together, each of the 10 All-Stars brings not only their unique musicality to the project, but a healthy dose of slapstick hi-jinks as well.
The Tim Gill All-Stars debut album, “Bon Appetit,” was released in December 2010, and showcases the band's signature hard-swinging style. It's currently enjoying widespread airplay on such prominent radio stations as KJAZZ 88.1 FM.
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