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Review
of "A Hot Night In Paris"
In
the latter half of the '90s, Phil Collins' career
hit a bit of a sales slump, and instead of shamelessly
chasing after another number one single, he decided
to change pace and try something different.
Returning to the drums, he assembled the Phil Collins
Big Band, reviving the sound of such idols as Buddy
Rich and Sonny Payne, but largely sticking with
his original material. After a brief European tour
in 1996 (which happened to feature Quincy Jones
as conductor and Tony Bennett as vocalist), he created
a new version of the band featuring several accomplished
jazz and studio musicians in support -- notably
alto saxophonist Gerald Albright, but also guitarist
Daryl Stuermer, tenor saxophonist James Carter,
and pianists George Duke and Brad Cole, among many
others, in varying roles. That band toured America
and Europe in 1998, and it's the one featured on
the ten-song, 70-minute live album A Hot Night in
Paris. Initially, it may be disarming for long-time
fans (and detractors) to hear "Sussudio,"
"That's All," and "Against All Odds"
blaring forth in brash, brassy arrangements, and
it is true that the melodies can occasionally sound
thin in this context, but once that first reaction
passes, A Hot Night in Paris is actually entertaining.
Collins doesn't try anything new with the big band
form -- he just updates it with his own songs, including
the Genesis chestnut "The Los Endos Suite,"
along with covers of Miles Davis' "Milestones"
and the Average White Band's "Pick up the Pieces."
It's the sort of record that will inevitably irk
purists, since it's targeted right at mainstream
jazz audiences, ones that aren't really familiar
with big band music but have a vague idea of what
it sounds like, but anyone whose standards aren't
quite as exacting will likely be pleasantly surprised
with A Hot Night in Paris. When the band just plays
-- which is quite often, since the themes are stated
quickly enough so they're recognized, then they
disappear -- this is swinging, accomplished music
that's unpretentious and fun. It's never more than
simply entertaining, but that's all it needs to
be -- it's more enjoyable than any record Collins
has put out in over a decade, and it suggests that
this is a dignified and charming way for him to
mature.
Phil Collins' Big Band - A Hot
Nigh In Paris tracks:
1. Sussudio
2. That's All
3. Invisible Touch
4. Hold on My Heart
5. Chips and Salsa
6. I Don't Care Anymore
7. Milestones
8. Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
9. Pick up the Pieces
10. Los Endos Suite
