Sorta-May (Sorta Dixie)

Customer Reviews

• Billy May displays his genius  Mar 6, 1999 (12 of 12 found this helpful)

  Sorta May / Sorta Dixie is packed with little musical jokes (2 key modulations in one ascending passage, or a marching band competing with a Dixie band) and yet never succumbs to the "joke album's" curse of getting "old". Each new hearing of it provides another smile, another double take, or another tap of the feet. May shows his cleverness everywhere and yet doesn't let it get in the way of the music. It is an admirable feat.

• Classic Billy May--Amazingly Orchestrated Jazz Arrangements  Mar 6, 1999 (9 of 10 found this helpful)

  Billy May is known for his outstanding arranging--the ability to take standards in new directions and this album shows how much fun this can be! Featuring a top-notch group of musicians (Conrad Gozzo on lead trumpet), this crew rattles off big band charts that are mixed with good ol' Dixieland swing. Certainly not main stream listening, this album nonetheless is very listenable and should be on every jazz arrangers most wanted list. Highly recommended.

• A master arranger's tour de force !  Jan 18, 1999 (5 of 5 found this helpful)

  Sorta Dixie combines the happy 2 beat feel of dixieland and the straight ahead swing of the traditional big band. Much like the baroque concerto grosso the small dixie group (the concertino)serves as the solo group against the background of the studio big band. Billy May is one of the top studio arranger/composers. His music combines great skill with a subtle sense of humor.

• Comment on audio quality  Sep 3, 1999 (6 of 7 found this helpful)

  Purists (like me) should be aware that these are originally (very good) monophonic recordings, but have been electronically "stereoized" on this CD. I'd have preferred untampered-with mono.