Brian Carpenter's Ghost Train Orchestra
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Hothouse Stomp: the Music of 1920s Chicago and Harlem
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Sample tracks at allmusic.com
"This album is just flat-out fun...
The group seems to have a great time playing together, and their spirit and enthusiasm are infectious. Their chemistry and fervor make “Hothouse Stomp: The Music of 1920s Chicago and Harlem” one kick-ass history lesson and one of the few jazz albums I would recommend to
non-jazz listeners." –Phillip Barnett, blogcritics.org
NPR Best Jazz of 2011
"It's music with grit to it, with drive and raw energy...plenty of delights for the close listener." -- Patrick Jarenwattananon, for All Things Considered
"This is music from the heart of the Jazz Age that still has a raucous immediacy. In fact, just about every track on the band's Hothouse Stomp (Accurate) has the hookiness of a pop hit." -- Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix
"Brian Carpenter is a multi-faceted artist, musician, composer, arranger, film director, radio producer and more. In short, he's a guy who follows his muse. In this case, that muse is jazz of the 1920s and I'm mighty thankful he took this detour. Hothouse Stomp is a loving tip of the cap to some of the unsung greats of Harlem and Chicago's South Side...the only thing better than hearing this recording would be seeing the band live." -- Frank Alkyer, Downbeat
"A trip through 1920s Chicago and Harlem...Carpenter selected, transcribed, arranged, and conducted tunes made semi-famous by bands that have faded into semi-obscurity...one must stop and remind oneself: This crazy-beautiful living-history lesson sprang from Brian Carpenter's mind. Wow." -- Steve Greenlee, Boston Globe
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The Ghost Train Orchestra: Book of Rhapsodies
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Book of Rhapsodies is an ambitious
concept album of reimaginings of the work of four composers from
1935-1942 whose work straddled the line between jazz and classical
music: Alec Wilder, Charlie Shavers, Reginald Foresythe, and Raymond
Scott. Their music was unclassifiable, strange, beautiful, adventurous,
and innovative. The album features the 12-member Ghost Train Orchestra plus a 6-member choir.
The GTO's previous Accurate release, Hothouse Stomp, received stellar reviews and earned bandleader Brian Carpenter 17 minutes on Fresh Air with Terri Gross.
Listen to Fresh Air interview
Hothouse Stomp page
"This album is just flat-out fun...The
group seems to have a great time playing together, and their spirit and
enthusiasm are infectious. Their chemistry and fervor make 'Hothouse
Stomp: The Music of 1920s Chicago and Harlem' one kick-ass history
lesson and one of the few jazz albums
I would recommend to non-jazz listeners."
–Phillip Barnett, blogcritics.org
Brian Carpenter, trumpet, slide trumpet, voice
Dennis Lichtman, clarinet
Andy Laster, alto saxophone, flute
Petr Cancura, tenor saxophone, clarinet
Curtis Hasselbring, trombone
Ron Caswell, tuba
Mazz Swift, violin
Tanya Kalmanovitch, viola
Avi Bortnick, guitar
Michael Bates, double bass
Rob Garcia, drums
GUESTS
Matt Samolis, flute on "Revolt of the Yes Men" and "The Children Met The Train"
Brandon Seabrook, banjo on "The Happy Farmer"
BOOK OF RHAPSODIES CHOIR
Yolanda Scott, soprano
Katie Seiler, mezzo-soprano
Mazz Swift, alto
Tomas Cruz, tenor
Brian Carpenter, baritone
Joe Chappel, bass
Produced by Brian Carpenter and Danny Blume
Recorded April 2012 by Danny Blume and Andy Taub
at Brooklyn Recording Studios, Brooklyn NY
Choir recorded January 2013 by Bryce Goggin at Trout Recording Studios, Brooklyn NY
Additional recordings by Rafi Sofer at Q Division Studios, Somerville MA
Assistant Engineer: Rick Kwan
Mixed February-May 2013 by Danny Blume and
Brian Carpenter
Cover artwork: Noah Woods
Design and layout: Lure Design
Liner notes: Brian Carpenter
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Hot Town
Ghost Train Orchestra
"Hot Town is all about fun."
–Steve Greenlee, JazzTimes
"[A] friendly handshake of easy-going enthusiam and abounding good cheer."
–birdistheworm.com
Order Hot town...
Arranger, transcriber, trumpeter and singer (stay tuned!) Brian Carpenter and his Ghost Train Orchestra shine a brilliant light on under-recognized early big band music of the late 1920s.
Their Accurate debut, Hothouse Stomp, and followup Book of Rhapsodies, were wildly successful and critically acclaimed.
Hot Town finds the band in top form, recorded by Grammy Award winner Danny Blume, playing exciting and sophisticated arrangements with contemporary energy and attitude.
Of previous GTO albums, critics have written...
"Carpenter leads a suberb band of New York-based vanguardists [who maintain] the contrapuntal flash, sweet voicings, and fiery rhythms of the original era..." --Peter Margasak, Downbeat
"Music from the heart of the Jazz Age that still has a raucous immediacy. Every track...has the hookiness of a pop hit." --Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix
"There hasn'’t been big band music as exciting as this since forever...GTO is creating its own electrifying musical gold." --Andrew Velez, New York City Jazz Record
"The arrangements...pop like fireworks." --Phil Freeman, Burning Ambulance
"Brian Carpenter, who plays the trumpet here, took these old-old recordings, transcribed them for a ten-piece band and added his own touches. It's music with grit to it, with drive and raw energy. It's delightfully familiar, too — or is it? ...Plenty of delights for the close listener." --Patrick Jarenwattananon, for All Things Considered
Brian Carpenter: trumpet, harmonica Dennis Lichtman: clarinet Andy Laster: alto saxophone, baritone saxophone Petr Cancura: tenor saxophone, clarinet, alto saxophone Curtis Hasselbring: trombone Mazz Swift: violin, vocals Jordan Voelker: viola, musical saw Cynthia Sayer: plectrum banjo Ron Caswell: tuba Rob Garcia: drums Colin Stetson: bass saxophone Andrew Stern: tenor banjo
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