STEVE ROSENBLOOM BIG BAND, San Francisco 1948

In a streaming focused world where cover art is often limited to thumbnail images, the artfufl comic book like painting of a street in the City by the Bay circa late 40’s offers a stirring invitation to experience the stylistically eclectic, bebop and Latin leaning excitement and soulfulness of the Steve Rosenbloom Big Band’s stellar, emotionally engaging and constantly hoppin’ album San Francisco 1948.

The time traveling aspect of its title and dreamy, nostalgic title track ballad extends to the multi-layered story of the way saxophonist/bandleader Rosenbloom brought the project to fruition. Five of these timeless pieces, composed between 1985-99, feature dazzling arrangements by Chris Smith that were never previously recorded but were performed by the McGill University Jazz Band. Fun fact: Rosenbloom, also a practicing psychologist and psychoanalyst was a professor in the school’s Department of Psychiatry.

Leading a powerhouse, wildly adventurous 15-piece big band, Rosenbloom complements the vibrant updated versions of those older pieces with four more recent gems (including the title track), which were given likewise dynamic arrangements by Michael Johancsik. Naturally, while Rosenbloom takes poppin’, inventive alto solo on the fast rolling “Mexican Holiday,” Smith is featured in the four piece trombone section and Johancsik tasteful, high spirited tenor solos add fire to both the buoyant opener “Samba For Esther” (which also features a sparkling solo by the ensemble’s pianist Eric Harding) and the high octane, brassy bop happening on the cleverly titled “In A Boppish Sort of Way.”