Bones to pick: Las Vegas Boneheads extend long history in "Still Cookin'"

Curt Miller is at the helm of Las Vegas Boneheads.

 Among my favorite old records -- an inspiration to me as a teenage trombonist —was the trombone octet J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding put together for an appealing Columbia LP in the 1950s. How blendable outsize trombone ensembles with rhythm section could be in jazz was proven to me by this issue, with snappy arrangements and concise, impactful solos. I loved gazing at the whimsical cover by master cartoonist Arnold Roth as I listened.

Now a group with a history extending back almost to that era, the Las Vegas Boneheads, has released its second CD since it was reconstituted a dozen years ago after a quarter-century hiatus. "Sixty and Still Cookin'" (Curt Miller Music) is a project shepherded by Curt Miller, who is joined by colleagues working the Strip for this banquet of ten tunes, a few of them originals and all with fresh arrangements by Miller and other band members. It has the same appeal as what grabbed me in my distant past as a struggling instrumentalist.

Particularly exciting is the participation of Andy Martin as guest soloist. He lends a brash veneer with his solo on Miller's peppy "The Nervous Nellie."  The arrangement is typically revealing of this ensemble's great balance and precise articulation. Even in medium-tempo ballads, Miller is fond of short, staccato chords, as the performance of "I Thought About You" illustrates. 

These textures are catnip to a trombone ensemble. Nothing thrills more than the resonance of several

Fondly remembered predecessor to what Las Vegas Boneheads do.

trombones in close-order-drill, attack-and-release playing. (It's the sort of thing that enthralled me sixty years ago with the Jay and Kay +6 version of "The Peanut Vendor.")

Miller's arrangement of the chestnut "Cherokee" is even better. There's lots of interior movement of trombone voices, and another fine Martin solo. The way the arrangement turns Latin and to what feels like a 6/8 meter is an imaginative touch that lends new life to the Ray Noble tune. 

Also worth mentioning among the non-trombone spotlights are piano solos by Uri Geissendoerfer, especially in the Lee Morgan ballad "Ceora." As arranger, Nathan Tanouye contributes a fetching arrangement of Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark" and a surprisingly effective version of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," which ends the disc. The famous parade of chord changes is glossed over, but the tribute sounds genuine and leaves the "Giant Steps" essence intact. Tanouye  also has an imaginative solo there and enjoys the sitting-in of a guest rhythm section with an excellent drummer.