Kenny WheelerRealistically, I shouldn't even get started talking about Kenny Wheeler, because I could go one forever. He is only a relatively recent discvorery for me. And although albums such as "Gnu High" and "Angel Song" and "What Now?" had always been recommendations, but I never really picked up on anything until I got more into Dave Holland. After acquiring "Gnu High", I suddenly realized what all the fuss was about. Besides the fact that the band assembled on "Gnu High" is out of this world, Wheeler exemplified a level of virtuosity and originality in both his playing and (especially) his composing that I had never experienced. Immediately I tried to get as much as I could. And what would we (I) do without all these blogs? When I saw Wheeler's debut, OOP and extremely rare album "Windmill Tilter" on a blog I was immediately skeptical. First of all, the link probably wouldn't work. Second of all, if it was at all good, why would it be so out of print and rare, considering that pretty much his entire discography otherwise is readily available? Well, I think i should repeat the latter question. WHY? Because this album is absolutely unbelievable. I was always a fan of big bands at a younger age, and this album is the penultimate example of what big bands should sound like to me. The writing is incredible, consistent, and the arrangements are perfect. Wheeler has a knack for arranging for large groups, and if he wasn't such a superb writer that would only mean so much. But altogether, Wheeler makes one of the most incredible 'debuts' I've ever heard.
Of interest about this recording: it was also a young Dave Holland's first recording. According to Dave himself, the original bassist couldn't make it, and Holland was recommended by someone else in the band. And at once a lasting partnership was made. The John Dankworth orchestra makes up the rest of the band, with the exception of John McGlaughlin on guitar. Supposedly the master tapes have been lost, meaning that without some great effort and difficulty, this is not going to be reissued. That being said, get your hands on it now and back it up, and then back it up again. Not just the for the sake of having OOP recordings, but for having great music.
