The latest recording of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Flying Horse Big Band is Good News!
Really, that鈥檚 the name of the album 鈥� Good News! 鈥� and it has been in the top 50 on the three major jazz charts since it was released in July, even spending some time at No. 1 on the Roots Music Report鈥檚 chart. The band鈥檚 sixth album under Professor Jeff Rupert is charting higher than recordings by Van Morrison, Mike LeDonne and other notables.
The success of the band, made up of students in the university鈥檚 jazz studies program, is simple. 鈥淲e work at promoting good music and artistic endeavors,鈥� says Rupert, a tenor saxophonist.
Selections on the album include the works of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Antonio Carlos Jobim and others. The Good News! title comes from one of the songs on the album, which was composed by one of Rupert鈥檚 former teachers 30 years ago, Bob Mintzer.
This is the band鈥檚 first recording collaboration with the 麻豆原创 Studio Orchestra, which joins on several songs. Other collaborations on the album are with The Jazz Professors (Rupert, Per Danielsson, Richard Drexler, Bobby Koelble and Marty Morell), and guest vocalist Jeff 鈥淭-Bone鈥� Gerard.
Rupert, director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 jazz studies, also is conductor of the Florida Symphony Youth Jazz Orchestra and founder of Flying Horse Records.
All sales from the album benefit the jazz studies program. CDs are available from and CDBaby, digital downloads are available at retailers, and the album is available on streaming platforms.
The band鈥檚 previous album, The Bat Swings! (2018), hit the top three national jazz airplay charts, reaching No. 1 on both the Roots Music Report and the North American College and Community Radio chart, as well as No. 29 on JazzWeek.
The band also will have an album of Ray Charles songs coming out in January. Rupert has spent some time in New York producing the vocal component of the album.
鈥淣ow we have the top writers and musicians collaborating with the band,鈥� Rupert says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great time at 麻豆原创.鈥�
