The 80th Birthday Concert

George Russell has been a highly original arranger-composer in creative music for nearly 60 years, writing and performing music that is in its own world, with its own rules, logic, and genius. Although he has made some great recordings along the way, there have also been stretches when he was not that prolifically documented. The 80th Birthday Concert, a two-CD set, stands as one of his finest recordings and sums up much of his career. Conducting his 15-piece Living Time Orchestra, Russell performs new and innovative versions of "Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature" and the multi-part "African Game," which is over 40 minutes long and ends quite wildly. In addition the orchestra performs the briefer "Listen to the Silence," "It's About Time," and a reworking of the Miles Davis trumpet solo from "So What." While many soloists are heard from (most notably trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, tenor saxophonist Andy Sheppard, and trombonist Dave Bargeron), it is the sound of the passionate ensembles, the very original writing, and the spirit of the musicians and the ageless Russell that makes this a highly recommended set.