"The John Garvey Illinois All-Stars gave a performance (at the historic 1968 Newport Jazz Festival) that made the future of big-band jazz seem much more hopeful than did the four more renowned bands - Count Basie's, Duke Ellington's, Woody Herman's and Dizzy Gillespie's - that were heard on Friday night. The Garvey band not only matched the big names in its ensemble and solo work, but its arrangements, written by band members, were far more varied and imaginitive than the generally cut-and-dried orchestrations of the better known bands." - The New York Times, Sunday July 7th, 1968 This CD is a compilation of the best of the Garvey band's live and studio recordings from that period. |