This disc received Gramophone magazine's "Recording of the Month" award for December 1998. Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas founded the New World Symphony in 1987 as a training orchestra for young musicians--beyond college orchestras, there is little else to prepare players for the rigor and routine of orchestral careers. The program, which offers three-year fellowships, has had great success and produced both players for the top orchestras in the U.S. and recordings of a level to rival those orchestras. The primary difference between their recordings and those of "major" orchestras is the repertoire: NWS's previous recordings have focused on Heitor Villa-Lobos, Paul Schoenfield and Ingolf Dahl. NEW WORLD JAZZ presents jazzy and jazz-influenced works by eight European and American composers. Some, like George Gershwin, are known for their "popular" works; others, like Leonard Bernstein and John Adams, are well-known for fusing elements of American vernacular styles and harmonies into their "classical" works. Beyond 'Rhapsody in Blue' the works are a bit off the beaten path, and the program is entirely rewarding. To close the disc, MTT stepped further off the path to Hollywood for David Raksin's theme from 'The Bad and the Beautiful,' and his young players pour themselves into this lush example of 1950s film music.
