The person behind the Jazz Marathon series is producer Don Thomson who occasionally would bring together two rhythm sections and some horn players for jazz marathons which could last for hours. After he moved to Los Angeles in 2014 he teamed up with guitarist Doug MacDonald as musical director for a new series and the latest double disc set is credited to Doug MacDonald & The Tarmac Ensemble, while the full album title is ‘Jazz Marathon 4: Live At Hangar 18’. Before anyone gets too excited and starts googling the track listing, neither Dave Mustaine nor any of his songs are featured, although I confess that would have been quite interesting.
This double disc set sees MacDonald ringing the changes, with the core band being MacDonald, vibraphonist Charlie Shoemake, pianist Joe Bagg, bassist Harvey Newmark and drummer Kendall Kay. But then he changes the rhythm section for bassist John B. Williams and drummer Roy McCurdy, and brings in the horns of Ron Stout, Rickey Woodard, Ira Nepus and Kim Richmond, and this changing happens a few times in the set which on this CD lasts for nearly two hours.
There are a few originals, but the rest are tunes by the likes of Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Gershwin, Mancini etc., and the result is a very clean and well-arranged set which is a perfect backdrop to a summer’s day without ever being too intrusive or dynamic.
Rating: 6/10
