Label: Sunnyside Records, 2020

Personnel - Joel Harrison: guitar, vocals; Jon Irabagon: tenor sax, flute; Ben Kono: soprano and alto saxes, oboe, English horn, flute; Ken Thomson: alto sax, clarinets; Stacy Dillard: tenor sax; Lisa Parrot: baritone sax, bass clarinet; Dave Smith: trumpet; Ingrid Jensen: trumpet; Seneca Black: trumpet; Chris Rogers: trumpet; Marshal Sealy: French horn; Alan Ferber: trombone; Curtis Hasselbring: trombone; Sara Jacovino: trombone; Ben Staap: tuba; Ned Rothenberg: shakuhachi; Daniel Kelly: piano; Gregg August: acoustic and electric basses; Jared Schonig: drums; Wilson Torres: percussion, vibraphone, timpani.

On the big band recording America at War, Joel Harrison, an active guitarist, composer and bandleader based in New York since 1999, turns his attention to the futility and devastating consequences of the armed conflicts conducted by the United States throughout the years. With that in mind, he put together a tight-knit 18-piece ensemble to perform nine original compositions - written between 2014 and 2017 - and one cover, all arranged with fetching instrumentations. The conduction was assigned to trumpeter/composer Matt Holman.

Evoking Harrison’s youth in Washington DC and the strong rhythmic groove of funk music from the 60s and 70s, “March on Washington” makes for a wonderful first chapter, being smooth in the ear, yet sufficiently dynamic to get our attention to each of its moves. The substantiality of Ben Staap's tuba is strongly felt and the horn arrangement sounds great. After Dave Smith’s confident trumpet solo, an explosive wah-wah rock guitar, packed with coils and trills, erupts powerfully. Carried out by the marching snare drum of Jared Schonig, the piece's last third sustains tasteful horn lines atop. Unisons, colorful vibraphone fills, and saxophones in ecstasy, all take part in the magnetic orchestration that brings the tune to a conclusion. “1, 2, 3, 4, we don't want your fuckin’ war” is the musicians’ ultimate shout.

The cinematic noir tones that initially characterize “Yellowcake” morph into a Latin sumptuousness that also grooves with jazzy abandon. The title alludes to the type of uranium that George W. Bush used as an excuse to start a war with Iraq. The soloists - trombonist Curt Hasselbring and tenor saxophonist Jon Irabagon - allow many single notes to soar, forming phrases with precise articulation. The latter excels once again - together with multi-reedist Ben Kono (here on soprano) and trombonist Alan Ferber - on “The Vultures at Afghanistan”, a Latinized tour-de-force suffused with post-bop statements that showcase the soloists’ singularities. Schonig and the lively percussionist Wilson Torres systematize their maneuvers with acumen.

Both “My Father in Nagasaki” and “Requiem For An Unknown Soldier” share a more reflective nature. Harrison wrote the former piece with his father in mind, one of the first two men to reach the Japanese city mentioned in the title in the aftermath of the nuclear attack. Ned Rothenberg enriches it with sweet shakuhachi melodies.

If “Gratitude” mixes jazz and gospel and delivers it with a popish feel, then “Honor Song” boasts a sort of superhero-like theme in representation of the Native American tradition to honor warriors through songs. These tracks feature great improvised moments by trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and saxophonist Stacy Dillard, respectively.

“Stupid, Heartless, Pointless Drug War” closes out the album, offering a potent mix of groovy jazz and robust hard rock. Before that, you will hear Harrison singing Tom Wait's anti-war song “Day After Tomorrow”.

An impressive amount of versatility marks this album, whose message is strongly influential, both musically and politically.