Maria Schneider brought her native Minnesota landscape to Gil Evans’ orchestral impressionism. To stunning effect, Madison’s Paul Dietrich comparably evokes Wisconsin vistas. Akin to Schneider, sumptuous orchestral shapes drape over vamps, or hill-and-valley chord changes. Brilliant accordionist Gary Versace provides Grammy-winning Schneider slightly richer textures.
By contrast, Dietrich employs a wordless harmonizing soprano voice. Forward ranks a mere notch below Schneider’s best two or three albums. Yep, it’s that good, bolstered by ace Chicago-area and Wisconsin musicians. On opener “Rush,” Milwaukee trumpeter Russ Johnson’s stately lyricism rides swelling brass, and kicking boosts from Clarence Penn, Schneider’s own orchestra drummer. “Settle” suggests a homestead, putting down roots, embracing the future with quiet courage. The closing “Forward” suite (titled with Wisconsin’s motto) first describes, in playful horn counterpoint, Dietrich’s hometown of Ripon. Then “Snow” envelops contours of shade and light, and altoist Greg Ward’s ardently melting heat. “Roads” unfolds crisscross scoring, then sequences the same phrases among ensemble sections, and Dustin Laurenzi’s burnished, Getz-like tenor peals.
The suite closes with “Green Fields,” commemorating Dietrich’s mentor, the late Fred Sturm. His protege’s trumpet here sounds like cherished memory. For all the backwards-glancing and sense of place, Dietrich’s “forward” theme keeps listeners attuned to his winding road over the horizon.
