On their 8th album, The Flying Horse Big Band perform songs composed by Horace Silver, Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton, and Hank Mobley. Former Jazz Messenger Michael Mossman arranged two tracks for this recording, “Free for All” and “Gregory is Here.”

Several of their other albums hit the top three national jazz radio airplay charts. Their previous release Florida Rays (2019) reached #14 on JazzWeek, #1 on the Roots Music Report and #4 on the North American College and Community Radio jazz chart.

Jeff Rupert is an accomplished composer, saxophonist, record producer, and recording artist who has been a featured soloist with artists including Sam Rivers, Mel Tormé, Maynard Ferguson, and Benny Carter.

He is the leader of The Jazz Professors, director of The Flying Horse Big Band, and conductor of the Florida Symphony Youth Jazz Orchestra. Rupert is a Yamaha artist and founder of Flying Horse Records.

1. Free for All
2. Hipsippy Blues
3. Room 608
4. This is for Albert
5. Mosaic
6. Peace
7. Gregory is Here
8. Lester Left Town
9. Whisper Not
10. On the Ginza

This eighth album from The Flying Horse Big Band, composed of students in UCF’s jazz studies program, opens on the scintillating Free for All and the Pink Panther-esque roll of Hipsippy Blues and then we get brought forth the vibrantly alert Room 608, the gently furtive This is for Albert and the upbeat and rambunctious Mosaic.

Along next is one of my own personal favorites from the album, the aptly-named, Holiday-imbibed Peace and the finger-snapper Gregory is Here, and they are in turn backed by the full on swing of Lester Left Town, the recording rounding out on the emotively impassioned Whisper Not, coming to a close on the furtive ambiance found within On the Ginza.

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