For those unaware, Multi-Grammy Finalist, Pete McGuinness, presents his ‘premium’, acclaimed New York City Big Band with skilled, diverse, first-class precision, perhaps none more so than here now on his brand new album entitled Mixed Bag.

In 2025’s jazz world, there are so many styles, genres and ways an artist can be expressive (so many “bags”). For this project, McGuinness’ group’s fourth CD in their roughly 20 years of making music together, he’s included many bags that he loves to write music in and is lucky to have a band that can pull each off in a convincing and musical fashion.

Furthermore, this is the first recording that Pete McGuinness has recorded with his band since he had to say goodbye to his beloved trombone a few years ago (due to embouchure dystonia). He leads the band with precision and also sings on a number of cuts. He also wrote all the arrangements as writing and singing have always been additional and equal parts of how he expresses himself.

1. From This Moment On
2. Rebecca
3. The Dark Hours
4. Lilac Blues
5. Down The Rabbit Hole
6. Body and Soul
7. So In Love
8. Django
9. Round Midnight
10. The Sly Fox (in memory of Bill Holman)
11. Where Do You Start

This quite wonderous premium NYC large jazz ensemble sound recording opens on the sprightly charged From This Moment On and then we get the languishing beauty of Rebecca, the building melodies and rhythms that drive The Dark Hours and both the low slung, late night balladry of Lilac Blues and the infectiously-grooved Down The Rabbit Hole.

Along next on this deliberately mixed bag of styles and repertoire, is the resplendent Body and Soul and the smoothly soulful Cole Porter cut So In Love and they are in turn backed by the sheer elegance of Django, their take on the richness that has always been laid within the Thelonious Monk track Round Midnight, the set rounding out on the upbeat and jaunty The Sly Fox (in memory of Bill Holman), coming to a close on the luxuriously sculpted Where Do You Start.

Official Purchase Link

www.petemcguinness.com