The Bob Florence Limited Edition - Treasure Chest (1990)

Arranger Bob Florence's second of two USA CDs (cut before he signed with the MAMA label) finds his 19-piece orchestra exploring four standards and a quartet of originals. Florence's writing makes such tunes as "Body and Soul" and "Chicago" sound quite modern, while his somewhat humorous "Big Band Treasure Chest" contains 24 quotes from swing-era recordings. With such top players as altoists Lanny Morgan and Kim Richmond, tenorman Bob Militello, trumpeters Warren Luening and Steve Huffsteter, and even valve trombonist Rob McConnell (during his brief residence in Los Angeles) among the many heard from, this is a superlative effort from the Limited Edition big band and serves as a fine example of Bob Florence's inventive writing talents.