Brass Abundance: Faddis Orchestrates His Vision
A horn-heavy ensemble date that lets Faddis conduct his own conversations with Dizzy's ghost.
Hornucopia arrived in 1991 as a confident statement from a bandleader still building his independent profile. This was Faddis stepping fully into the role of composer and arranger, surrounding himself with heavyweight horn players and establishing his own sound rather than living entirely in Gillespie's shadow. The album didn't become a mainstream event, but it found its audience among serious jazz listeners who valued his arranging ambitions and his ability to orchestrate conversations between multiple voices.
The core of the record is its horn section depth. Faddis surrounds himself with John Clark, Peter Gordon, Fred Griffen, and Jerry Peel on French horns, while Doug Purviance anchors things on bass trombone. The rhythm section—Renee Rosnes on keyboards, James Genus on bass, and a rotating cast of drummers including Lewis Nash, Buddy Williams, and Bernard "Pretty" Purdie—stays lean and responsive, giving the brass room to work. Ed Cherry adds guitar texture. This is deliberate orchestration, not a pickup date. Tracks breathe differently depending on who's taking the lead, and Faddis clearly spent time thinking about voicing and balance rather than just blowing over standards.
The album sits in the middle distance of Faddis's catalog—solid, ambitious, and aimed at players and listeners who cared about compositional craft in small-group settings. It's not the first place newcomers should land, but anyone curious about what a working trumpet composer could do with resources and control found something worth hearing here.
Who's playing
James Genusbass
Doug Purviancebass trombone
Ed Cherryguitar
Dizzy Gillespietrumpet
Lewis Nashdrums
Buddy Williamsdrums
Billy Drummonddrums
Bernard “Pretty” Purdiedrums
John ClarkFrench horn
Jon Faddisbrass
Peter GordonFrench horn
Fred GriffenFrench horn
Jerry PeelFrench horn
Renee Rosneskeyboard
Vivian Cherryperformer
Where next?
More by Jon Faddis
All 11 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
