Royce Campbell and the Vosbein Magee Big Band, Vagabond Review

Royce Campbell’s Vagabond: A Guitarist’s Voice in Flight with Big Band Fire

By Nolan DeBuke

Royce Campbell is no journeyman guitarist as he’s the rare player who has lived inside the lineage of jazz guitar and carved a voice of his own. His career reads like a roll call of the greats: Martino, Ellis, Farlow, Raney, Collins, Abercrombie, Coryell, Byrd, Bertoncini, Pizzarelli. That pedigree alone tells you two things. One, he has been tested in the highest company, and his sound carries the DNA of post-war jazz guitar. But Vagabond, cut with the Vosbein Magee Big Band, is a program of music that shows he is a player who still has something fresh to say. He presents his own tunes, his uncle Carroll DeCamp’s previously unplayed charts, and a rhythm section sharp enough to carve granite.

The record opens with “Peepers,” its relaxed swing feel setting the tone for Campbell’s guitar voice with brass and reeds. His phrasing is clean, relaxed, and conversational. Matt Niess follows with a trombone solo that leans on swing articulation and a broad, vocal-like tone. The ensemble’s ethos is to listen and function as a whole. The solos are dialogues, not monologues. “Gentle Breeze” widens the canvas, Bill Schnepper’s soprano lending an airy foil to Campbell’s warm lines, while Chris Magee’s trumpet plays off the guitarist’s lyricism like a second storyteller entering the room.

“A Sharp Blues” has interesting band hits and Campbell playing in a call-and-response style with the big band. The swing blues is a fertile ground for the solo roster. Campbell swings in with blues inflections and a clear swing with nothing feeling forced. Bob Bowen’s bass and Greg Moody’s solo have lyricism and jazz blues style.  James Cotton digs into the lineage of blues-drenched saxophone soloing. The band plays an outstanding short chorus followed by Matthew Billing’s swinging piano solo.

“Body and Soul,” the lone standard, is a showcase for the big band’s lush sonorities and Campbell’s tone, unadorned, pulling the emotion from the melody. The balance in each section of the big band is spot-on, each section bringing their part with warmth. Campbell’s unaccompanied guitar arrangement in the center reflects his voice through the changes. Campbell’s solo is romantic and speaks from a classic jazz sound.

“Mambo Puente” sways with a Latin fire, propelled by Magee’s trumpet and DeWayne Peters’ percussion feel. Campbell cuts through with clarity, moving with the groove through the changes with melodic passages. “Moon Cycle” has big chordal voicings leading to Alec Moser’s flügelhorn playing the beautiful melody. Campbell’s guitar solo threads in the song’s theme, and Moody adds his alto lyricism during his solo. The title track, “Vagabond,” is a swinging selection with adventurous horn parts and harmonically rich hits.

“Middle Ground” continues the swing feel with the big band playing commentary to Campbell’s warm guitar tones. It’s his compositional voice at center, and the result is a very enjoyable straight-ahead jazz guitar performance. “Dancing Waterfall” brings back lush orchestration, Kerry Moffit’s nimble trumpet solo leading into Campbell’s cascading guitar runs, which build with Bowen’s bass interaction. “Inner Peace” and “Viper” close the set with contrast: the former a lyrical meditation with Schnepper’s flute providing calm light, the latter a burner where Campbell’s lines coil with the changes over a straight-eighth Latin feel. The ensemble sections are well-written and executed.

Carroll DeCamp’s charts deserve attention as they give him a playground of lush ensemble colors. And the Vosbein Magee Big Band is a first-rate ensemble, able to handle swing, Latin, and ballad textures with equal finesse. You can hear the Kenton-school ambition in their voicings, but the execution is more elastic, more conversational, less about bludgeoning and more about texture and swing.

Campbell solos breathe, his comping is clear, his time impeccable. The clarity of the mix is worth noting as Campbell’s tone is never swallowed by brass density, and the dynamic range lets the guitar glide above without losing the body of the band. Vagabond is a robust guitarist-meets-big-band record. It’s a combination of excellent soloists with fresh charts and a hungry ensemble that will certainly find its way into your jazz record collection.