Inauspicious beginnings

Last night MRJ and I went to hear the Mingus Big Band play at the new Strathmore concert hall. The guys were really good--awesome use of dynamics and tempo--but they just didn't sound as good as they could have. The new hall is an amazing facility, with its maple and birch (MRJ said it smelled like an IKEA store), but I don't think it really lends itself to the big band experience. The band was really impressed with the place, but the sound just didn't overwhelm the audience like I think it probably should have. Some of that could be due to the placement of the microphones, though, because you couldn't always hear the lead horns or the trombones. Sound check, anyone? In all, though, they rocked. Recommended listening includes: Blues and Politics, The Essential Mingus Big Band, and Gunslinging Birds.