Maria Schneider Orchestra - Concert in the Garden

GRAMMY AWARD WINNER - Best Large Jazz Ensemble Recording
GRAMMY-NOMINATED – Donny McCaslin – Best Improvised Solo "Buleria, Solea y Rumba." Maria Schneider – Best Instrumental Composition (2 nominations) – "Buleria, Solea y Rumba" and "Three Romances."

"The best album of 2004, by a wide margin, was Maria Schneider's Concert in the Garden (ArtistShare). Critics need to be careful not to mistake taste for trend, so I'm not sure how much to make of it that both this and Wayne Shorter's Alégria, my favorite from 2003, are Spanish-tinged. But this is unmistakably a step ahead for Schneider, whose voicings are as pellucid as any by her mentor Gil Evans, and whose touch, like Ellington's, is evident even in her sidemen's improvised solos."
– VILLAGE VOICE – Francis Davis

"Let's cut to the chase: I LOVE THIS ALBUM. This is the most lush, lovely collection of music my ears have indulged in for quite some time. There's gorgeous writing; inventive, original, and captivating arranging, and a sympathetic cast of soloists and players."
– THE AUDIOPHILE VOICE – Jack Skowron

"Tenor Donny McCaslin's inspired solo grabs hold in a work limned in fiery flamenco forms ['Buleria, Solea y Rumba'], fusing it together until it is a flawless whole. Few who hear this piece will doubt it draws its own oxygen; fewer still well doubt the genius and beauty of its creator.”
– ALL MUSIC GUIDE – Tammy LaGorce