Tom Loncaric and His Orchestra

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Like all good directors, Loncaric understands his music and the subtler components of his band. As a pianist, he surprises and delights with dynamic expressiveness. Those fingers fly as his melodic piano leads render a flowing undercurrent and upbeat attitude that sustain and support throughout. He soloes elegantly on the standards, too, including one of my favorites, "Body and Soul."

The orchestra recently released a bona-fide vinyl album (also available on CD) whose title track, Fats Waller's "I'm Crazy 'bout My Baby," is sung to perfection by Paul King. The album is a strong effort, but this is a band that's best experienced live. Its library performance features a guest appearance by cornetist Paul Klinger, a twelve-year veteran of Paul Keller's sixteen-piece band.

Photograph by J. Adrian Wylie   

[Originally published in October, 2002.]