In addition to Zhenghtao Pan’s countless composing and arranging accolades – including the Bill Conti Big Band Arranging Award for “On that Bus,” a track from his debut album Scenery in My Story – the Shanghai born and bred, Boston based bandleader probably has one of the coolest day gigs ever, becoming famous in the gaming world for his scores of popular video games.
Chronicling his global journey with a colorful mosaic of large ensemble pieces on the new project, Pan is the big band equivalent of a confessional singer/songwriter and crafty observational comedian. His dynamic pieces, wild tempo variations and great solos by some of the 20+ musicians he gathered to execute his vision chronicle people, places and events from his life, creating something of a symphony full of melodic grace and excitement and dissonant, moodier passages to reflect darker moments along the way.
From the breezy, lilting vibe at the start of the ultimately lyrical and high spirited “Windy Days” (a flute-fired spin on the weather in both Boston and Shanghai) through the celebratory, fiery excitement of the closing title track, Pan seems intent on inviting listeners to experience an adventurous cornucopia of life experiences the way he has seen and heard it.
Starting with some personal geography, he takes us from a gentle folk-influenced reflection on his “Hometown” of Shanghai” to a percussive and bustling first impression of NYC (“City Machine”), then introduces us to folks like a dancer who didn’t let an injury stop her pursuits (the optimistic, elegantly swing “Dancing in The Dream”) and, on “Liars,” the set’s lone quick-phrased vocal tune (the speedy-paced “Liar,” sung by Benny Benack III, he ponders whether to lie to someone you love to protect them.
Other original gems include a frolicsome, breathtaking survey of the scenery of his home city (“Nightfall Over Shanghai”) and, at the opposite extreme, the aforementioned “On That Bus,” an haunting, alarming and dangerous soundtrack to a tragic bus crash Pan heard about that happened at midnight. Complementing the compositional greatness, he includes unique snazzy, high energy twists on Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke’s “It Could Happen To You” (from the flipped perspective of the pandemic era) and Joe Henderson’s “Nardis.”
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