| Jazz |
Royce Campbell Goes Off the Map with the Vosbein Magee Big Band on Vagabond
Jazz guitarist, composer, and arranger Royce Campbell takes a detour from the expected with Vagabond, a richly layered collaboration with the Vosbein Magee Big Band, a group often called the best big band to come out of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Known for their adventurous spirit and razor-sharp execution, the band provides the perfect vehicle for Campbell to explore new territory, blending old-school swing with fresh ideas and cinematic textures.
Vagabond is exactly what the title suggests: a musical road trip, drifting through eras, moods, and genres. Campbell brings his signature touch, tasteful, refined, and full of emotional nuance, to a collection that mixes his own compositions with reimagined classics. These aren’t just covers. They’re bold rewrites, reinterpretations, and sometimes outright reinventions that blur the line between nostalgia and innovation.
There’s an unmistakable retro flavor to the album, and it’s no accident. Campbell spent years working alongside legendary composer Henry Mancini, whose influence can still be heard in the whimsical, polished atmosphere of Campbell’s arrangements. Think The Pink Panther, but grown up, still playful, still stylish, but shaded with depth and introspection. There’s even a wink to Mancini’s famous theme if you listen closely enough.
Here is the first episode:
And when you do listen, especially with eyes closed, you’ll find yourself transported. This is music that evokes an era when jazz was as much about personality as it was about precision, when bands swung hard and made you feel good just to be alive. That energy is alive and well in the Vosbein Magee Big Band, a relatively young outfit (founded in 2015) with an old soul. From the start, their mission has been to dig up and breathe life into rare, underappreciated jazz compositions. Working with Campbell on Vagabond only deepens that commitment, offering a sound that honors tradition while nudging it gently forward.
Campbell is the thread that ties it all together, not just as a soloist, but as an instigator of ideas, a player who knows when to lead and when to blend into the fabric. His guitar work is never flashy for its own sake, but always expressive, always telling a story. He knows how to elevate the ensemble without overshadowing it. That balance, that grace, is what makes this album stand out.
To anyone familiar with Campbell’s resume, this level of artistry won’t come as a surprise. Over the years, he’s played with an astonishing range of jazz luminaries, Pat Martino, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow, Jimmy Raney, Cal Collins. Add to that names like John Abercrombie, Larry Coryell, Mundell Lowe, Charlie Byrd, Gene Bertoncini, Bucky Pizzarelli, it reads like a hall-of-fame lineup of jazz guitarists. He’s toured Europe eight times, Japan ten, and performed alongside some of the most iconic voices in jazz history: Sarah Vaughan, Mel Tormé, James Moody, Nancy Wilson, Dave Brubeck, Ray Brown, Joe Williams, Mose Allison, and many more.
That kind of pedigree brings depth, but also humility. Vagabond doesn’t shout. It invites. It opens doors to a time when arrangements were lush, solos were storytelling, and albums had a sense of place and purpose. It’s rooted in classic big band structure, yes, you’ll recognize the format, but that familiarity is part of the appeal. This isn’t about reinventing the wheel; it’s about reminding us why the wheel rolled so beautifully in the first place.
And within that frame, there’s plenty of room to appreciate the subtleties. Listen for the elegance in Campbell’s phrasing, the warmth in the brass, the unexpected twists in the arrangements. There’s a quiet joy running through the album, a feeling that, just maybe, the spirit of jazz is still out there roaming, curious and free.
Vagabond is the kind of album that invites repeat listens. Jazz fans will find not just comfort in its grooves, but also inspiration, a reminder that even within a well-worn tradition, there are always new paths to wander.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, May 4th 2025
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Musicians: Rouyce Campbell – guitar, Vosbein Magee Big Band
Tracklist:
Peepers
Gentle Breeze
A Sharp Blues
Body and Soul
Mambo Puente
Vagabond
Middle Ground
Dancing Waterfall
Inner Peace
Viper