Wayne Alpern Skeleton

Wayne Alpern
Skeleton
Self-produced

The publicity for composer-arranger Wayne Alpern states that he "is a New York City composer, arranger, and scholar who integrates popular and jazz idioms with classical techniques and repertoire to create a sophisticated contemporary style of cross-genre or even post-genre music. … Alpern's innovative compositions, recompositions, and rearrangements have been performed and recorded by distinguished artists from diverse musical traditions."

Alpern describes "Skeleton" as "a new dance of old bones, songs of ourselves." Further, he writes, "I studied classical music, but grew up with Motown and played in rock bands. That's a resourceful (and characteristically American) aesthetic dialectic. I gradually came to view popular styles, conventions, and songs as treasures of aural archeology, found objects, musical tissue, vehicles for creative transformation to be re-purposed and revived as original art through the redemptive act of arrangement, rearrangement or recomposition at a higher level of synthesis."

For this recording, he assembled, to play his arrangements, a brass ensemble with shifting personnel and sometimes a rhythm section. There is one tune by Alpern along with compositions from Charlie Parker, Dave Brubeck, Jessie J, Richard Rogers, Joe Zawinul, Jerome Kern, Donald Fagen, Clifford Brown, and others. On the opening selection, singer-songwriter Jessie J's "Domino," two trumpets, two trombones, bass, and drums, deliver a fetching, lyrical performance highlighted by Michael Davis's trombone solo. Charlie Parker's "Anthropology" is performed at a relaxed pace by a trombone quintet and drums. Various members including, James Rogers on bass trombone, soloing. The intricate arrangement allows for fascinating interplay between the players.

Billy Test's piano introduces a swinging rendition of Brubeck's "Take 5," with David Smith's heated trumpet. Mike Boschen's euphonic trombone is spotlighted on a trombone quintet rendition of "Blue Moon." A trombone trio and full rhythm section interpret Joe Zawinul's classic "Mercy Mercy Mercy," with Jason Jackson's taking the solo while pianist Billy Test lays down bluesy chords and a brief solo. Sam Hoyt's fluegelhorn shines on Frank Loesser's "I've Never Been in Love Before," while Alpern's "Blue Bones" sounds like a Kurt Weill composition with four trombones prancing around. Bassist Evan Gregor and drummer Josh Bailey complement the playful spirit of the performance.

 A quartet of trombones (Noah Bless (trb), Matt McDonald (trb), Nick Grinder (trb), and James Rogers (btrb)), bass and drums charm us on Jerome Kern's "I'm Old Fashioned." The bass and drums introduce the same four on Mack Gordon and Harry Warren's "At Last," with Bless soloing. The album incorrectly attributes the song to Etta James, who had the most famous recording of this song. These four trombones also captivate listeners with their rendition of "If I Only Had a Brain," from "The Wizard of Oz." Other selections include a chamber music-grounded version of a Handel composition by a trombone quintet and drums. Billy Test's bass and Josh Bailey's drums lay down a reggae groove for trumpeters Sam Hoyt and David Smith along with trombonists Michael Davis and Nick Grinder on David Fagen's "I.G.Y." A mellifluous trombone quartet rendition of Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring," closes this album.

It was such a pleasure to listen to "Skeleton." Alpern's arrangements and the various configurations for brass ensembles have produced a thoroughly enchanting, irresistible recording

I received a review copy from a publicist. Here is a woodwinds quartet performing an Alpern arrangement of "If I Only Had a Brain."

 

Brooklyn Jazz Underground Ensemble's Fond Portrait Of Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Jazz Underground is a cooperative association of jazz artists who aim to build a greater awareness of original music emerging from Brooklyn, NY. Five of the members have collaborated on a new recording A Portrait of Brooklyn on the association’s sister company, Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records. The members forming the Brooklyn Jazz Underground Ensemble are David Smith (trumpet), Adam Kolker (tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute), Dan Pratt (tenor sax, clarinet, flute), Anne Mette Iversen (bass) and Rob Garcia (drums). In addition to being excellent musicians, instrumentalists and band leaders, each contributed two compositions to this recording. While the compositions are inspired by Brooklyn, this recording does not attempt to define the Borough.

Listening to the performances here, one is impressed by not simply the compositions and playing, but also the ensemble work. One might suggest several influences of the overall sound including the classic Ornette Coleman Quartet, and such post-Ornette influenced groups as Old Dreams and New Dreams. Ornette's influence perhaps is most evident on Kolker’s JV, a selection that evokes Ornette’s classic groups (and Kolker’s alto saxophone here echoes Coleman’s blues-infused tone). Smith’s trumpet provides a nice contrast while Pratt plays in a bit more gutbucket fashion. If not sounding like a previously unrecorded Coleman composition, Smith’s Starr St. is a lively original in the post-Ornette vein. Kolker is strong on alto here (not sounding like Coleman) and also adds bass clarinet to the ensemble passages. Garcia’s playing is especially strong here, including during Smith’s solo.


Garcia’s “King” is a strong free-bop performance with a solo from Pratt along with nice supporting riffs by the other horns. Iversen provides a firm anchor as Garcia propels the performance along. Pratt’s Buttermilk Channel is built upon an intriguing motif stated by Kolker on bass clarinet. Garcia’s other original is the lovely, wistful 1898 (the title referrs to the year the City of Brooklyn became part of the City of New York), with thoughtful and lovely playing by Smith as Pratt provides embellishments under the solos.

Iversen’s Osgood in Brooklyn has imaginative interplay between the horns while Garcia’s The Hill is a toe-tapping performance with excellent playing by him as well as from Kolker on tenor. Pratt’s The Cyclone (named after the famed Coney island roller coaster) closes this recording in a hard bop vein, conjuring up some of Woody Shaw’s compositions and recordings. A Portrait of Brooklyn is an excellent collection of first-rate original compositions and terrific playing.

For more information visit http://www.bjurecords.com/artistsBJU.html. I received my review copy from a publicist.