Wayne Alpern & Dorian Wind Quintet - Jukebox

 

Wayne Alpern & Dorian Wind Quintet - Jukebox - Henri Elkan Music

According to his website, "Wayne Alpern ALPERN 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. After years of composing complex new music, he embraced his personal history and indigenous musical culture and fused them with his classical background and training. His work includes numerous jazz arrangements, string quartets, woodwind and brass quintets, mixed ensembles, pieces for string orchestra, and several piano works."

This present recording consists of his arrangements for the Dorian Wind Ensemble of twenty songs from the classics, Broadway, jazz classics, and rock-pop standards. The Dorian Wind Ensemble consists of Gretchen Pusch on flute, Gerald Reuter on oboe, Benjamin Fingland on clarinet, Karl-Kraner-Johansen on horn, and Adrian Morejon on bassoon.

The Wind Ensemble's performance of the arrangements transform compositions such as "Blue Moon," Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Start Believing,'" Charlie Parker's "Ornithology," The Beatles' "Penny Lane," and the Stephen Sondheim classic "Send In the Clowns" into chamber ensemble gems. The resulting performances are such that they might be comfortable being on a Masterpiece Theater show (and one of the tunes performed is the "Downton Abbey" theme). 

Alpern's arrangements also give considerable charm to Duke Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood," "Do-Re-Mi" from "The Sound of Music," and the "Nutcracker Suite." "Jukebox" is a fascinating and delightful recasting of familiar numbers that may be easy to listen to but has solid musical substance.

I received my review copy from a publicist.

Daniel Smith Jazz Suite For Bassoon

Daniel Smith has established himself as an extraordinary practitioner of the bassoon, not simply in the classical realm, but in the jazz and crossover genres as well. His career spans his recording of all 37 Vivaldi concertos to 2014's "Hot Smokin' Bassoon Blues." Despite Smith's remarkable facility on the bassoon, I found listening to that recording a challenge in part because of the sonority of the instrument itself. However, along comes across a release of recordings made two decades ago, "Jazz Suite For Bassoon" (Summit Records), with music that is more satisfying to these ears.

The recording has three parts that displays the breath of Smith's musical range. The first part is entitled "Baroque Adaptations For Bassoon and Jazz Trio." Accompanied by a jazz trio, he plays compositions by Vivaldi, Bach, Henry Purcell and William Byrd. First adapting Vivaldi's "Allegro from Concerto in Bb," he jazz trio backing provides a chamber group feel for Smith's supple and stately playing. William Byrd's "Pavan: The Earl of Salisbury" in contrast has a more relaxed morose feel in the accompaniment and Smith's measured playing and followed by a swinging rendition of Purcell's "Air For Ground Bass," which will suggest some of the Modern Jazz Quartet explorations in a similar vein. This set of five pieces has an intimate feel and appeal.

The second part of the CD has Smith and a baroque music ensemble, the Caravaggio Ensemble rearrange three of Scott Joplin piano rags, "The Chrysanthemum," "The Easy Winners" and "Original Rags." Michael J. West in his notes for this release observes that this performance would have been a smash in 18th Century Ballrooms. The lively reworking of ""The Chrysanthemum," Smith taking the lead with the ensemble providing a foundation and musical accents. "The Easy Winners" has marvelous playing by Smith along with complementary interplay from the strings and restrained piano.

The three movement "Jazz Suite For Bassoon" was composed by pianist Steve Grey who plays on it along with guitarist Mitch Dalton, vibraphonist Jim Lawless, bassist Ray Babbington; and drummer Mike Smith. The opening "Allegro" movement incorporates elements of Bobby Timmons and the Adderlys in the very lyrical melody. The second movement "Ballade," opens with Lawless setting the mood on vibes before Smith enters, sounding almost like a cello. His playing is followed by a piano trio segment before Smith reenters. It is a lovely performance. The third and concluding movement, "Finale" mixes blues, march and vigorous rhythmic swing for a lively conclusion to the suite and the recording that bridges the realms of classical and jazz.

Daniel Smith's "Jazz Suite For Bassoon" is a marvelous showcase for Smith's bassoon mastery and some marvelous chamber jazz.

A publicist provided the review copy. I have made minor changes in the review that originally appeared in the September-October Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 362).

Anne Mette Iversen’s Double Life So Many Roads

Anne Mette Iversen’s Double Life
So Many Roads
BJU Records

Danish born bassist, composer and leader Anne Mette Iversen leads Double Life which is comprised of her own Quintet comprised of John Ellis on saxophone, Peter Dahlgren on trombone; Danny Grissett on piano and Otis Brown III on drums; and 4Corners, a string quartet comprised of Tine Rudloff on violin; Sarah McClelland on violin; Anne Soren on viola; and Mats Larsson on cello.

In her brief notes, she states she wants to have the music speak for itself: "Its conception and realisation has been a long journey. Along the road I had many ideas about how to present it to you: which story to tell you, which words to describe it with and which pictures to paint in your head. In the end, I rejected them all to let the music speak for itself, and, hopefully, to leave space for it to become your own personal journey.” In line with the above, she has eschewed titles for the parts of her recording and simply refers to them as Chapters. For this recording, we have a solo bass prologue followed for four chapters and then a brief epilogue.

Iversen’s bass solo enables her to provide an underlying motif that the strings, her and Ellis first state with the strings spotlighted with Ellis’ soprano sax providing a counterpoint to them which has the full ensemble restating the theme before Dahlgren takes lead on the remainder of the first chapter backed by the quintet with the strings providing additional musical shading on a performance with a pastoral feel. It it illustrative of Iversen’s adeptness at integrating strings into a swinging jazz performance and not simply being a sweet background.

The strings help set the transition to the second chapter that opens with very invigorating playing by Grissett accompanied by Iversen’s firm bass and Brown’s driving drumming before the horns enter. Ellis takes a fiery solo which is followed by the gruffer sound of Dahlgren on trombone. If the first chapter is a pastoral stroll down a rural roadway, Chapter two takes us to a busy interstate with the strings accenting the hard bop including Brown’s drum solo. After Brown’s solo, the music segues into an interlude from the string quartet before the entire ensemble rides this piece out with the voicing of Dahlgren and the strings prominent.

Chapter Three opens in a languid vein with the strings and Dahlgren up front while Brown’s light touch enhances the mood. Ellis takes a lovely solo exhibiting his marvelous tone, followed by Iversen taking a solo with the strings, especially cellist Larsson, providing counterpoint, leading to a lovely solo trombone segment. The tempo rackets up with the strings adding to the heat with spirited interaction among themselves and the quintet.

This is an engaging recording that illustrates Iversen’s adroit blending of the string quintet with a jazz ensemble for varied, and captivating, recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is the Anne Mette Iversen Quintet in performance.