As Mobtown Modern counts down to the first performance of The Rite of Spring for Jazz Ensemble, you can chart the progress and read all about the many, many decisions that have gone into the arrangement process at composer/arranger Darryl Brenzel’s blog Stravinsky for Jazz Ensemble.
This May, Mobtown Modern will close out its 2009-2010 season with something that, to my knowledge, has not been done before—an arrangement of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring for jazz ensemble. I mention this now because I played a gig with my friend Darryl Brenzel—Darryl is arranging The Rite for our show—this past weekend and he slipped me a CD of the rehearsal recordings. Wow. That’s all I have to say. Below are excerpts from Parts 1, 2, and 4. I’ve heard the entire arrangement and am convinced that May 12, 2010 will be a very special night.
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Has anyone (besides my lovely assistant) been following the dialogue between Alex “Savior-of-Classical-Music” Ross and Ben Ratliff over on Slate? I found this comment by Alex, which kind of ties in to a couple of my recent posts, interesting (well, more like, good because it jibes with what I said):
A jazz club finds the perfect middle ground between the aren’t-we-serious atmosphere of some concert halls and the aren’t-we-having-fun-now vibe of your more poseur-ridden pop venues. There is a lack of pretense. People are listening closely, and yet there’s a looseness about the whole thing.
One of my favorite shows on Saturday NPR is Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, the weekly humorous NPR news quiz. In a portion of the show called “Not My Job,” host Peter Sagal invites prominent guests on to answer questions about esoteric topics they mostly likely have no knowledge of whatsoever. Back in December, Peter’s guest was none other than jazz saxophonist and perennial whipping boy for sullen classical saxophonists, Branford Marsalis. Bantering about before the quiz portion of Branford’s interview, Peter tried to get to the heart of an important issue, which is fitting for a Valentine’s Day post:
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Peter Sagal: We heard a rumor, and I want to see if you can confirm it, that the ladies like the saxophone for some reason.
Branford Marsalis: Oh, man, that’s not a rumor. What makes you think that’s a rumor? I mean look at all the movies. As soon as the guy gets near the girl, what do you hear? Saxophone. There’s a reson for that. But at the age of 14 or 15 when I really wasn’t getting any girls and wasn’t hip to that, I’ve often said, in jest, you know I had to switch to the saxophone, because you can get women with the saxophone. And I will concede that you stand a much better chance playing the saxophone than you do playing an electric piano.
Charlie Pierce: Just the lack of hernias alone would be . . .
BM: There you go.
Roxanne Roberts: Well, wait, wait. Let me ask then: what makes the saxophone so sexy?
BM: I have no idea. It’s not that I made the decision. It’s just that you play it and women go, “Ooh, I like the saxophone.” I don’t know why. I’ve just never heard a movie, or a show, or in real life a person come and say, “You know what really turns me on? Fender Rhodes. I just love this guy. Electric keyboards? Oh, the DX-7 is just so sexy.” It doesn’t happen. I cannot tell you why, but I’m glad it’s the way it is.
CP: Apropros of nothing, is it true that all oboe players are virgins?
BM: You know that might be true. I don’t know if it’s true but I would understand why if it were.
CP: It is as someone once said: an ill wind that nobody blows good.
BM: There you go.
PS: I was just thinking about the accordian player watching you with a woman swooning around. The accordian player’s thinking, “I’ve wasted my life.”
(N.B. Download the complete audio here.)
For me, Michael Brecker was the epitome of every musical value I embrace and have spent my life as a musician working to cultivate. He played with an amazing and unique sound that was consistent throughout the entire range of the saxophone. His technique was flawless. He constantly evolved and pushed the limits of his abilities. And he played with absolute unbridled passion.
The first time I heard Michael Brecker I was in 9th grade or so. A friend turned me on to the new Brecker Brothers album. I remember being simply blown away by the sound that he played with. And he didn’t play the saxophone like a saxophone. I mean, he was doing some very saxophonistic things, but he was completely beyond the instrument itself. When I listened to Brecker, I heard more than just the saxophone playing. There was something in there, which was a feeling I’d had with only a couple of other musicians—John Coltrane and Bill Evans (the pianist). And sometimes it sounded like he was playing the saxophone like an electric guitar, and that was way cool. I got way into Brecker and discovered that he played with pretty much everybody in every style imaginable, from folkies to pop groups. And he sounded absolutely amazing and convincing in whatever context he played.
About 6 months ago, I wrote about Michael Brecker’s condition, understanding the seriousness of it, but not fully comprehending the rapidity with which it consumed him. So like many, I was stunned by the news that he had passed away. I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to see him perform live several times. Michael Brecker was a true innovator and a consumate musician. He will be missed.
Every time I clip into my pedals and set off on my bike, I am acutely aware of the danger involved in what I am doing. Despite the fact that I pay close attention to my surroundings while I’m in the saddle, it only takes one person juggling their cell phone and Starbucks latte in their SUV to make a mistake that could bear serious consequences for me. Screaming down the side of a mountain at 40+mph, one twitch, a little bit of gravel in the wrong place, some uneven pavement, it all has the power to end more than just the race or the day’s training. But here’s the thing: I am in control of riding my bike. It is a choice that I make on a daily basis. I choose to ride.
Yet some things are completely beyond our control. I think immediately of my colleague and predecessor at the University of Arizona, Kelland Thomas. In the late 1990s, Kelland emerged as a major force in the saxophone world. And when at 24 years of age he landed a teaching position at the U of A, it seemed a foregone conclusion that he would ascend to the greatest heights of our discipline, both as an artist and a teacher. However, in 1999, Kelland began to notice that he was having trouble playing like he used to. He couldn’t hold a note for very long without it starting to quiver. He later learned that he had developed focal dystonia, a condition in which involuntary muscle spasms lead to the inability to carry out a movement pertaining to a specific task–in this case, playing the saxophone. Sadly, Kelland’s illness derailed what was certain to be a brilliant career.
About a month ago, I, along with hundreds of other saxophonists, received an email from Michael Brecker’s wife pleading for someone that might be able to help her husband–one of the most innovative, influential, and most emulated saxophonists on the face of the earth–who was battling a very serious life-threatening illness. To be honest, I didn’t think much of this email at the time. I wrote it off as another scam in which someone was trying to take advantage of innocent people by using a celebrity as bait. What I didn’t know until today, was that Michael Brecker’s wife really did write that email. She must have spent an incredible amount of time compiling all those saxophonists’ email addresses with the hope that maybe one of them just might possibly be the one who could save Michael’s life.
I knew that the email was not a hoax today when Michael Brecker’s condition, in all its dire seriousness, was reported in The New York Times. The article’s title–”His Saxophone Is Silent, His Life Is in the Balance”–frightened me when I read it. Brecker, who is 56 years old, is suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of cancer which prevents bone marrow from producing ample healthy blood cells. His only hope for survival rests on a blood stem cell and bone marrow transplant, a dangerous procedure that is only possible if a stem cell donor with a close enough genetic match to his tissue type is identified. So far, no satisfactory donors have emerged.
How could this happen? Did Kelland Thomas do anything to deserve having a promising career as a concert saxophonist cut incredibly short? Did Michael Brecker do anything to deserve being torn away from his instrument–his passion, his voice, his identity–by an illness that threatens his life? The answer is no, they didn’t. And neither of them had any say, any choice, in the matter whatsoever. It is a poignant reminder of life’s fragility.
In what might be famous last words, I said “not all jazz saxophonists can play classical.” Well, some of them can. And I had the great fortune to be in the room with such an artist yesterday–the saxophonist Tim Ries. Tim’s done it all–jazz gigs, weddings, big band, studied classical saxophone with Donald Sinta (which is different than taking a couple of lessons with a famous classical saxophonist before recording an album of classical music), Broadway shows, played the soprano saxophone chair in the PRISM Saxophone Quartet for ten years, and toured around the world with the Rolling Stones for fifteen months, among other things. During his masterclass, he played two tunes, including a Bach flute piece with piano accompaniment. He played it on soprano saxophone, in a Baroque style (whatever that is), and improvised over the “changes” in a Baroque style (i.e. no swung eigth-notes). It was convincing, and true, and beautiful. The timbre was right. The intonation was near flawless. And as he played I thought, “I bet J. S. Bach would really be digging his stuff if he were here right now.” The fact that Tim’s primarily a jazz artist didn’t matter at all. He’s simply an extraordinary musician.
Alex Ross has been making up lists recently. So here’s a list of mine: Ten of my favorite recorded jazz saxophone solos that come immediately to mind.
1. Michael Brecker, “Every Day (I Thank You)” — Pat Metheny, 80/81
2. Michael Brecker, “Sumo” — Steps Ahead, Live in Tokyo 1986
3. Michael Brecker, “Quartet No. 1″ — Chick Corea, Three Quartets
4. Ornette Coleman, “Peace” — The Shape of Jazz to Come
5. Steve Coleman, “Multiplicity Of Approaches (The African Way of Knowing)” — Steve Coleman and the Five Elements, curves of life
6. John Coltrane, “Afro Blue” — Coltrane Live at Birdland
7. John Coltrane, “I Want To Talk About You” — Coltrane Live at Birdland
8. Eric Dolphy, “Out To Lunch” — Out To Lunch
9. Kenny Garrett, “Human Nature” — Miles Davis, Live Around the World
10. Dick Oatts, “Make Me Smile” — Mel Lewis & The Jazz Orchestra, Featuring the Music of Bob Brookmeyer
There's more where that came from. Music, videos, and albums by Brian all inside.
