Large Ensemble: Roots Music

Composer, arranger, trumpeter, and educator Daniel Hersog seemingly burst onto the jazz scene with the release of his debut Large Ensemble album "Night Devoid of Stars" (Cellar Music). Of course, nobody just appears on the "scene"––Hersog, a native of Victoria, British Columbia, is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA, and, as a trumpeter, has played throughout North America with artists such as drummer Terry Clarke, trumpeter Brad Turner, the Vancouver Legacy Jazz Orchestra, and the Jaelem Bhate Orchestra (with whom he recorded two albums).  Hersog is currently on the faculty of Capilano University in Vancouver, BC, where he is an Academic Coordinator and Instructor in the Jazz Studies Program plus leads a trumpet ensemble.

Now, the second album from the Daniel Hersog Jazz Orchestra has dropped.  "Open Spaces: Folk Songs Reimagined" (Cellar Music) states its mission in the title.  The majority of the pieces come from traditional musics of Canada and the United States interspersed with pieces by Gordon Lightfoot and Bob Dylan plus several Hersog originals. The ensemble (listed below) is composed of musicians from both countries as well as classmates (Noah Preminger and Kim Cass) and instructors (Frank Carlberg and Brad Turner), many of whom appear on the first CD.  The addition of reed master Scott Robinson and guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel gives Hersog a bigger palette to work with and he does so liberally. The 10-song program opens with the late Mr. Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"––Preminger's hard-edged tenor solo represents the blowing winds and Carlberg's piano the roiling waves while Dan Weiss's drums are the sound of the boat splitting apart. That's followed by a rousing coda leading into Hersog's imaginative take on Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In the Wind".  Titled "How Many Roads", there's a flowing guitar solo over the responsive reeds and supportive brass.  The reeds and brass play a "call-and-response" with the piano before Carlberg digs into his solo over the rough and tumble bass and drums.

After a stately introduction, "Shenandoah" becomes a beautiful ballad featuring an amazing baritone sax solo from Scott Robinson. Heartfelt, emotional, melodic, the listener is transported out of the crazy world by the stunning and brilliant arrangement that supports him (kudos to Carlberg as well) and the simple yet generous melody.  Robinson returns to the spotlight on "Rentrer" but not until after Cass's lovely solo bass introduction and Carlberg plays the rambling theme which, in turn, leads into Rosenwinkel's short but sweet solo.  Robinson's baritone solo goes deep and then swoops to the higher register of the big instrument. The final two minutes of the piece features the sections swirling around the guitar, rising like the murmuration of starlings before the the abstract finish.

Photo: Robert Iannone

Other highlights include the playful "I Hear", a piece that opens with the ensemble "barking" at other until Weiss falls into an up-tempo rhythm for a hard-edged tenor solo before the tempo changes abruptly into a Fellini soundtrack interspersed with a swing beat for Ben Kono's fine clarinet spot. The longest track on the album (11:10), the playful tune makes room for a sharp and humorous romp for trumpeter Turner. Later in the program, the Hersog original "Sarracenia Purpurea" (named for a Pitcher Plant that grows in marshes and bogs) starts off on fire but quiets down for Robinson's baritone solo which slowly and steadily picks up in intensity as the rhythm section pushes him to dig in. Soon, the brass and reeds begin to color behind him before everyone frolics around the drums as the music arrives at its rousing finish.  

The album closes with a sweet reading of "Red River Valley" (for all its connections to Cowboy movies, the song actually was composed in Canada during the 1870s). After a pretty introduction, Rosenwinkel's guitar joins the brass and reeds to play the theme. After a second verse and a striking variation played by the Orchestra, the guitarist plays the melody once more and then plays his striking solo.  Even sweeter, the entire ensemble sings two choruses before the ensemble plays the melody before the lovely crescendo that ends the piece and the album. 

You will hear the influences of many large ensemble arrangers and composers in the music of the Daniel Hersog Jazz Orchestra but the leader's vision plus eloquent arrangements for this ensemble are clear and truly his own.  "Open Spaces: Folk Songs Reimagined" grew out of the composer/arranger's need to move his music forward after a successful debut as well as to adapt to the changes in his life (teaching and marriage).  There are interpretations of beauty and breaths of humor (and occasional chaos) throughout the album; the music flourishes on the collective work of this fine group of instrumentalists.  Do sit and listen––the rewards are abounding!

For more information, go to www.danielhersog.com.  To hear more and to purchase the album, go to https://danielhersogjazzorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/open-spaces-folk-songs-reimagined.

Personnel:

Daniel Hersog- Conductor

Ben Kono- Oboe, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet
Ben Henriques – Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet
Noah Preminger- Tenor Saxophone
Tom Keenlyside- Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo, Tenor Saxophone
Scott Robinson- Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute

Michael Kim- Trumpet and Flugelhorn
Brad Turner- Trumpet and Flugelhorn
Derry Byrne- Trumpet and Flugelhorn
Jocelyn Waugh- Trumpet and Flugelhorn

Jeremy Berkman- Trombone
Jim Hopson- Trombone, Euphonium
Andrew Porrier- Trombone
Sharman King- Bass Trombone

Kurt Rosenwinkel- Guitar
Frank Carlberg- Piano
Kim Cass- Bass
Dan Weiss- Drums

Listen here to "Jib Set":

Here's the DHJO in the studio:

The Sounds of 8 Hands Playing

 

Although best known for his work in saxophonist Noah Preminger's Quartet, guitarist and composer Max Light is just now climbing into the spotlight.  His debut album, "Herplusme" (Red Piano Records), was a trio date recorded in 2018 but not issued until February 2020, just a month before the COVID-19 Pandemic shut the door on touring musicians (and the rest of us).  He'd already recorded two live albums with trumpeter Jason Palmer, two studio albums with Preminger's ensemble, and albums with Yong Lee, Kevin Sun, Chris McCarthy, and others. Last year, SteepleChase Records released "Songs We Love", a collection of 14 tunes (mostly standards old and new) performed by Preminger and Light––it's well worth seeking out for the delightful conversations the two musicians over the course of 65 minutes. When producer and label owner Nils Winther offered Light the opportunity to record his second album as a leader, it was obvious from the get-go the guitarist would reach out to Preminger.

In fact, the new album, "Henceforth", is the Noah Preminger Quartet (bassist Kim Cass and drummer Dan Weiss fill out the lineup) recording a program of Light originals save for the tenor saxophonist's "High or Booze" that closes the recording.  One can hear that this is a "working ensemble" as the band has no trouble making each song sound fresh and alive.  The album opens with "Barney and Sid", a medium piece that has a touch of funk in its rhythm and angular melodic lines.  After an unaccompanied guitar opening statement, and feeding off  the band plays through the theme and then into the tenor sax solo.  Preminger has the time and the talent to truly develop his solo, working up a sweat over several minutes. Light is next, picking up on the energy of the previous solo and feeding off the insistent rhythms.  

The title track is next. The rhythm lopes along giving the piece an "Americana" feel.  As the four musicians move through the theme, the music picks up in intensity (pushed by the thrashing drums) before moving back to the gentle lope (listen below).  Check out how both Cass and Weiss move in and out of the foundation as Light builds his intense solo.  The bass solo is impressive for its power, its playfulness, and melodic flourishes.  Later in the program, "Animals", originally composed as an assignment in college, is a mature ballad––the guitar solo flows like a mountain stream while the rhythm section offers gentle support (Weiss on brushes, Cass playing counterpoint).  "Half Marathon", so named for the John Coltrane piece "26-2" that influenced it, gives Light the opportunity to strut his stuff before Preminger jumps into the high-speed dance.  

"High or Booze" is the final track. It has a strong, well-developed, melody (no mere blues, this) that leaves room for an emotionally rich tenor sax solo and a fiery guitar spot (it's a joy listening to the rhythm section interact with the soloists and each other.

Listen to "Henceforth" several times before passing judgement.  Max Light has created an excellent quartet recording filled with substantial melodies and spirited playing.  Having listened to Noah Preminger live and onstage for the past 14 years, it's a joy to hear how he has matured as a musician to the point of possessing his own sound.  Kim Cass and Dan Weiss are excellent throughout (no surprise there). A major step forward for young Mr. Light!

For more information, go to www.maxlightguitar.com.  

Take a listen to the title track: