Challenges, Changes, and New Avenues for Expression

 

Photo: Shervin Lainez

In 2021, in the midst of the Pandemic, composer and producer Ryan Truesdell was worried about the future of the Big Band, a genre he has been quite committed to for a long time.  He changed his focus and decided to commission a number of big band composers to write pieces for string quartet.  Truesdell then worked with cellist Jody Redhage Ferber to help him think through the project and to advise on which musicians to invite into the studio to record what turned out to be 17 new pieces for string quartet plus, in several instances, additional instrumentation. He did not give the composers any restrictions but did invite them into the studio to work with the musicians who were interpreting their work.

The results of the experiment can be heard on "Ryan Truesdell Presents: Synthesis: The String Quartet Sessions" released through ArtistShare. Besides recording three of of his own string quartet pieces, the producer, who is the Manager of the Bob Brookmeyer Music Estate, used a work that the St. Louis Symphony had commissioned from the late trombonist-composer (1929-2011) but never recorded. Anyone who listens to contemporary Big Band music will recognize Jim McNeely, John Clayon, Christine Jensen, John Hollenbeck, Alan Ferber, Dave Rivello, and, perhaps, Miho Hazama but Truesdell also invited younger composers such as Joseph Borsellino III, Nathan Parker Smith, Vanessa Perica, and Asuka Kakitani. Producer and arranger extraordinaire Oded Lev-Ari debuts a new work as does bassist Rufus Reid, who premieres his "String Quartet #1". 

Photo: Leo Mascaro

How should one approach "Synthesis", a three-CD set containing nearly three hours of music? One obvious answer is with "open ears and an open mind" but that's too easy. You literally have to set aside that these composers, many of whom you've heard in large instrumental ensembles are working with a much different palette. As stated above, there are a few additions to the Quartet; clarinetist Anat Cohen is the main soloist on Truesdell's "Suite for Clarinet and String Quartet", bassist Jay Anderson joins a Quartet on Truesdell's "Heart of Gold", composer Borsellino III uses pre-recorded synth tracks on his "Paper Cranes", and Hollenbeck adds marimba, drums, and piano (not all on the same movements) to different movements of his seven-part "Grey Cottage String Quartets" that closes the album.  The Brookmeyer piece was written for and is performed by a string trio.

Photo: Leo Mascaro

There are pieces that have impressive rhythmic flow (the album opener "Where Can You Be" by Mr. Parker Smith Ms. Hazama's "Chipmunk Timmy's Funny Sunny Day", and Ms. Jensen's "Tilting World") and others that have moments where time is suspended or fractured (the "#1 Movement" of Mr. Reid's "String Quartet #1", Mr. Lev-Ari's "Copycat" movement of "Playground", and Mr. Rivello's "1. "Sorry" section of "Two Reflections for String Quartet". Several of the works jump out on first listening including Mr. McNeely's "Murmuration and Adagio", the leader's lovely "Dança de Quarto" and his four-part "Suite for Clarinet and String Quartet", and Ms. Kakitani's "Melt".

Photo: Dina Regine

This project owes much of its success to the brilliant musicians who interpreted the variety of styles, genres, ideas, and desires of the composers.  Violinist Sara Caswell appears on every track while cellist Redhage Ferber appears on all but two (she's replaced by Noah Hoffeld). The second violin chair features either Joyce Hammann or Lady Jess (who tours with Beyoncé as well as with her husband Jay-Z). Violist Lois Martin performs on the majority of the album save for the three times she is replaced by Orlando Wells.  

Perhaps that's the best way to enter into this glorious project: just listen to the musicians. Throw aside expectations and comparisons. Dive in, test the musical waters – take your time but also make the time to go back and really allow the music to move you out of the everyday and into its special worlds. 

As stated above, "Ryan Truesdell Presents: Synthesis: The String Quartet Sessions" is only available through ArtistShare.  Go to www.synthesissqs.com/ for more information. To learn more about Ryan Truesdell, go to https://ryantruesdell.com/.

Here's a little morsel:

Birthday Celebration and Gift

Any aficionado of 20th Century music knows the name Gil Evans (1912-1988). Fans from the 1940s remember his work with the Claude Thornhill.  The next decade started with he and Miles Davis creating "The Birth of the Cool" and then they transformed the "big band" sound with a series of Lps for Columbia Records including "Miles Ahead", "Porgy and Bess", and "Sketches of Spain."  In the 70s, Evans embraced electric keyboards and guitars, adding grit to his big band.  In the last several years of his life, he continued to work with his big band as well as smaller projects with Lee Konitz and Steve Lacy.  He and a large ensemble even did a tour of Europe with Sting. You can hear the influence of Evans' unique arrangements in the writing of Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider and Darcy James Argue (among others.)

Composer-arranger-copyist Ryan Truesdell is one of many young people who have studied the work of Gil Evans but with one major difference - after immersing himself in the music, he decided to fins out more about the man and the influences as well as experiences that shaped his writing. In the early years of his development, Evans heard the music of Duke Ellington and that changed the way he looked at the palette of big band music.  During World War II, he encountered be-bop and, with the encouragement of pianist/bandleader Claude Thornhill, created arrangements that merged the many different sounds he was hearing.

With the encouragement of Maria Schneider (for whom he has worked as a copyist for the past decade), Truesdell met with Gil Evans' family and was, after a while, granted full access to all of his scores and arrangements.  What the young arranger found was amazing, works that dated back to the mid-1940s and later pieces with different arrangements. Over the space of 2 years, Truesdell has amassed an amazing amount of music, much of which had never been recorded.

With the help of ArtistShare and in time for the 100th anniversary of Evans birth, Ryan Truesdell created "Centennial", 10 newly discovered pieces recorded with a wonderful ensemble.  The core group features Frank Kimbrough (pianist), Jay Anderson (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums) augmented on several tracks by guitarist James Chirillo.  The entire ensemble (13 reeds, 10 brass, 2 guitars, Dave Eggar on tenor violin, Joe Locke on vibraphone, Dan Weiss on tabla, brother Mike Truesdell on marimba and timpani plus vocalists Kate McGarry, Wendy Gilles and Luciana Souza on 1 track each) came together for 3 days of recording in August of 2011 in Studio A of Avatar Studios in New York City.  All of the larger ensemble cuts were recorded with everyone in the studio at the same time, no separate sessions for the rhythm section (although Ms. Souza and Ms. McGarry's vocals were recorded elsewhere.)

 Truesdell's sequencing is very intelligent.  The first sound one hears is tabla drums played by Dan Weiss leading in "Punjab", an Evans composition from 1964. In the manuscripts of the piece, Truesdell  found complete parts for brass and woodwinds but only 4 measures for the rhythm section.  And, when he heard the studio rehearsal tapes (the piece was originally slated to appear on "The Individualism of Gil Evans"), Truesdell heard that Evans never found the correct "groove" for the tune.That gave the young man the freedom to "play with what he had found and the results are a long (14+ minutes), languid, meditation with roots in Asian Indian folk music.

Evans fans will recognize pieces such as "The Maids of Cadiz" and "Look To The Rainbow."  The former, first heard by the record-buying public on "Miles Ahead", uses the the 1950 arrangement Evans created for the Thornhill Orchestra.  As for the latter, which first appeared in 1965 on Astrud Gilberto's Lp of the same name that Evans orchestrated, Truesdell admired the original arrangement that was pared down in the earlier version (basically, a flute shadows the vocal as opposed to horns or other reeds.)  Luciana Souza's gentle vocal over the lilting brass (Evan's brass arrangements rarely sound this "pretty") move the song like a spring breeze.  Jay Anderson's melodic bass is also prominently featured but make sure to pay attention to the brass behind him.

Other highlights include "Smoking My Sad Cigarette" originally created for vocalist Lucy Reed (who passed in 1958.)  It was the 4th arrangement for an Lp that only featured 3 of Evans' finished works.  Here, Ms. McGarry delivers a powerfully bluesy performance supported by Kimbrough, Anderson and Nash plus Brian Landrus (bass clarinet, alto flute, piccolo), Michael Rabinowitz (bassoon), Eggar's tenor violin, Marshall Gilkes (trombone) and George Flynn (bass trombone).  The fascinating blend of sounds create a "noirish" aural-scape without sounding theatrical or contrived.  "Waltz/Variation on the Misery/So Long" is a 19-minute medley that covers a wide swath of musical territory and includes strong work from Locke, Gilkes, alto saxophonist Steve Wilson and tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin. Of course, the work of of Scott Robinson on numerous reeds makes the music better.

The work of the rhythm section throughout this CD is just super.  One does not think of Nash as a driver of a large ensemble but his playing is exemplary.  Kimbrough has more room here than he does in Maria Schneider's Orchestra;  his creative solos and accompaniment shine brightly.  Anderson's gentle touch and melodic interplay as well as being the solid foundation this music needs.  As for Truesdell, he exposes to the world the many facets of Gil Evans' writing and arrangements.  The use of French horns, oboe, piccolos, bassoons (contra bassoons, even), the brilliant addition of tabla to the opening track and more illustrates how Evans heard the possibilities inherent in large ensemble music. 

In interviews with both Frank Kimbrough and Ryan Truesdell, they both mentioned the tremendous amount of music that this ensemble has in its repertoire - the 4 nights they played at The Jazz Standard in New York City for the "CD Release Party", Truesdell provided material from different parts of Gil Evans' career, a new program each night. This summer, Truesdell is touring Italy with students from the Eastman School and guests such as Paolo Fresu (trumpet), Stefano de Battista (alto saxophone) and Francesco Cafiso (alto saxophone) playing music from the Evans/Miles Davis collaborations.  Then, Truesdell brings the "Centennial" ensemble to play the Newport Jazz Festival, something that Gil Evans never did.  In the meantime, this recording is a gem and deserves your attention.  For more information, go to www.gilevansproject.com. 

Gil Evans at 100

Among the great recordings that helped initiate my ears to the joys of jazz was Miles Davis's "Sketches of Spain."  First issued in 1960, the recording paired the mercurial trumpeter with arranger/composer Gil Evans (pictured left) on a program of Spanish music from the pens of Manuel de Falla and Joaquin Rodrigo (as well as one of Evans' compositions.)  Evans utilized a large orchestra with as many as 14 brass players, 5 reed players, a harpist, acoustic bass and kit drummer.  "Beautiful" and "haunting" are good words to describe the results of their collaboration - Davis and Evans would go on to release "Miles Ahead", "Quiet Nights",  and "Porgy and Bess" - they had first worked together in 1949 on Davis's groundbreaking "Birth of the Cool" but their 4 releases on Columbia found great popular success.

All that leads into an email I received earlier today (reproduced below.)  This looks and sounds like an exciting adventure, one that should appeal to fans of Evans' unique approach to jazz and contemporary music.  

THE GIL EVANS CENTENNIAL PROJECT

Newly Discovered, Un-Recorded Works by Gil Evans Brought to Life

February 2011 Launch - March 13, 2011 Kick-off Concert in NYC

CD Release on May 13, 2012, Evans' 100th Birthday

"It's been a dream of mine to hear new Gil Evans works unearthed because I learn so much every time I hear his music. I don't know anybody who knows Gil's music better than Ryan and I can't wait to hear this music realized." - Maria Schneider

Next year will be the 100th anniversary of Gil Evans' birth, and the Centennial Countdown begins on February 16, 2011 when composer/producer Ryan Truesdell launches The Gil Evans Centennial Project (GilEvansProject.com) with the assistance of fans, friends, and musical colleagues, powered by an ArtistShare® experience.

While many centennial milestone celebrations involve collections and selections of greatest hits from the past, this centennial celebration brings to light newly discovered compositions. Most people know of Gil Evans' work with Miles Davis, but combining all of Evans' work with Davis accounts for only a few years out of a five-decade career. "Gil was an amazingly prolific composer and arranger. I saw thousands of pages of music manuscript, more tunes than I could count. As I went through this music, I started to realize that so many of these were never recorded or were heard live only a few times," explains Truesdell, the first person outside the Evans' family to have been granted full access to the musical archives.  As Miles Evans says: "I'm very excited about this project, and I'm behind Ryan Truesdell 100%.  He's a very talented young man, an excellent musician who has taken the time, and has the talent, to pull this off." 

Having sifted through stacks of music, some full scores, some just sketches, Truesdell has selected works that will give participants and listeners a look at Evans' musical world before and after his collaborations with Miles Davis. Among the works to be recorded for the first time are a number of pieces dating back to Evans' work in the late 1940s with the Claude Thornhill Orchestra, a few works written for singers including one originally arranged for an Astrid Gilberto album but never used, and never-before-heard works for a 24-piece ensemble that includes oboes, bassoons, French horns and percussion. This project will bring Evans out of the shadows, show him to be the pioneer that he was, and shine a new light on his legacy as a 20th century composer and orchestrator.

The Gil Evans Centennial Project provides an opportunity for fans and aficionados, students and professional musicians, to all join together in bringing the music of Gil Evans to life. What could be a better birthday present?

Fan-funded projects, a concept pioneered by ArtistShare®, not only support works of artistry, they provide participants with a behind-the-scenes view of the creative process. Through online audio, video, and journal entries, project participants will share the journey as Truesdell finds Evans' music, documents and compares the scores and sketches, applies deductive reasoning to prepare tempi, style and approach, and rehearses the band. Along the way, interviews with experts such as Evans' biographer Stephanie Crease, composer Maria Schneider, members of the Evans family, musicians who worked with Evans, and others who have been deeply influenced by his work will provide depth and historical context by sharing their experiences and insights. The project will continue with the recording, mixing and final release of the CD on May 13, 2012, Evans' 100th birthday.

On March 13, 2011, just one week shy of the anniversary of Evans' death, special guests Phil Woods, Andy Bey and Frank Kimbrough will join the Eastman School of Music Chamber Jazz Ensemble conducted by Truesdell for a New York City kick-off concert. The 7 PM performance at St Peter's Church will be preceded by both a 3:30 PM afternoon panel discussion moderated by Stephanie Crease with Howard Johnson, Helen Merrill, Maria Schneider and Ryan Truesdell, and the Church's weekly 5 PM Jazz Vespers that will feature the music of Gil Evans with guest soloists Frank Kimbrough, Helen Merrill, Howard Johnson, and Steve Wilson as part of "Prez Fest 2011 - Celebrating Gil Evans."

Truesdell, who was co-producer of Maria Schneider's award-winning album Sky Blue, is not only spearheading the project, but he will personally conduct the orchestra in live and recorded performances and produce the CD. A full range of participant levels is available from the $12.95 Download Participant to the $25,000 Executive Producer. Of special note is the $125 Composer Participant level that includes access to six audio lessons analyzing specific aspects of Gil's scores. Additionally, a brand new participant offer is still being designed that would enable schools, organizations, or even local communities to bring Truesdell to town where he would hold master classes and/or workshops as well as conduct a local ensemble in a concert of Evans' music, just as he did during the out-of-town preview concert that took place on February 17th at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.

Participation in The Gil Evans Centennial Project is available exclusively through ArtistShare®, a company noted for its groundbreaking approach to connecting fans with the creative process.

To participate, go to: http://www.artistshare.com/projects/project_experience.aspx?ProjectID=376&artistID=279&salesTypeID=6

"It's never too late to fall in love with Gil Evans" - Stephanie Crease

"[Gil] never wasted a melody, he never wasted a phrase. Students will discover him. They'll have to take his music apart layer by layer. That's how they'll know what kind of genius he was."- Miles Davis


ABOUT RYAN TRUESDELL

Composer - Producer - Educator

Ryan Truesdell is a composer of diverse musical tastes and influences with a healthy reverence for jazz tradition and an ever-broadening sonic palette. He received his Masters degree in Jazz Composition from the New England Conservatory and immersed himself in a broad range of musical styles while studying composition with Bob Brookmeyer and Lee Hyla. He composes and arranges music for an eclectic variety of ensembles ranging from small ensembles to big bands, wind ensembles to string quartets. Recent commissions include arrangements for trumpeter Ingrid Jensen with the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific, new music for pianist Frank Kimbrough with the University of Minnesota's Jazz Ensemble, and a new piece for Bob Brookmeyer's 80th birthday concert at the Eastman School of Music. Ryan was also awarded the First Music commission from the New York Youth Symphony's Jazz Band Classic, and conducted its premiere at the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2009.

As a producer, Ryan has already distinguished himself as a valuable resource in the studio.  In 2004, he served as production assistant for Maria Schneider's record, Concert in the Garden, which won a Grammy award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble.  He co-produced Schneider's next recording in 2007, Sky Blue, which has received unanimous praise including "Jazz Album of the Year" from the Village Voice Critics Poll, a Choc Award from Jazz Magazine in France, and a five-star review from DownBeat in 2007 (one of only two albums to receive that honor). Sky Blue was also nominated for two Grammy Awards, and won the category of "Best Instrumental Composition" (Cerulean Skies).  Most recently, Ryan traveled to Hamburg, Germany to produce a recording with Bob Brookmeyer and the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) Big Band, including both new and old works from Bob's catalog.

Ryan is an active guest clinician and conductor, working with musicians at a number of schools and organizations including Lawrence University (Appleton, WI), University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN), Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), and the New York Youth Symphony's Jazz Band Classic (New York, NY).

For more information, visit www.ryantruesdell.com.