08/17/2024
I’m happy to share that tonight the Keio Light Music Society, one of the most prominent and decorated university jazz groups in all of Japan, will be debuting the jazz orchestra piece they commissioned me to write for them two months ago.
The KLMS perform pre-existing works and regularly commission new works by New York City based jazz composers, the most recent of which prior to me are individuals whose reputation precedes them, and who I'm fortunate to know as peers; Remy Le Boeuf, Ryan Keberle, Pedro Giraudo, Jonathan Powell, Martha Kato, Christopher Zuar and Miho Hazama (挾間 美帆) to name a few. To be mentioned as a composer in the same breath as them is an honor in itself, and I did my best to live up to the extremely high standard of musicianship and artistry they embody.
The piece is being performed as part of the 55th Annual Yamano Big Band Contest being held this year at 川崎市スポーツ・文化総合センター カルッツかわさき. The competition will feature performances by 30+ collegiate big bands from around the country over a two day period.
It was a fun challenge to write a big band piece that had to conform to a specific time limit, slightly different instrumentation, and that had to feature various sonic elements, including those related to meter, tempo, arrangement and even moods/colors.
It’s been a fun process hearing recordings of the Society's rehearsals leading up to the performance, and offering feedback as well as continuing to learn how I can improve as a composer/arranger. They also performed another piece of mine on two separate occasions earlier this summer as part of the Tanabata Festival, which was another fun surprise. Working with them, most of all in writing this new piece, has also helped me get one step closer to one of my immediate goals; to record a debut jazz orchestra album.
It’s been a thrill to work with such a strong and well-rehearsed ensemble, full of passionate and talented musicians, and I know they're crush their performance tonight!
05/22/2024
05/02/2020