Showing posts with label Justin Morell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Justin Morell. Show all posts

Thursday, November 10, 2022

John Daversa - All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:14
Size: 168,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:08) 1. Loren's Theme
(4:47) 2. Searching but Never Finding
(6:30) 3. Two Steps Forward
(7:38) 4. Seeing It Again for the First Time
(5:08) 5. The Urgency of Every Moment
(6:46) 6. Invisible Things
(5:50) 7. Walking in Our Own Footsteps - The Circle Game
(8:02) 8. The Smallest Thing
(6:16) 9. A Day Is Forever - Like Any Other
(4:58) 10. Three Roads Diverged
(6:06) 11. Learning Simply to Be
(7:01) 12. It’s Enough to Be Here, Now

Music can be inspired by many things, such as romantic affection, personal experience, world events and social concerns among many others. This extraordinary piece of music was inspired by a parent's love for a child.

Trumpeter John Daversa asked his friend, composer Justin Morell, to write a large-scale orchestral piece for him. Morell came up with a composition based on his life with his son, Loren, who is autistic. Loren struggled with verbal communication from a very young age and completely lost the ability to speak by the time he was three. Nevertheless, Morell has constantly strived to connect and communicate with his son who was sixteen at the time this was recorded. The ongoing cycle of joys and sorrows in this struggle and the bond of undying love that powers it is all reflected in this music.

The work is a twelve movement trumpet concerto featuring Daversa backed by a full orchestra of jazz and classical musicians plus a choir, The main musical theme is a simple rising and falling melody Daversa plays at the beginning, based on Loren's own wordless singing, which is then put through eleven variations. The leader is the main soloist, working through a myriad of settings with classical and jazz elements. "The Urgency of Every Moment" has a brisk, cascading motif played by the string section that could be an orchestral cityscape written by Leonard Bernstein or Aaron Copland. "Seeing It Again for the First Time" moves along on a creeping jazz pulse led by Tal Cohen's piano and Justin Morell's own guitar playing. In both settings, and throughout the CD, Daversa's trumpet is a bright, glowing presence. He shines whether he is pushing out quietly childlike melodies over sweeping orchestral movement or vaulting gracefully and soulfully over a tense string theme.

The obvious comparisons for this work are the joyful humanity of Maria Schneider's music and the legendary collaborations of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. Davis and Evans never got to work on a scale this grand, but when Daversa blows eloquently over a rising curtain of piano, strings and voices on "Invisible Things" or plays muted over a slow pulse then switches to majestic open horn as the orchestra gets louder on "A Day Is Forever," the lineage is clear.

Some of the titles of the movements such as "A Day Is Forever," "The Urgency of Every Moment," and "Learning Simply To Be" convey the idea of taking joy from the present moment and approaching life with patience and compassion. The quiet, unceasing beat that consistently underlines the music brings home the fact that this composition is about an ongoing process of communication and discovery. The potent feelings expressed throughout are summed up in the final movement, "It's Enough To Be Here, Now" where Daversa's poignant whispers over the rhythm section's soft pulse seem to be suffused with quiet determination and love.

This music would sound wonderful even without its context. Knowing where it came from makes it infinitely more more powerful. John Daversa's trumpet playing is masterful throughout, giving the element of mercurial, unceasing life to the compassionate vistas Justin Morell composes. For beauty and heart, this music is above and beyond anything else around today. It is an outstanding recording.By Jerome Wilson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/all-without-words-variations-inspired-by-loren-john-daversa-jazz-orchestra-tiger-turn

Personnel: John Daversa: trumpet; Justin Morell: guitar; Tai Cohen: piano; Dion Kerr: bass; David Chiverton: drums.

Additional Instrumentation: Scott Flavin, orchestra conductor; Amanda Quist, choir conductor; Abby Young, concertmaster. Conrad Fok: Piano; Lev Garfein: Violin; Strings: Violin I: Abby Young; Sheena Gutierrez; Karen Lord-Powell; Steffen Zeichner; Ashley Liberty; Gregory Carreno; Violin II: Svetlana Salminen; Yuhao Zhou; Orlando Forte; Katarina Nazarova; Julia Jakkel; Viola: Matt Nabours; Vishnu Ramankutty; Ross DeBardelaben; Cello: Brent Charran; Shea Kole; Tadao Ito; Bass: Brian Powell; Ethan Olaguibel; Winds: Jennifer Grim: flute; Alyssa Mena: flute, alto flute; Troy Roberts: soprano and tenor saxophone; Melvin Butler: soprano and tenor saxophone; Matt Clarke: clarinet; Frankie Capoferri: clarinet, bass clarinet; Gabriel Beavers: bassoon; Melanie Villarreal: bassoon; Richard Todd: horn; Stan Spinola: horn; Antoni Olesik: timpani, vibraphone, glockenspiel, marimba; Choir: Emily Finke: soprano; Safia Zaman: soprano; Alexandra Colaizzi: alto; Kate Reid: alto; Sidney O’Gorman: tenor; Noah Zaidspiner: tenor; Thandolwethu Mamba: bass; Dylan Melville: bass.

All Without Words: Variations Inspired by Loren

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Justin Morell Quintet - The Music Of Steely Dan

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 52:47
Size: 120.8 MB
Styles: Mainstream, Straight ahead
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[6:41] 1. Home At Last
[4:44] 2. My Rival
[7:40] 3. I Got The News
[6:11] 4. Third World Man
[7:39] 5. The Royal Scam
[6:45] 6. Maxine
[6:38] 7. End Of The Line
[6:25] 8. Babylon Sisters

Rock/pop band, “Steely Dan” signified the epitome of hip-ness thanks to a string of monumentally successful recordings. They blended cool, jazzy licks with memorably melodic themes and soul, blues, rock frameworks during their successful 1970’s run. In fact, the main proprietors of the band, keyboardist, Donald Fagen, and bassist, Walter Becker hired well-known jazz session musicians on several occasions. So, the jazz connection was in place, amid the unit’s witty or perhaps, Dylan-esque lyricism and often endearing arrangements. With that, twenty-eight year old, Los Angeles, guitarist/film scorer, Justin Morell, and his band of Southern California session aces reinterpret six Steely Dan classics (Becker/Fagen), along with a lone Fagen composition, and one original.

The quintet’s modus operandi rings loud and clear as Morell, John Daversa (trumpet) and Tom Peterson (saxophone) jubilantly state the memorable choruses in concert with the jazz-based rhythms. Whereby, the guitarist often anchors the proceedings via his deft comping and beautifully structured soloing. They adhere to the original compositions while injecting a personalized stamp into works such as the dreamy “Home At Last,” and others. In addition, the soloists articulate a mild frenzy atop the rhythm section’s leanly executed swing on, “I Got The News.”

The musicians touch upon a higher worldly plane during their modern jazz-based spin of “The Royal Scam.” On this piece, the soloists’ augment the song’s soulful motif with ferocious call and response type dialogue. Legendary L.A. session drummer, John Guerin lays down a brisk strut in support of Daversa’s warmly stated lines and Peterson’s soul-searching tenor sax solo on “Babylon Sisters.” Bassist, Todd Sickafoose often propels the band into mid-tempo swing vamps while Morell’s well-placed chord progressions provide a budding flow throughout.

Many of “Steely Dan’s” LPs continue to enjoy staying power, as Morell and co. parallels that notion in exuberant (jazz-based) fashion with this glowing testament to a great outfit. Highly recommended. ~Glenn Astarita

The Music Of Steely Dan