Oswego Jazz Project - And the Time is Now

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:35
Size: 132,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. Four on Six
(8:16)  2. Watching and Waiting
(4:44)  3. Killing Time
(7:29)  4. Wave
(7:18)  5. Tug
(5:27)  6. Oswego Alma Mater
(8:52)  7. And the Time is Now
(4:37)  8. What Should I Say?
(5:50)  9. So Noted

For the Focus on Faculty Series concert, OJP welcomes renowned guest trumpeter Tom Manuel, with whom they previously collaborated at Stony Brook’s acclaimed Jazz Loft. Founded by music faculty members Robert Auler on piano, Eric Schmitz on drums and Trevor Jorgensen on saxophone, the group with newer faculty member Kyle Vock now on bass serves as musical ambassadors for SUNY Oswego by educating as well as entertaining. In addition to their musical mastery, the group is known for a commitment to spontaneity and innovative improvisation. "In jazz combos, many different groupings of musicians are possible," Auler explained. "While there is almost always a drummer and a bass player, other instrumentation can vary to play chords, a pianist is the most common, but a guitar player may be possible. Then, the melodic material (called the 'head') and a lot of the improvisation is done by lead instruments the saxophone and the trumpet are the most common." While Jorgensen is traditionally the Oswego Jazz Project lead player, "it's very appropriate, exciting and honestly a lot of fun to bring in a second lead instrument," Auler said. "It expands the creative possibilities of what we can do; it allows us to vary what instrument plays which head, bringing freshness to the sound during the concert; on some tunes, both will solo; on some tunes we'll choose one. Audiences also can expect OJP members to provide context and commentary about the tunes in concert while demonstrating an informal, immediate approach to the music, Auler noted. The group has released two albums: the self-titled "Oswego Jazz Project" in 2007, followed by "And the Time is Now" the following year.

Musical partnership
Manuel is the president and founder of the Jazz Loft, an extensive museum, performance venue and education space. "Last March, OJP performed there, and Tom joined us for a couple tunes," Auler recalled. "We had such a blast, we'll be teaming up with him in Oswego on April 8, then we'll follow him downstate to repeat the same program at the Jazz Loft April 10." OJP's trip to Long Island also will include meeting with high school students at Maspeth High School in Queens, Celia Cruz High School in the Bronx, the famed School of Rock in Port Jefferson and Harborfields High School on Long Island. Manuel is a faculty member at Stony Brook University, where he runs the pre-college Young Artist Program in jazz, and has taught at multiple Long Island colleges. Manuel's desire to give back has led to establishing music programs for underprivileged children in Haiti and Liberia. He has recorded several albums and been featured with his big band ensemble on radio and television. Manuel's accomplishments have been cited by The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, Newsday, Jazz Inside Magazine and Jazz Ed Magazine. "If we play a tune written and made famous by, say, Miles Davis (trumpet), it would be historically appropriate to feature Tom Manuel's trumpet there rather than Trevor's saxophone," Auler noted. https://www.iheartoswego.com/oswego-jazz-project-to-host-sunday-afternoon-concert-april-8.html

And the Time is Now

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Oswego Jazz Project - Oswego Jazz Project

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:34
Size: 116,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:29)  1. There Will Never Be Another You
(4:31)  2. Recordame
(4:24)  3. Jason's Jig
(9:18)  4. Lullaby For L.A.
(7:23)  5. Caravan
(7:51)  6. Natasha's Song
(3:37)  7. Not Impressed
(4:17)  8. St. Thomas
(4:40)  9. Straight, No Chaser

Aspiring jazz musicians can find it difficult to hone their skills in a real-world setting, since jazz clubs that might sponsor jam sessions have mostly disappeared from America’s downtowns. Our intention in forming the Oswego Jazz Project (OJP) in early fall 2006 was to provide an opportunity for our university students and community members to play jazz with a faculty quartet in a public jam session setting on a weekly basis. The core of the OJP consists of SUNY music professors Rob Auler (piano), Trevor Jorgensen (saxophone) and Eric Schmitz (drums) and senior music major Max McKee (bass). In August, we approached the management at King Arthur’s Steakhouse in downtown Oswego with the idea of holding our jam session there every Wednesday night they said yes. We’ve been playing there ever since. 

In preparation for our weekly gig, we decided to focus on “standards” that is, time-tested classics from the pens of some of America’s greatest songwriters George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, et al. Aside from the immense musical value of these pieces, they constitute a body of work with which jazz musicians are expected to be intimately familiar. In addition, we wanted to include some more recent compositions by noted jazz players (such as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins), which have become standards in their own right.

In order for jazz (or any other art form, for that matter) to survive, new contributions must be made. To this end, we’ve included four original pieces on this album. This recording documents some of the standards we have been playing for the past few months, as well as several new additions to our book. It was recorded “live” in the studio, with no overdubs and minimal editing, to achieve a sound as close as we could get to our weekly performances. We hope that you enjoy what you hear and will join us on Wednesday nights! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ojp

Personnel:  Rob Auler (piano), Trevor Jorgensen (saxophone), Eric Schmitz (drums), Max McKee (bass)

Oswego Jazz Project

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