Here’s an album to turn on when you’re looking for something bright and fun in the midst of winter — whether you’re embracing the season’s chilly energy or trying to combat its gloom.
From the first note of Jeff Tyzik’s “Jazz Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble,” there’s brightness, bounce, lift and energy. In other words, “Joyride” is an apt name for this track, and for the whole album.
Throughout the different parts that blow hot and cool, Alexa Tarantino floats over the ensemble with a sense of absolute effervescence. She’s a recent-ish Eastman School of Music alum who has been making news throughout the New York City jazz scene and in national headlines. Take note: she’s coming back this summer as part of the Rochester International Jazz Festival.
Keep listening.
You hear Tyzik’s ability to capture different moods and characters over the four movements of “Symphonies” — In the Light, Valse Macabre, Reverie and Things to Come. Here, the star is the Eastman Wind Ensemble — one of the best in the country — featuring outstanding student musicians, guided in this excellent playing by conductor Mark David Scatterday.
Then we get to dance in Tyzik’s “Concerto for Trombone and Wind Ensemble,” featuring another Eastman alum, trombonist Jim Pugh. He has played with plenty of legends (Woody Herman and Chuck Mangione to name a few) and has also made his mark on the more classical side of things. Even as he weaves with energy through the bouncing musical lines, I’m struck by the lyricism and variety of his sound.
The dance continues delightfully in a concert recording at the end of the album, a rollicking performance of Tyzik’s “Three Latin Dances.” You can hear the ensemble actually live in person, for free, on February 4 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
Mona Seghatoleslami is music director, host and producer on WXXI Classical 91.5 FM.
