© -Steven
Cerra , copyright protected; all rights reserved.
"Having experienced
Joe's arranging talents, as a guest of DePaul University's Jazz Ensemble, I was
excited about playing HIS compositions in HIS ensemble for this recording. He
sure has many ways to express himself and knows the right musicians to call who
understand his music. It was easy for me to walk in and feel right at home with
this group.
In this genre of Jazz, we are
often presented the freedom to ‘play our personalities.’ You’ll hear Joe’s
passion for this music through his writing. I look forward to the next
opportunity for Joe to make me sound like a million!”
-Jeff Hamilton, drummer, composer and
bandleader
Graham Carter,
owner-operator of JazzedMedia and drummer Jeff Hamilton are at it again doing
good things for Jazz.
This time it
involves a February 12, 2013 release of a new JazzedMedia CD by the Joe
Clark Big Band Featuring Jeff Hamilton [JM1060].
Once upon a time,
the United States State Department sent Jazz musicians like Duke Ellington,
Dizzy Gillespie and Dave Brubeck around the world as spokespeople for the music and the
American way-of-life.
Jeff Hamilton has
become a modern-day counterpart of these adventures in music appreciation
although his preach-the-faith-of-Jazz junkets are more domestic in their focus.
Whether it be
performing and conducting clinics at the Port Townsend, WA Jazz Festival,
recording with the DePaul University Jazz Orchestra or being a guest performer
at the Central Michigan University Jazz Weekend in Mount Pleasant , MI
Following his 2012
appearance with DePaul University Chicago , IL
And who better to
produce a recording of Jeff’s fun meeting with Joe Clark’s big band than Graham
Carter.
Jeff once said of
Shelly Manne, one of the greatest Jazz drummers in history:
“I was always
mesmerized by the way he played.”
Thanks to his
frequent appearances at nearby Jazz clubs and Jazz festivals, I feel the same
way while watching Jeff play drums.
I’m always
enthralled with Jeff’s drumming. He gets around the instrument so fluidly and
always has interesting things “to say.” If anyone has taken on Shelly’s legacy
of melodic and musical drumming, it’s Jeff.
Dating back to his
years with Woody Herman through to his current co-leadership of The Clayton
Hamilton Orchestra, Jeff knows how to kick a big band.
Because he writes
them in a linear or horizontal style, Joe Clark takes full advantage of Jeff’s
brilliance as a big band drummer with his arrangements on Joe Clark Big Band Featuring Jeff
Hamilton [JazzedMedia JM1060]. Think drummer Mel Lewis playing Gerry
Mulligan or Bill Holman charts with Stan Kenton or the Terry Gibbs Dream Band
and you’ll get some idea of how evenly Joe’s writing flows with Jeff in the
drum chair.
The eight tracks
on Joe
Clark Big Band Featuring Jeff Hamilton consist of three originals by
Joe, one by Jeff, and four standards: Monk’s Well You Needn’t, Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life and beautiful, ballad versions of Tenderly and Yesterday’s
Gardenias.
The great thing
about the inclusion of the four standards is that their familiarity gives the
listener and opportunity to “set his/her ears” in order to better appreciate
what is going on in Joe’s arrangements.
One feature of
Joe’s writing that jumps out at you is how balanced it is. He knows the range
of each instrument in the band and he reflects this knowledge by blending the
instrumental sections in such a way that the sound of his music has a richness
and a fullness to it. It’s not all about
trumpets screeching high notes and bass trombones and baritone saxophones
punching out pedal tones.
No jumbled mass of
sound, Joe’s writing allows melodic lines to play out; it doesn’t sound rushed
or cluttered. With Jeff stoking the fire in the band’s engine room, Joe’s
arrangements keep things simple and allow the band to pulsate under Jeff’s
rhythmic guidance.
His charts follow
a distinctive, linear logic with the result that they produce a rush of excitement
which can only come from big band Jazz when it is performed by musicians who
listen to one another and jell as a unit.
Joe’s arrangements
share the solo spotlight among a number of band members.
BJ Cord, Victor
Garcia and Joe, himself, on trumpet, Tom Garling and Bryant Scott on trombone,
Dan Nicholson on alto saxophone, Anthony Bruno and Chris Madsen on tenor
saxophone, guitarist Mike Pinto and pianist Ryan Cohan: each bring forth solos
that reflect their influences while also offering strong indications of their
own voices.
And then, of
course, there’s Jeff Hamilton, who, along with the excellent bass work of Joe
Policastro, moves things forward with his masterful kicks, licks and fills,
always putting a premium on swinging.
Joe Clark Big Band Featuring
Jeff Hamilton [JazzedMedia
JM1060] is a treat that continues the tradition of swinging big band Jazz
while, at the same time, refreshing and enhancing it with new ideas, new
energies and news sounds.
Michael Bloom is
once again handling the media relations for Graham and Jazzed Media and he sent
along the following press release which further describes the recording and
gives some background on Joe Clark’s career to date.
© -Graham Carter/Mark Hiebert/Jazzed Media,
copyright protected; all rights reserved.
“From the liner
notes by Mark Hiebert:
The title of this
album is Lush. The word "lush" by itself can describe a man who
drinks and becomes flirtatious, or it can depict something that is savory and
appealing to the senses. The album includes a little of both, with characters
like the Femme Fatale living in an unwritten story set in the streets of New
Orleans, along with some of the richest and most beautiful new music in the big
band repertoire. The listener will quickly fall in love with Joe's musical
characters that show us humor, heartbreak, love, and beauty as their story
unfolds.
Joe Clark grew up 35 miles southwest of Chicago Lockport , IL DePaul University
"I think it
was remarkable to everyone involved how quickly the band jelled. From the first
moment of rehearsal, it was clear that we were ready to seriously play...the
studio sessions were just easy and felt right from the get-go. Joe's music
combined with the personnel selections he made created a warm atmosphere of
collaboration and it just felt natural," commented tenor saxophonist Chris
Madsen. The group had never played together before its only rehearsal, and
flourished under veteran leadership from lead alto saxophonist, Dan Nicholson;
lead trombonist, Andy Baker; lead trumpeters, Chuck Parrish and Brent Turney;
drummer, Jeff Hamilton; and conductor, Dr. Bob Lark.
Bass trombonist
Tom Matta was also tremendously influential throughout the session. "Joe
has put together one helluva band for this debut recording, and I am as
thrilled to be a part of it as I was excited and proud to have Joe as a student
all these years at DePaul. The writing, the ensemble, and the soloists are all
top-notch. And the drummer is pretty good, too!" Joe reciprocated, It was
a real honor to have my composing mentor Tom Matta in the band, sitting right
in front of me during the session. He not only dominates that bass trombone,
he's taught me so much about the art of the big band. I owe him a lot." Malta
It would be
impossible to describe the session and not mention the great contributions of Jeff Hamilton. "Jeff Hamilton is
THE DRUMMER'. He is a real artist-Baryshnikov of the beat. Before our first
rehearsal, we sat and talked about the charts-he was always looking for deeper
artistic depths, more detail, more ways of enhancing the arrangement. He is a
deeply caring and professional musician," says Joe. Jeff brought his
unparalleled talents to the table along with his original composition, Samba de
Martelo, which Joe arranged to feature the drums.
The rest of the
rhythm section was also truly outstanding. Pianist Ryan Cohan, guitarist Mike
Pinto, and bassist Joe Policastro displayed consummate professionalism and
complete musicianship throughout the session. They were deeply involved with
the decision making process in the booth and in the studio, always striving for
the most authentic sound and feel for the music. The listener will instantly
appreciate the deep grooves and artful comping.
"The rest of
the band is nothing short than the best musicians I've ever had the privilege
to play with. Months before the session, as I was in the early stages of
planning, I was totally giddy with the prospect of getting these guys all in
the same room to make music together. What's exciting to me is how each
individual's personality shined through in the recording. The soloists are
amazing—each in their own unique personal way," said Joe. "Recording
a big band album is like pulling a heist. I had been writing and dreaming for
years and since the time was right and I won a generous artist's prize (God
bless Nik Edes and the Edes Foundation), I could put together a dream team.
Like a heist, everyone has specific roles that need to be executed with
precision and since our session was only for a couple days, everything had to
go off without a hitch. So time was of the essence and I was fortunate to
recruit the very best."
The album is made
up of five arrangements and three originals. Joe shines as an arranger with his
Nelson Riddle-inspired Lush Life …, funky second-line infused Well You Needn't,
thoughtfully orchestrated Tenderly, inventive Samba de Martelo, and
hard-swinging Yesterday's Gardenias. His real compositional voice is most
apparent in his three originals: Red Sky, Free-Wheeling, … and Femme Fatale.
The one-take performance of Red Sky most clearly reflects Joe's deep
understanding of composition and orchestration. Free-Wheeling, like Well You
Needn't, reflects Joe's passion for the greasy sound of New Orleans brass
bands. And Femme Fatale gives the world a look into Joe's film-noir-savvy mind.
This album was an
absolute pleasure to be a part of, and the listener is in for a real treat.
There is more in store for this group because as Joe said himself, "this
is just the beginning" of the next wave of great Chicago
About Joe Clark
Joe Clark is an
active composer and arranger of music in a wide variety of styles and idioms.
Working with Dr.
Cliff Colnot, Clark is an arranger for The Institute for
Learning, Access and Training at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, writing for
the Once Upon a Symphony and Orchestra Explorers programs.
Joe's music has
been performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Phil Woods, Ira Sullivan, Jim
McNeely, the Chicago Sinfonietta, Bob Lark and his Alumni Big Band, the Tom
Matta Big Band, Mulligan Mosaics Nonet, DePaul University Jazz Ensemble,
University of Cincinnati CCM Jazz Lab Band, Chicago Q Ensemble, thingNY, Julia
Bentley and the Spektral Quartet, and players from the Grant Park Symphony and
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His horn arrangements can be heard on Kanye
West and Malik Yusefs "G.O.O.D. Morning G.O.O.D. Night". Joe has also
written extensively for live theater and film, including fruitful
collaborations with director Catherine Weidner and writer/director Kyle
Higgins.
Joe's awards
include multiple Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Awards, the Sidney and
Mary Kleinman Composition Award, a DownBeat Student Music Award, and the Claire
and Samuel Edes Foundation Prize for Emerging Artists.
A native of
Chicago, Joe is also a trumpeter and director of the Joe Clark Big Band. His
debut album as a leader, Lush, featuring drummer Jeff Hamilton, will be
released on Jazzed Media Records on February 12th, 2013 . He is on the faculty of DePaul University Harold Washington College Chicago
You can locate
order information on the CD at www.jazzedmedia.com
and at www.joeclarkbigband.com.
The following
video will provide you with a taste of what’s on offer. The tune is Joe’s
original composition Free-Wheeling with
solos by Bryant Scott on trombone, Anthony Bruno on tenor saxophone and Victor
Garcia on trumpet.
