Brando Noir

This concert is rescheduled from its originally announced date of October 29, 2012.

Pianist/composer/improviser Ran Blake and coproducer Aaron Hartley anticipate Hallowe'en with specimens of that most haunting genre, film noir. Now an annual tradition, this year's concert switches from a director focus to the work of an actor who brought the word "brooding" into everyday speech: Marlon Brando.

The evening will carry us through a selection of scenes highlighting the depth and breadth of Brando’s career in classic American genres, including teen drama in The Wild One (1953), war saga in The Young Lions (1958), horse opera in The Appaloosa (1966), and crime thriller in The Night of the Following Day (1968).

These films were originally scored by some of Hollywood's unsung veterans: Leith Stevens, Hugo Friedhofer, Frank Skinner, Stanley Myers. Tonight, students and faculty of NEC's Contemporary Improvisation department perform along with scenes from the films, creating a real-time original score as they respond to the drama through improvisations, recompositions, and reinterpretations of the original orchestrations.

Members of Aaron Hartley’s Storyboard Noir Ensemble play a key role in this annual Film Noir concert. Each fall, ensemble members engage in a rich exploration of creating music for film, through aural study of original scores, development of student compositions in tandem with traditional repertoire, and collective improvisation.

Performers are assigned to film segments as outlined below.

The Wild One

NEC Jazz Orchestra, Ken Schaphorst, conductor, with
CI String Quartet: Rachel Panitch and Abigale Reisman, violin; Abby Swidler, viola; Valerie Thompson, cello
Charles Peltz as Brando

Full Tang: Eric Lane, electric piano; Ryan Dugre, electric guitar; Adam Clark, electric bass; Danilo Henrique, drums

Yasmine Azaiez, voice/violin; Cory Pesaturo, accordion

The Young Lions

Anthony Coleman’s Survivor’s Breakfast ensemble: Sarah Jarosz, mandolin, voice; Abigale Reisman, violin; Allie Simpson, viola; Anna Patton, clarinet; Zoe Christiansen, clarinet, accordion; Jussi Reijonen, oud, guitar; Borey Shin, accordion; Joelle Wagner, bassoon; Mark Goldstein, trumpet; Nima Mohammadi, kamancheh; Arian Shaffee, guitar; Simon Hanes, bass; Kiyoe Wellington, bass; Valerie Thompson, cello; Evan Allen, piano; Jeff Balter, drums, percussion; Andria Nicodemou, vibes, percussion

Sara Serpa, voice
with Tim Lienhard and the CI String Ensemble: Natalie Cadet, vocals; Abigale Reisman, Rachel Panitch, violin; Eden MacAdam-Somer, viola; Valerie Thompson, cello; Simon Willson, bass; Anna Patton, clarinet; Daniel Pencer, bass clarinet; Mark Goldstein and Kai Sandoval, trumpet; Michael Prentky, trombone; Stephen Gordon, piano

Jeremy Barnett, percussion

Jussi Reijonen and Nima Jannmohammadi, oud

The Appaloosa

Natalie Cadet, voice and piano

Sara Serpa, voice

Dylan McKinstry, guitar

Mariachi Band: Natalie Cadet and Greta DiGiorgio, voice; Abigale Reisman & Rachel Panitch, violin; Mark Goldstein and Kai Sandoval, trumpet; Lautaro Mantilla, acoustic guitar; Brad Barrett, bass; Jeremy Barnett and Andria Nicodemou, percussion

Nedelka Prescod, voice; Amir Milstein, flute; Brad Barrett, bass; Jerry Leake, percussion

The Night of the Following Day

CI String Quartet with Vessela Stoyanova, mallets

Deepti Navaratna, voice/tampura; Sonny Lalchandani, sitar

Hui Weng, guzheng

Tal Zilber, piano

Eden MacAdam-Somer, violin; Hankus Netsky,piano

Sail Away Ladies: Eden MacAdam-Somer and Mia Friedman, violin; Sarah Jarosz, mandolin; Ari Friedman, cello