NEC Jazz Composers' Workshop Orchestra
NEC's Jazz Composers' Workshop Orchestra features the music of NEC students performed by their peers, under the direction of Frank Carlberg.
This is an in-person event with a private stream available to the NEC community here: https://necmusic.edu/live.
Zack Bacack | from The Last Twenty
I. Rule of Three
soloist: Hunter McKay, tenor saxophoneVictor Barragan | Icy Moon
soloist: Gabriel Nieves, tenor saxophone
The main idea for this piece came to me while being distracted in a class, I started playing one note while playing different chords below it.
– Victor BarraganNadav Brenner | Because
soloist: Maddoc Johnson, trumpet
Hunter McKay | Roundtrip
soloists:
Josh Gagnon, trombone
Isaac Dubow, trumpet
This piece is dedicated to my fiancée, Emily. We recently became engaged while we were traveling together. This piece was largely composed during various train rides during our trip. Polyrhythms remind me of the rhythm of locomotion: two pulses traveling together, distinct yet complementary, and constantly propelling one another forward.
– Hunter McKayJim Connolly | Adirondack Serenade
soloist: Annalise Stalls, soprano saxophone
Adirondack Serenade hopes to transport listeners to the tranquil landscapes of the Adirondack Mountains. Inspired by the region's breathtaking beauty, the piece takes the listener on a journey through the region. From rolling hills, dense forests, and majestic peaks, the music aims to paint a vivid sonic picture. Adirondack Serenade offers a unique musical perspective on the region, encouraging listeners to embark on an unconventional journey through the captivating landscapes of the Adirondacks.
– Jim ConnollyINTERMISSION
Kira Daglio Fine | Actually…Maybe
soloists:
Aiden Coleman, trombone
Gabriel Nieves, tenor saxophoneAndré Bruni | Forget About It
soloists:
Peter Vazquez, piano
Gabriel Nieves, tenor saxophone
Annalise Stalls, alto saxophone
Nadav Brenner, guitar
Maddoc Johnson, trumpet
Dedicated to the Jazz Composers’ Workshop Orchestra playersAna Jahnel | On the Contrary
soloists:
Peter Vazquez, piano
Annalise Stalls, alto saxophone
Something I have struggled with my whole life is having two completely different mindsets, one of which being a calm, level-headed attitude towards oncoming experiences. The other, a parasite to my own brain; it eats the thoughts conducive to a positive attitude towards life, and spits out degrading, unmotivating, and demoralizing thoughts in their place. On The Contrary aims to aid the listener in understanding this dichotomy of emotions. How the parasite introduces itself, how it coincides with the "normal" side, and how it doesn't. How the parasite takes over what was once calm, collected, and in control, and eats everything it sees and transforms it into *its* vision of a "healthy" mindset.
– Ana JahnelCindy Yin | Into the Fog
soloists:
Gabriel Nieves, tenor saxophone
Richard Stanmeyer, trumpet
I dedicate this piece to Donny McCaslin for being an amazing teacher, mentor and musician. This is a piece where I try to make peace with myself — to not be afraid of being drawn to the beauty and delicacy of my own music.
Draft composed in 2021. Revision inspired by Gil Evans and Donny McCaslin.
– Cindy YinBenedict Koh | The Debt
Lyrics by Paul Laurence Dunbar
soloists:
Kira Daglio Fine, soprano saxophone
Vladyslav Dovhan, baritone saxophone
Lemuel Marc, flugelhorn
Guest: Jillian Moore, voice
Set to the text of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem of the same name, The Debt is an expression of grief and disaster; as well as my own reflection of the current world we live in. I have chosen to approach the material not through a standard means but rather through working around sound worlds. Taking inspirations from Morton Feldman, Witold Lutosławski, Germanic Art Songs by composers like Franz Schubert and Anthony Braxton, I hope to be able to capture the sound world of grief.
– Benedict KohJazz Composers' Workshop Orchestra
Woodwinds
Annalise Stalls, Zack Bacack, Hunter McKay,
Kira Daglio Fine, Gabriel Nieves, Vladyslav Dovhan
Trumpets
Richard Stanmeyer
Isaac Dubow
Lemuel Mark
Maddoc johnson
Trombones
Josh Gagnon
Jim Connolly
Aiden Coleman
Weza Jamison-Neto
Rhythm
Peter Vazquez, piano
Nadav Brenner, guitar
Daniel Mayer, bass
Carlo Kind, drums