This recording of the FAR EAST SUITE is the culmination of a ten-year-long endeavor, the fulfillment of a marriage between a research project and a dream. The idea of blending Asian and Middle Eastern instruments and sensibilities into the multicultural melange of Duke Ellington and collaborator Billy Strayhorn's musical travelogue first occurred in 1989 while I was a doctoral research fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's newly acquired Duke Ellington Collection. During the fellowship, I was able to examine many of the thousands of original and copied manuscripts, scores, sketches and band parts as yet uncataloged in the archives. In 1991, I premiered a precursory project, a new version of Ellington's 1928 Cotton Club "jungle music" classic, "The Mooche," at the tenth anniversary of the Asian American Jazz Festival at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. After completion of my doctoral coursework at UC Berkeley in 1992, I was hired by the Smithsonian to direct the Jazz Oral History Program, serve as curator of musical culture and assist in the completion of the Duke Ellington traveling exhibition, Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington. Thus, the heretofore dream of first-hand accessibility to Ellington's musical magic was realized during my four years at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
A similar albeit more extensive process of intensive research and study was conducted for a new FAR EAST SUITE. The nine-movement Ellington-Strayhorn original is a musical portrait of the countries and people who welcomed them and the Orchestra on their tours in the 1960s. This new arrangement was originally conceived as a fitting commemoration of the Duke Ellington centennial, a celebration of his homage to Asia and the Middle East. The FAR EAST SUITE seemed ideally suited as a musical mirror of today's global community, a scintillating tapestry of contrasting moods, compositional styles, approaches to modality and tonality, and always the blues. There is only one commercial release of the Ellington Orchestra performing the FAR EAST SUITE, although various versions of "Ad Lib on Nippon" and the July 1963 recording of "Isfahan" (originally titled "Elf") are currently available on CD. Through examining original manuscripts, orchestral parts and subsequent transcriptions, and by creating a score reduction from the original 15- to a 12-piece orchestra with the invaluable arranging and copying assistance of Dan Nielsen, a blueprint for a new interpretation was constructed. The process now involved creating an arrangement incorporating and showcasing the distinctive talents of the members of Asian American Orchestra.
Label: Asian Improv Records
PRIVATE EARTH An Eclectic, Worldly, And Ethereal New Age Album From Carlos Dengler Out Now
by A.A. Cristi
- June 02, 2023
Carlos Dengler has a strong sense of arrangement and cinematic accomplishment, the spectrum of sounds is balanced and well constructed. The melodies originate in the bass, while the spectrum of instrumental and other sounds gives a rich and peaceful feeling, a lot of natural instrumentation, a lot of acoustic instrumentation. If you like Patrick O'Hearn, Erik Scott, Brian Eno, or Yes, you might enjoy Private Earth.
New Book GAYS ON BROADWAY By Ethan Mordden Out Now
by A.A. Cristi
- June 01, 2023
From early 20th-century legislation that criminalized depictions of homosexuality on stage, to today's leading shows featuring openly gay characters, Gays on Broadway combines preeminent author Ethan Mordden's expertise in both queer studies and musical theatre to create a sweeping history of gay representation on the American stage.
Photos: Broadway Toasts Release of 'I'll Drink to That!' Cocktail Book
by Nicole Rosky
- June 01, 2023
We'd like to propose a toast! Broadway has always raised a glass to celebrate itself, both on-stage and off. I'll Drink to That!, by Laurence Maslon, is a celebration of theatrical tradition, a souvenir of magic moments on stage, and a practical guide to make one-of-a-kind craft cocktail recipes inspired by the best of Broadway. Check out photos from the release party here!
Brandon Seabrook Releases New Album 'BRUTALOVECHAMP'
by Blair Ingenthron
- May 28, 2023
Released on May 26, 2023, brutalovechamp features Seabrook's stunning and malleable octet Epic Proportions, which includes percussionist and vocalist Nava Dunkelman, cellist Marika Hughes, bassists Eivind Opsvik and Henry Fraser, electronic musician and vocalist Chuck Bettis, John McCowen on clarinets and recorders, and Sam Ospovat on drums, vibraphone and percussion.
TALKING IT OUT Virtual Poetry Open-Mic to Be Held Tonight
by Blair Ingenthron
- May 28, 2023
Tonight, Sunday, May 28th at 7pm EST, the Talking It Out Virtual Arts Festival in Support of Mental Health Awareness will host its next monthly Poetry Open-Mic Night for poets and spoken-word artists to come and share their poems, monologues, and other written work virtually across the world, and to watch and support the works of their fellow artists.
Dr. Shashi Tharoor Launches Kamal Shah's New Book SILVER LINING
by Blair Ingenthron
- May 28, 2023
Dr Shashi Tharoor, Indian politician and Member of Parliament (MP) launched a new book titled 'Silver Lining - Overcoming Adversity to Build NephroPlus, India's Largest Dialysis Provider' written by NephroPlus co-founder and author Kamal Shah.
Deborah Martin and Jill Haley Release 'INTO THE QUIET' Album
by Blair Ingenthron
- May 27, 2023
Into The Quiet is the second collaboration between electronic ambient visionary Deborah Martin and renowned English Horn player and Oboist Jill Haley. Their previous album was 2021's The Silence Of Grace, a pastoral collection that received numerous accolades including Zone Music Reporter's list of Top 20 albums of the year.
Sylvie Courvoisier & Cory Smythe Release New Album 'RITE OF SPRING - SPECTRE D'UN SONGE'
by Blair Ingenthron
- May 20, 2023
With The Rite of Spring – Spectre d’un songe, two of contemporary music’s most vital and innovative pianists – Sylvie Courvoisier and Cory Smythe – interpret and converse with one of the 20th century’s landmark compositions. On this breathtaking new recording, released May 19, 2023 from Pyroclastic Records, Courvoisier and Smythe perform Igor Stravinsky’s striking two-piano rendition of his iconic Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), followed by a bold new Courvoisier composition that draws inspiration from Stravinsky as a launchpad for investigatory improvisation.
THE GUAVA TREE, A New Bilingual Musical For Young Audiences, Releases Cast Album
by Blair Ingenthron
- May 20, 2023
The official cast album for The Guava Tree / El Guayabo, a new bilingual musical for young audiences, is available digitally on all platforms. With book and lyrics by Diana Grisanti and music by Emiliano Messiez, the musical premiered at the renowned Creede Repertory Theatre in Colorado in 2021. It toured across the Southwest and was seen by more than 40,000 students.
Listen: Matthew Scott's THE JESUS YEAR: A LETTER FROM MY DAD Out Now
by Chloe Rabinowitz
- May 19, 2023
PS CLASSICS, the label dedicated to the heritage of Broadway and American popular song, has announced the release of the debut album from actor-singer Matthew Scott, who has been lighting up the Broadway stage since making his debut in Jersey Boys.
Author Mike McHale Launches Monthly #DinoDogzDonates Program
by Blair Ingenthron
- May 13, 2023
Mystery Mike McHale and DinoDogz have announced the launch of their new fundraising program, DinoDogz has previously raised funds for various charities including WORTHY OF LOVE, TUESDAY'S CHILDREN and BELLA AND BUDDIES ANIMAL RESCUE through the sales of their first book DinoDogz: Eggzellent Adventure which is the first in a series.
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