a r t i s t : Wayne Horovitz Gravitas Quartett
t i t l e : Way Out East
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : Songlines Recordings
g e n r e : Jazz
r l s. d a t e : Sep/2006
t r a c k s : 11
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 85,1 MB
_______________________________________________________________________
Wayne Horvitz Gravitas Quartet
Way Out East
with Wayne Horvitz (piano and electronics), Peggy Lee (cello),
Ron Miles (trumpet), Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon)
The Gravitas Quartet is pianist Wayne HorvitzÆs new
improvising chamber ensemble. Its members are all highly
distinctive voices on their instruments, the sound of the
group is unique, and the playing is both classically poised
and jazzily exuberant and inventive. What really makes the
music shine though is WayneÆs gift as a composer, the way his
themes and harmonies insinuate themselves into the listenerÆs
consciousness and often touch you in those vulnerable places
with their tart nostalgia and bittersweet melancholy.
You can hear the long history of jazz in some of these pieces;
others seem to break free from genre expectations altogether.
Since the late 1980s Wayne has been composing for various
classical music ensembles - string orchestra, string quartet
(heard on his new Tzadik CD Whispers, Hymns and a Murmur), and
various other chamber groups, sometimes with electronics
and/or improvising soloists such as Bill Frisell, Eyvind Kang
or Peggy Lee. The Gravitas Quartet splits the difference
between this work and jazzier writing for groups such as
Sweeter Than the Day: ôThis group really came out of my desire
to find a context for the way IÆve been developing my piano
playing in the last five years.... When I have a new project I
often have a lot of ideas at once so I jot them down quickly
and then go back and work them through. Sometimes itÆs as
simple as æI need to write a piece that features PeggyÆ so
clearly my language is inspired partly by her playing. ôL.B.ö
started out when I was fooling around with a harmonic device
in a song from West Side Story (hence the title) ? but once it
developed I doubt most people would notice it. A lot of the
structures are similar to ones I might use with the Four plus
One Ensemble or even my group with Butch Morris and Bobby
Previte from the late 80s. That being said, the actual written
material, at least in some cases, is really notated as if I
was writing for a classical ensemble, both in terms of the
content and compositional technique. TheyÆre really miniatures
with places for improvisation.ö
On two pieces (ôWorld Peace and Quietö and the improvised
group composition ôReveilleö) synthesizer replaces piano, and
on another improvisation, the ambient-ish ôBetween Here and
Heaven,ö Wayne plays both. What are the considerations around
combining electronics and piano? ôIÆve been using this
combination since my first CD on Soul Note - some order, long
understood with Butch Morris and William Parker. A lot of my
early experimentation with electronics was processing
amplified piano, and to be frank I got tired of getting under
the piano in dirty lofts in NYC and attaching the pick-ups.
Later, with the Four plus One Ensemble, Tucker Martine would
mike the piano and process it, which was fantastic. I often
play electronics without much reference to my piano technique
... however I think electronics sometimes do inform my piano
playing - certain sonic spaces I try to create at the piano.ö
Way Out East was recorded and mixed in DSD, bringing out the
beauty of its textures and sonorities. The multi-channel mix
subtly enhances the spatial qualities in the music and the
interplay of melodic lines and rhythms.
The Gravitas Quartet is a long-term priority for Wayne. Given
its membersÆ deep experience of new music, jazz and
improvisation, and the ensemble fluidity of their work
together here, they are already at the forefront of groups
that are redrawing the landscape of contemporary music. For
further info: www.waynehorvitz.com
_______________________________________________________________________
01-LB [07:09]
02-Way Out East [05:29]
03-Remembrance...An Afterthought... What Could Have Been [04:31]
A Waltz, A
04-Between Here And Heaven [04:12]
05-Berlin 1914 [10:26]
06-Ladies And Gentleman [03:52]
07-Reveille [04:43]
08-You Were Just Here [05:49]
09-Our Brief Duet [02:42]
10-One Morten [05:20]
11-World Peace And Quiet [08:43]
-------
62:56 min