Shiner -
a protégé of trombonist Wayne Wallace, who co-produced the album - mixes
originals with covers of "When You Wish Upon A Star" "Wrecking
Ball" "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and "Brother To
Brother"
From
J.J. Johnson and Freddie Hubbard to David Baker and Wes Montgomery, the Indiana
jazz scene has given us some of our major voices and innovators in the music.
Drummer/percussionist, composer and arranger Mitch Shiner is a son of that
tradition and does it proudly. For Shiner, music has always been about
connecting with an audience. Whether on stage or on a recording, his vibrant,
high-energy style of playing permeates every performance.
Wayne
Wallace, whose Patois Records is releasing Fly!, says: "Mitch is everything
that is right about this generation of young musicians. He embraces tradition
and learns from it, but keeps in touch with the music of today. He is
accomplished on all of his instruments and retains has the desire to improve
and learn new things from all styles of music. Collaborating with him on this
project was a joy!! The BloomingTones is a talented 18-piece group that swings
hard. I first heard the group in August 2013 and was impressed with their
musicality and professionalism. The band is loaded with talented soloists and
instrumentalists." With a mix of compelling originals and fresh takes on
standards Fly! is an eclectic debut album for Shiner and the BloomingTones Big
Band.
A native
of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Shiner began playing drums at age eight, and has been
studying percussion since age nine. He received his bachelor's degree in Jazz
Studies from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music where he studied under
percussion professors Steve Houghton and Michael Spiro. He has performed in many
ensembles at Indiana University including big bands, combos, the Latin Jazz
Ensemble, The Singing Hoosiers, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, the Brazilian Percussion
Ensemble, Steel Pan Band, and the University Orchestra.
An
active bandleader, Shiner directs the BloomingTones Big Band, and performs his
compositions and arrangements with his own sextet and quartet. As an in-demand
sideman in the Bloomington and Indianapolis areas he is a member of the
Postmodern Jazz Quartet, Jazz Fables Quintet, and Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz
Octet. In Indianapolis, Mitch regularly performs with the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz
Orchestra, Midcoast Swing Orchestra, and the Leisure Kings.
An avid
composer, Shiner received a Summer 2013 Creative Activity Grant through the IU
Hutton Honors College to compose five big band charts influenced by people and
places in his hometown of Milwaukee. In addition, he received the 2013
Indianapolis Jazz Foundation Scholarship. In the summer of 2012, he was one of
15 jazz musicians to be invited to participate in the Ravinia Festival's Steans
Music Institute where he studied with Curtis Fuller, Rufus Reid, Nathan Davis,
and David Baker.
Mitch
was selected from national auditions to perform in the 2011 Disneyland
All-American College Band. In the AACB, Mitch was the lead drummer in the show
band and drum set player for the big band, performing each day in the
Disneyland Park. Directed by Dr. Ron McCurdy of the University of Southern
California, the band performed weekly with guest artists including Rick
Baptist, Sal Lozano, Jiggs Whigham, and Arturo Sandoval.
Recorded
at Primary Sound Recording in Bloomington Indiana, Fly! showcases Mitch's
composition and arranging talents to the fullest. Original compositions Fly,
Dragon Express, 6:20 Shuffle, Watchful Eyes and Malibu Jump blend interweaving
ensemble passages with energetic solos. Contemporary standards Brother To
Brother, When You Wish Upon A Star and Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head are
re-imagined with contrasting sections employing meter changes and intricate
layered writing.
One of
the album's highlights is Wrecking Ball - Ogun, an original mix of modern jazz
and Afro-Cuban folklore. The recording also features an arrangement of An
Evening Thought as a cha-cha by Mitch's teacher and mentor Dr. David Baker.
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