On his new album, acclaimed guitarist and composer Chris
Jentsch pairs his extraordinary skill at writing long form musical suites with
his expertise in history. Jentsch earned a B.A. in history from Gettysburg
College, but his approach to expressing his knowledge through music is anything
but academic. Topics in American History (out November 30, 2018 on Blue Schist
Records), featuring jazz interpretations of seven historical events and
concepts, takes listeners on an emotionally exhilarating, compellingly
thoughtful journey through selected corners of our nation's past. "In
learning about music there is always the historical facet," says Jentsch.
"Aspects of classical music, world music, jazz, and now even rock music
have their backgrounds of decades or even centuries past. With the Topics
project, for the first time, to express my present I have merged what I have
learned from the chronicles of music with my general interest in American
history."
The hour-long Topics, a result of a Chamber Music
America/Doris Duke New Jazz Works commission, follows Jentsch's previous highly-acclaimed
large ensemble works including Miami Suite, Brooklyn Suite, and Cycles Suite.
The new CD is a live recording of the Topics premiere, presented on December 2,
2016 at ShapeShifter Lab in Jentsch's hometown of Brooklyn. Combining the
immediacy and excitement of in-the-moment performance with Jentsch's masterful
musical vision, the recording features Jentsch Group No Net's roster of
extraordinary musicians: flutist Michel Gentile, clarinetist Michael McGinnis,
saxophonist Jason Rigby, trumpeter David Smith, trombonist Brian Drye, pianist
Jacob Sacks, bassist Jim Whitney, drummer Eric Halvorson, and conductor JC
Sanford.
Jentsch's large group music generally invokes contemporary
improvisation with an eclectic mix of influences ranging from jazz to rock and
world to classical, always striving for a careful balance between lyricism and
dissonance, and a deliberate combination of complexity and simplicity.
"1491," the CD's first track, brings us into Jentsch's vision with
the ensemble producing airy, gently percussive bell and bird-like sounds that
capture a Caribbean beach at the dawn of European entry. As the piece develops
with a walking bass ostinato, interweaving horn lines, and plaintive, wandering
flute, the sense of change to come is unmistakable. "Manifest
Destiny" explores ideas about America's spread across North America with a
harmonically rich expansiveness that gives the soloists plenty of room to
stretch out and explore. An animated full band statement announces
"Lincoln-Douglas Debates," which features raucous, spirited interplay
between trumpet and trombone-the clear winner is the listener.
"Tempest-Tost," which takes its title from an inscription on the
Statue of Liberty, captures the weariness, hope, and awe of the huddled,
yearning masses making their way through Ellis Island. It also offers poignant
connections to the present day, drawing inspiration from Jentsch's sympathy for
the plight of refugees and his gratitude for his own citizenship status.
"Suburban Diaspora" delves into the idea that a shared cultural
heritage exists among American middle class Baby Boomers who were raised in the
burbs then migrated to urban and rural areas. With its tight cluster chords,
fascinating harmonies, searching solos, and staggered entrances, the gripping
"Dominos" evokes the dread and uncertainty of the Cold War and
McCarthyism. The suite closes with "Meeting at Surratt's," an homage
to Mary Surratt, the first woman executed by the United States government after
Abraham Lincoln's assassins plotted their crime at her boarding house. From the
opening march cadence of the snare drum to the powerful anthem-like build that
follows, the piece is a fitting conclusion to a superior jazz suite. The band
is in top form throughout, with notable solos from the horns, flute, piano, and
bass. Jentsch's exemplary guitar playing presides over it all, with stunning
effects, muscular lines, and consummate musicality.
Topics in American History by Christopher Jentsch and
Jentsch Group No Net has been made possible with support from Chamber Music
America's 2015 New Jazz Works Program funded through the generosity of the
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Chris Jentsch is a Brooklyn-based composer, bandleader, and
guitarist working primarily in jazz and contemporary improvisational forms.
Based in NYC since 1999, his main ensemble is Jentsch Group in its trio,
quartet, nonet, or large configuration. As a composer he has been the recipient
of grants, commissions, or fellowships from the Maelstrom Percussion Ensemble,
the Penfield Commission Project, American Composers Forum, the Composers
Assistance Program of the American Music Center, New Music USA, Meet the
Composer, New York State Council on the Arts, Ucross Foundation, the Commission
Project, the New Music Collective, the Donald Knutson Memorial Faculty
Development Fund, and Chamber Music America/Doris Duke New Jazz Works. As a
bandleader and sideman Jentsch has worked with such diverse musical
personalities as George Russell, John Cage, Maria Schneider, and Chris Wood. He
appears as a guitarist on the CD John Cage, Volume 11. He is also featured in
Scott Yanow's book The Great Jazz Guitarists. All About Jazz says,
"Jentsch is more than just a seasoned musician; he's a composer who can
convey his ideas on a grand scale." Of Brooklyn Suite, DownBeat said that
Jentsch "created a contrasted and kaleidoscopic patchwork with marvelous
melodies, splendid voicings, and a skillful use of dynamics." Jentsch has
released five CDs as a leader: Media Event (1998); Miami Suite (1999); Brooklyn
Suite (2007); and Cycles Suite (2009). Fractured Pop, a CD/DVD production
featuring Jentsch's jazz quartet was released in 2017. Jentsch attended the
Berklee College of Music and has liberal arts and jazz guitar degrees from
Gettysburg College, the New England Conservatory, and the Eastman School of
Music. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami
in 1999 and is published by the University of Northern Colorado Press, Advance
Music, and Fleur de Son Records.
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