VISIONS JAZZ ENSEMBLE | ACROSS THE FIELD

Although Indiana isn’t usually the first place that comes to mind when considering the finest jazz players in the country, The Visions Jazz Ensemble and their debut album, ACROSS THE FIELD, should make jazz fans take notice. The band comprises Indiana University graduates and is spearheaded by trumpeter SAM BUTLER and tenor saxophonist GARRETT FASIG, both of whom are individually making a name for themselves around the Midwest and beyond. Get it here.

Butler is also a composer, arranger and educator based in Indianapolis. He has performed with various ensembles including the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, Sean Dobbins and the Modern Jazz Messengers. He was the winner of the 2023 International Trumpet Guild Jazz Solo Competition, and his debut album Folklore (2023) received positive reviews. JazzWeekly said, “Butler has a sweet bopping tone to his horn, similar to that of vintage players like Kenny Dorham and Blue Mitchell.” He is a recent graduate of the Master’s program at IU, where he was an Associate Instructor.

Fasig is also a composer, arranger, and educator. He has written and recorded music with the Brent Wallarab Jazz Ensemble, John Raymond Ensemble, Greg Ward Large Ensemble, and the Plummer Jazz Quintet. He has also performed alongside world-class musicians, including Walter Smith III, Oliver Nelson Jr., Dayna Stephens, and Steve Houghton.

They are joined on this recording by other IU graduates NICK RECKTENWALD (trumpet), JEFF PARKER (trombone, bass trumpet), DAN VENTURA (piano), JACOB SMITH (bass), FRANCIS BASSETT-DILLEY (drums), and special guest WYCLIFFE GORDON on trombone on one track.

On ACROSS THE FIELD, Butler and Fasig did a yeoman’s task of turning college fight songs into hip jazz tunes with a modern edge. Before work on the album started, the Indiana Entertainment Foundation conceived and commissioned the idea for a live show. Working in conjunction with The Timeless Music Project, which presents live music performances around Indianapolis, Butler and Fasig came to the attention of the Project by Brent Wallarab, an Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at IU and a strong supporter of Butler and Fasig. The two jumped at the chance with each of them choosing and arranging six songs. 

Butler and Fasig chose songs they had some connection to and thought were amenable to modern jazz treatments. They kept the melodies somewhat front and center but provided fresh takes on each tune. The show premiered in October of 2023 at the SILO Club in Indianapolis and was such a hit, that the Entertainment Foundation asked them to record an album of the music. 

Around this time, Wycliffe Gordon had been in town performing with his band and had also enjoyed their music. When he agreed to record one tune, Butler and Fasig jointly arranged “Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight,” the fight song of Florida A&M University, Gordon’s alma mater.

Many of these songs, which were written at least 100 years ago, are based on marches that influenced early New Orleans street music. Butler explains, “A lot of these songs are not that far from the origins of early jazz. We all have a concept of modern marching bands, but once we dug into the music, we started to find a lot of commonalities. It’s more closely related than we thought.” 

The album opens with “Tiger Rag,” arranged by Butler. It was written and first recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917. Butler took inspiration from Louisiana State University’s arrangement, using a traditional second-line feel and adding a twist of modern harmony and odd phrasing. The second half features classic NOLA-style backgrounds and a solo break during Butler’s solo. 

Other Butler arrangements include “Rocky Top.” The University of Tennessee chose the Osborne Brothers tune for the halftime show of a football game against Alabama. Butler’s twist on the tune features Dan Ventura on piano and Jeff Parker on bass trumpet. “Glory, Glory,” the classic fight song from the University of Georgia, features solos by Parker on trombone and Butler on trumpet. The University of Southern California’s “Fight On” uses multiple musical inspirations, including their “war march” opening that unwinds into a Lee Morgan “Sidewinder” groove and blues form, with solos from Fasig and Recktenwald leading into a big marching band-style finish. The groove of Georgia Tech’s “Ramblin’ Wreck” has a jazz march that lends itself to the classic pairing of muted-trumpet and flute. The whimsical tune features solos from Recktenwald on trumpet and Smith on bass. Butler transforms Notre Dame’s “Victory March” into a waltz featuring solos from Fasig on tenor saxophone and Ventura on piano. 

Fasig’s arrangement of the Naval Academy’s “Anchors Aweigh” turns this classic, traditional march into a lively straight-ahead jazz tune. At the band’s first show, the audience sang along to Indiana University’s “Indiana Our Indiana,” featuring Recktenwald on trumpet. “Across the Field,” a spirited march from Ohio State University, takes a reflective and winding harmonic journey while creatively reimagining the iconic “dogfight” section of this melody. Purdue University’s “Hail Purdue” features some soulful playing by Fasig, who also re-imagines University of Michigan’s “The Victors” as an up-tempo, modal jazz tune. Fasig arranged “On Wisconsin” as a swinging version of the original march, playing the melody in a minor key rather than major.

Butler and Fasig co-arranged “Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight,” from Florida A&M, featuring Wycliffe Gordon on trombone. The arrangement combines aspects of Theodore Metz’s original song, Louis Armstrong’s 1964 arrangement, and a Horace Silver-inspired form and backgrounds.

Although the melodies on ACROSS THE FIELD will be familiar to many, Butler’s and Fasig’s clever, hip jazz arrangements played by musicians with top shelf improvisatory chops make this project truly unique.