Brooklyn
born and raised guitarist/composer Tom Guarna is a musician's musician, a
stellar talent who can seemingly play anything, and play it brilliantly. His
fluid lines, creative chord-voicings, captivating tone, and profound solos have
made him a first-call musician for the likes of Manuel Valera and New Cuban
Express (in the band nominated for a 2013 Grammy Award), Blood Sweat and Tears,
Wallace Roney, Branford Marsalis, Randy Brecker, Lenny White, the late Mulgrew
Miller, Billy Hart, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Greg Hutchinson, John Benitez, Joe Locke,
E.J. Strickland and many, many others.
And yet,
his prolific sideman work is only half of the story. After five acclaimed
recordings under his own name, Guarna recently experienced yet another deluge
of inspiration, and the result is his highly anticipated new recording, Rush,
to be released on February 25, 2014, on the intrepid, indy-label, Brooklyn Jazz
Underground Records. Guarna explains, "Rush was inspired by the sudden
burst of creativity that can sometimes overtake you, inspiring you to seize the
moment and engage in the creative process. I am always composing and
conceptualizing new music, but the recording of this album followed a
particularly inspired time when it seemed that I couldn't write the music fast
enough. So 'rush' really best describes the excitement and joy I experienced when
working on the music for this project."
Rush
features Danny Grissett on piano & Fender Rhodes; "I first played with
Danny in bassist Richie Goods group. We did a European tour and also played
some gigs in the states. I had been a fan of his playing prior to working with
him. Danny has a beautiful touch that creates a beautiful tone. That combined
with his great feel and harmonic sense made him the first person I thought of
when I decided to record. Joel Frahm on soprano & tenor saxophones; Joel recorded
on my third Steeplechase recording titled Wingspan. He has a great sound and
beautiful harmonic concept. Orlando Le Fleming on bass; I first met Orlando
while I was at The New School. We played together in various groups over the
years, and I always loved his sound and feel. And, Johnathan Blake on drums;
Johnathan and I first played together in George Colligan's group. I love the
way Johnathan can shape a song. His use of colors and how loose his feel can be
while still achieving accuracy.
Highlights
on Rush include the title track, which opens with Guarna instantly building up
anticipation with a propulsive riff before the band dives in with the soaring
melody. This tune is about experiencing a burst of creativity and the
"rush" to seize the moment before it passes. Up next is the driving
rhythm and serpentine melody of "Beringia", named after the land
bridge that once connected Siberia to Alaska. It is believed that this bridge
may have allowed ancient people to migrate to America. "The song is
inspired by the feeling these travelers may have felt", said Guarna.
"Dreamland", which finds the band taking Guarna's counterpoint melody
and running with it, creating an emotive ballad, with a swinging section in
three, evokes the feeling of being partially asleep but still somewhat awake at
the same time. The song captures the peaceful feeling that can be experienced
while in this state. "'Shambleau' is the name of a short story written by
C.L. Moore in the 1930's. Shambleau is a medusa like creature that drains the
life force of men. This song was written immediately after I finished this
story", explained Guarna. "Elegy for Etan" is in memory of Etan
Kalil Patz, who was six years old when he disappeared while walking to catch
his school bus two blocks from his New York City home in 1979. "If you
grew up in NYC around the time this happened, you saw his picture everywhere.
He was the first person to have his photo on milk cartons, and there was an
enormous search for him. Heartbreaking", Guarna reminisced. Guarna
explains the tune "Movement and Repose", "While writing this
song, those two words seemed to best describe the architecture of the
composition. The song moves through many tonal centers before arriving at the
middle section, which evokes a brief sense of rest. Then it quickly returns to
that driving sense of urgency, hopefully creating a nice ebb and flow to the
song." "Forgiveness", is a burning tune (Guarna's solo here is
an album highlight) that was inspired by the process of forgiving that leads
you through a series of emotions, enabling one to eventually let go of any hurt
and negative energy. "This song was written while going through this
process", said the guitarist. The band truly shines, and shows how big
their ears are, on the album's closer, "High Plains" written by
Guarna with the state of Montana in mind. He explains, "having spent some
time hiking there, the beauty of the varying landscapes was quite overwhelming
to me. It reminds me of the importance to preserve nature."
"Although
the music was not written for anyone specific, they all played the music as if
I had written it with them in mind, they definitely took ownership of the music
as musicians of this caliber always do! I knew that if I had all of these guys
together, that we would create a really nice group sound. I am very pleased
with the result, to say the least!", said Guarna.
