Brooklyn-based
Red Piano Records have announced the release of saxophonist Randal
Despommier and pianist Jason Yeager's first collaborative album, All At
Onceness, a soulful mix of improvisational arrangements of Baroque, Romantic,
twentieth-century, and contemporary pieces. With source material ranging from
Bach to Stravinsky, Scriabin to Messiaen, these intrepid composer-improvisers
stake out their own territory in a diverse program that combines folk-like
melodies, evocative harmonies, and infectious rhythms. Joining the duo are
three of New York's most adventurous artists: vocalist Aubrey Johnson, bassist
Danny Weller, and drummer Jay Sawyer.
On April
21st at 8 PM, Despommier and Yeager will lead their band in a CD release
concert/celebration at the cell theatre, located at 338 W 23rd St.
When New
Orleans-born jazz alto saxophonist and classical composer Randal Despommier
moved to New York City in the summer of 2013, he teamed up an with
award-winning jazz pianist/composer from Boston, Jason Yeager, to explore
improvisational arrangements of classical repertoire."Jason and I were
both interested in building off of the jazz tradition by turning to the
classical oeuvre and vice versa. During our jam sessions, we'd mess around with
jazz standards, preludes by Scriabin, and folk songs; then we'd arrange,
rearrange, and sometimes 'de-range' pieces, as Jason puts it; the result was
what we felt to be a coming-together of various musical styles from the past
and present. We decided to call this approach All At Onceness, a term coined by
the Canadian media scholar, Marshall McLuhan."
Some of
these "derangements" include Despommier's Cherokee-meets-Le Sacre du
printemps (entitled "Rite of Cherokee"), described by the saxophonist
as "something of a primal Bop dance." Yeager's version of "Danse
de la fureur..." (or "Dance of Fury") is a fiery, adventurous
atonal saxophone and piano/rhodes duet that draws from the sixth movement of
Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. These high-octane fusion works are
counterbalanced by two original compositions: Despommier's"The First
Flowers," an ethereal, lyrical setting of a poem by Hermann Hesse, and
Yeager's "Telekinesis,"a playful, Kafkaesque jazz vocalise
interpolated with collective improvisation from the ensemble.
Critical to
the standout originals are the contributions of vocalist Aubrey Johnson, who
has collaborated with top artists ranging from Fred Hersch to Bobby McFerrin.
Despommier notes that, "Aubrey sings with such soul and warmth; she's a
real singer/poet who 'breathes life into the words' as the madrigalists would
say." Johnson's moving vocal work is featured on several cuts, her
exquisite tone and deep improvisational prowess particularly strong on the
closing track, Despommier's arrangement of Bartók's "Bagatelle Op. 10 No.
4." In this work, following a scintillating solo by Johnson, Despommier
joins the fray as a vocalist, in the majestic choral section that closes out
the album.
Lighting a
creative fire under the front line is the top-notch rhythm team of drummer Jay
Sawyer (Freddy Cole, Itamar Borochov) and bassist Danny Weller (Jason Palmer,
Radio City Music Hall Christmas Orchestra), who contribute imaginative musical
commentary to "Telekinesis," "Bagatelle", and "Rite of
Cherokee." "I've worked with
Jay and Danny for quite some time, and they combine an intensity and energy
with supreme listening and sensitivity, which is rare," comments pianist
Yeager. "I've performed with them in settings ranging from my trio to
larger ensemble projects, and knew that they would be the perfect fit for what
Randy and I had in mind for this recording."
Another
standout track is Despommier's haunting arrangement of an ancient Icelandic
religious text, "Heyr Himna Smiður," or "Hear, Smith of the
Heavens," an early thirteenth-century poem by Icelandic chieftain/poet
Kolbeinn Tumason, set to music in the twentieth century by Þorkell
Sigurbjörnsson. Accompanied only by Yeager on piano, Johnson's superb vocal
interpretation gives the track a truly celestial ethos, entrancing the listener
with a captivating melodic statement.
Randal
Despommieris a New York-based composer, saxophonist, and educator from New
Orleans, LA. His unique and extensive background in jazz, blues, and Western
classical music results in a distinct twenty first-century compositional voice.
Despommier's original music ranges from contemporary art songs to jazz
adaptations of Medieval and Renaissance music. His debut album, an original
song cycle entitled Circus of the Soul will be released on Albany Records later
this year. He directs the music program at Bard High School Early College in
Manhattan and has taught jazz history with the Bard Prison Initiative.
Jason Yeager
is a New York-based pianist, composer, and educator, whose music is informed by
jazz improvisation, contemporary chamber music, and Latin American folk
rhythms. His most recent album, United, with violinist Jason Anick, was awarded
4.5 stars and named one of 2017's top releases in Downbeat Magazine. His fourth
recording as a leader, All At Onceness, with composer/saxophonist Randal
Despommier, will be released on Red Piano Records in April 2018. Yeager has
performed and recorded with such artists as Luciana Souza, Matt Wilson, Ayn
Inserto, Linda Oh, Greg Osby, Sara Serpa, and George Garzone, and has performed
across the US and abroad in Argentina, Panama, and South Africa. In addition to
his performance and composition work, Yeager teaches piano at Berklee College
of Music.
