Nov 20, 2020 - Concert of Nu Dawn Jazz Fusion

The Main Event of the concert will be the live premiere of Nu Dawn, my experimental jazz combo that I formed this Summer as an homage to the great Don Ellis. The name of the program is “Live in Prime Time,” as all of the charts that I have composed or arranged are in a prime number time signature. In addition to being the theme for the evening, it will also be the theme of my debut album, “Prime Time,” which will be released July of 2021.

Pedaling – The first piece of the program will be a solo experiment featuring my Electrophonic Quartertone Trumpet (EQT), which is my Holton T-105 routed through a multitude of guitar pedals. All I know about the piece is that it will be in 3 (easily the lowest prime number of the evening). Every other aspect of the piece will be completely improvisatory.

Turkish Caravan – This chart holds a special place in my heart as it was my first released single ever. It’s an amalgamation of the two standards; Caravan by Duke Ellington, and Turkish Bath by Don Ellis. The meter of this piece is 7/4 divided 2+2+3 while the bass is actually performing a 4:7 polyrhythm the entire time. The chart’s melody is to be played by three or more instruments in parallel quartertones and at some points, will even be comprised of six parallel quartertones. This gives the piece an unmistakable Eastern flare. Following several solos, the piece finally concludes with an EQT cadenza that gets more and more out there as it goes along.

My Funnier Valentine – This chart is almost exactly like the original by Richard Rogers, with the exception that it is written in 23/8. The subdivision of the 23 is 5+5+6+7 or (3+2)(3+2)(3+3)(3+2+2). Being the ballad of the program, we’ll be slowing things down more and hearing a much different style than the prior chart including the first whistle feature of the concert, performed by myself.

Improbable Steps – This will be one of the more challenging charts of the evening for two reasons; It’s in 37/8, and it’s in all 12 keys. The inspiration for this chart was clearly Giant Steps by John Coltrane, as both charts use a tricyclic pattern of ascending major 3rds reached via a series of ii-V-Is. The main difference is that the three tonal centers of my version are minor whereas the three tonal centers for Giant Steps are major. As I mentioned before, over the duration of one chorus, there is at least one measure where each of the 12 keys occur. In terms of the metric subdivision of this chart, the 37 is broken down in groupings of 9+9+9+10 or (2+2+3+2), (3+2+2+2), (2+2+3+2), (3+2+2+3).

59 Reasons – As the finale of the concert’s name would suggest, the chart is in 59/4. This is easily the most unique piece as it is the only chart in the program where I will be playing in an Eastern Key. The word Dastgah is Persian for mode and the particular Dastgah I will be utilizing is the Rast. Rast features a half-flat 3rd (AKA, neutral 3rd) which is an interval half way between a major and a minor 3rd. That, in addition to my implementation of a 3-half-flat 7th will lead the piece to sound very hauntingly Eastern. As the last chart of the program, it is also the most difficult from a metric standpoint. One entire chorus is exactly 118 eighth notes in duration or 59/4 and is subdivided as 31+30+29+28 or as (4/4)+(4/4)+(4/4)+(7/8), (4/4)+(4/4)+(4/4)+(3/4), (4/4)+(7/8)+(4/4)+(3/4), (4/4)+(3/4)+(4/4)+(3/4).

Closing Thoughts – My hope for the evening is not that you walk away loving everything. My hope is that you leave having heard something you’ve never heard before. I hope to be a catalyst of uniquity. Of creativity. Of innovation. If for even a moment you find yourself fascinated or intrigued by the protuberance of sci-fi sounds, hard to follow meters, and microtonality, then I will consider my job to have been complete. In this day and age, if jazz is to survive, it must stay modern. So, with all that being said, I’d like to thank you for listening and welcome you to the Nu Dawn.