TT 43: Dance Sonata; Harold Mabern, Richard Wyands, Larry Willis
Tomorrow — we will be on closer to 8:30 than 8:
Dance Sonata was commissioned by Dance Heginbotham and will get a proper premiere at Jacob’s Pillow this summer with choreography by John Heginbotham.
Dance Sonata is in four movements — Allegro, Andante, Scherzo, Rondo — and is completely written out. The piece may be played solo piano but will be even more effective with bass and drums; I will be joined by Dylan Reis and Vinnie Sperrazza both at Halyards and at the Pillow. (To be brutally frank, we are making the demo tape for John the next day and a little Brooklyn gig will be a good opportunity to tighten up the polyrhythms.)
The aesthetic of Dance Sonata will be no surprise for those that have heard Pepperland or Concerto to Scale. I guess I have truly arrived at “my style” when it comes to formal composition. Well, I turn 47 in February, so it’s certainly about time!
At Halyards, Dylan, Vinnie, and I will also play some normal jazz to fill out the hour. We start about 8:30, Diego Voglino takes over for the second set. Donation.
—-
Chronology 7 for JazzTimes, a potentially controversial obit for three greats.
"It would be helpful if American institutions, academics, and critics with a bent toward European forms kept learning about the high art found in jazz clubs & on jazz LPs. Our very best American musicians are often hidden in plain sight."