OMG unstructured improv on 2 trombones....Grammys here we come!
The CD (whatever that means these days) is structured around 3 main pieces with 9 short, well known (for boners) duets.
Short Stuff
3 Blazhevich Concert duets: (each 2 mins) Talented composer of Soviet Russia also a Tuba player who was a stalwart and wrote a cadre of respected low brass rep for trombone/tuba. Etudes, Concerti etc. and the concert duets
3 "Posh Duets:" - Jazz inflected, British trombone player Brian Lynn - lollipops essentially but well written and listenable.
3 Short pieces by Mike Davis, a New York based trombonist, highly respected amongst his peers - 30 years as trombonist for the Rolling Stones and one of my first gigs with him was playing on one of Sting's recent albums. Good guy, good composer and good human.
Big Bits
Duo Concertante: by Daniel Synder. This was originally written for 2 saxes (Synder is a sax player, living in NYC and still alive) but this was adapted by Snyder and legendary NYC bass trombonist Dave Taylor for 2 trombones. It's a fascinating jazz inflected, fugal, Bach-esque piece that is just interesting to listen to. Think prog rock meets jazz and Bach.
Conversations: Written Charlie Small. Largely considered one of the best trombone duets written - it's just really well written for tenor and bass trombone, entering several different sound worlds and allowing each soloist moments to express themselves and also be a chamber player.
FINALLY - we commissioned a piece as a reflection on the Black Lives Matter Movement. It's length is same time that George Floyd's neck was knelt upon - it is written for 2 trombones, electronics and spoken word artist. Poetry written and performed by spoken word artist Joan Mays. The week that we met Jovan, the school where he teaches had suffered 2 drive by shootings. This was very real. He is a deep thinker and an important voice in our community here in Colorado - I am honored that he accepted our offer to lend his poetry and his voice to our project. Here is some of his earlier work and I will be happy to post what we all came up with on VillaTalk when everything is edited and mixed.