“That doesn’t sound like a trumpet…”
This morning I learned of Maurice André’s passing from a friend’s Facebook wall. For many people who aren’t directly familiar with André’s work, the easiest way to explain might be to tell the story of how the great Wynton Marsalis won his first concerto competition playing Haydn’s trumpet concerto after learning it by ear from a recording of Maurice André’s. If you’ve heard a classical trumpet player under 50 year perform, you’ve heard the influence Maurice André. If you’ve heard a classical trumpet player and loved their sound, you’ve heard the influence of Maurice André. If you’ve ever heard the sound of a trumpet and thought “that doesn’t even sound like a trumpet, it’s too beautiful”, you’ve heard the influence of Maurice André.
After he mastered the canon of classical trumpet repertoire, he went on to expand it with renditions of works written for other instruments that he made sound so natural, most of us grew up thinking they were originally written for trumpet. Monsieur André, you will be missed dearly.
Infographic on “Racism”…
Nothing personal, nothing musical. Just an exercise in rational thought:
Definition of racism from Oxford English Dictionary (via Mac OS X Dictionary app). A response to http://nicholaspayton.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/on-why-nicholas-payton-is-not-a-racist/
JazzWeekly.com’s review of ‘Lost in New York’
While packaged in an edgy graphic comic context, the music here
presented by trumpeter Suresh Singaratham is impressive hard bop in the
Jazz Messenger vein. The core team of Jake Saslow/ts, Jesse Lewis/g,
Fabian/p, Fabian Almazan/p, Fraser Hollins/b and Lee Pearson/dr give a
youthful and Gen Y vigor to stretched out tunes like “Temporal
Incursions” and “Remnants Of Eternity” while bridging the generation
gap between Young Lions and Baby Boomers…read more at JazzWeekly.com
Mark F. Turner’s review of That is You on AllAboutJazz.com
To be transported from stress and worry—if only for a brief moment—this song can surely do the trick. To paraphrase the great Billy Strayhorn, That Is You is a lovesome thing…read more at AllAboutJazz.com
Jon Neudorf’s review of Lost In New York
Lost In New York is an outstanding album of intricate jazz played by some of the best musicians the jazz scene currently has to offer. Singaratnam has produced a mature and first class effort making this album hard to ignore. This is an essential purchase for all jazz fans and one which I highly recommend…read more at Sea of Tranquility
Passing Notes’ review of Lost in New York
From the writing and arranging, to the personnel in the band and the flat out monster playing on this release, I was thoroughly impressed…read more at Passing Notes
eJazzNews’ review of Lost in New York
Meet Suresh Singaratnam . Like Wynton Marsalis, to whom he will often very likely be compared, Singaratnam is trained in both the classical and jazz traditions. His first two records offered classical music — 2009’s Two Hundred Sixty-One, Volume 1 — and jazz — 2010’s Lost in New York, the subject of this review. To have a career begin in impressive musical presence of Marsalis is a bit much, so let us give Singaratnam enough space to let him be his own man. He’s not lost at all. He finds his way pretty well, no matter what music he’s playing…read more at eJazzNews.com
Examiner NY’s review of Lost in New York
Lost in New York is a 68-minute, nine-chapter novel of a boy and his trumpet, making his way to the city and experiencing many life lessons. The CD, with a lengthy booklet filled with beautiful graphic illustrations, is a finely composed suite, merging jazz and the classical in contemporary fashion…read more at Examiner.com.
JazzWax’s review of Lost in New York
Everything about this new CD from trumpeter Singaratnam is exciting, from the tight jazz lines to the restless fusion arrangements. None of the songs overstay their welcome and all delight with energy and innovation…read more at Sunday Wax Bits – JazzWax.
The Examiner’s review of Lost in New York
At a time when it sounds to the serious listener as if there is too much aimless noodling on the jazz scene, there is a straight-ahead spikiness to Singaratnam’s compositions that appreciates the legacies of bebop, hard bop, and Miles Davis without idol-worshipping any of them.…read more at Examiner,com