For me, one of the most compelling elements of jazz is the variety and changeability of its language.Dixieland, swing, funk and a kaleidoscope of other forms all draw water from the same basic well. The joyous thunder of a big band and the understated murmurs of a jazz duo are unlikely cousins with a common lexicon. I love playing the flute; it’s a main source of expression for me, and being able to work with it in a jazz big band format has been a blast. Replacing the standard hardware of the form-saxes, trumpets and trombones- with the silvery wash of flutes, big and small, seems to me both invigorating and admittedly, weirdly oppositional. The concept, for which not a lot has been written, is gathering some steam. Jazz flute big bands have been popping up in various locations as widespread as Calgary, San Francisco and London, England. The arrangements on this album constitute my approach to the form, and apart from my original compositions I’m pleased to have been given the go-ahead from both Brent Fischer and Chick Corea to record my versions of the great tunes, "Pensitiva" and "Times Lie" respectively.
The duo selections on the album are, of course, a different kettle of musical fish, and I’m delighted to record and perform these, live off the floor (of my living room), with the brilliant pianist Chris Gestrin. A five star Downbeat creator and composer, he’s masterfully musical and scarily intuitive. We present these five offerings, not as a counterpoint, but as a alternate form of the same universe.
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