Julliard Jazz Ensemble Perform Their Original Compositions

The program on Tuesday for the Julliard Jazz Ensemble was remarkable.  The talented musicians played a program of pieces they wrote.  These gifted musicians can also compose and arrange.  They   totally disarmed me with their insights and charm.  Everyone in the ensemble contributed a composition  encompassing all the instrumentations.  The ensemble consisted of 2 bass players, 2 trumpet players, a tenor sax and drummer.  Dave Douglas, 2 time Grammy nominee served as guest coach.  Before each number was played, the composer of the piece spoke to the audience sharing their thoughts at the time of writing the piece & what they were trying to achieve.  I found this fascinating & extremely enlightening for them to share their compositional inspirations.  Douglas Marriner on drums had poetic leanings for his composition "Carousel."  "I was imagining tunes that would be played by the music box on a neglected children's carousel.  I tried to capture some of the bittersweet loneliness and hope from the perspective of long-forgotten animals that used to serenade and entertain the children."  Eloquently stated but my interpretation was of innocence & youthful joy.  Daniel Chmielinski on bass contribued a very complex & superlative work.  Chmielinski named his piece "Aboulomania" a disorder where the individual is incapable of making decisions.  Chmielinski said he found himself struggling to make decisions but he didn't have the disorder.  "Aboulomani" had differing styles, tempos, meandering melodies and highlighted solos for all the instruments.  I thought the piece enveloped the varying styles with pizzaz and was a well constructed composition.  The evening of jazz was incredibly enjoyable.  It was filled with fun & surprises.  Of all the Ensemble performances, the student's works is my favorite.