"Jade" pulls together some of my jazz compositions in the way that "Mad Geography" pulls together some of my heavy prog rock instrumentals. In recording it during COVID-19 I branched out to invite a number of musicians to contribute remotely - most of them old friends, yet some very new friends as well.
The motivation began in the summer of 2020, as I chilled out to the sounds of crickets and Jobim's "Wave" album, which I was stunned to learn was recorded in New Jersey, not Brazil (shows my jazz history knowledge). Track 1 ("Palisades") was fleshed out as a bossa nova. This coincided with my wanting to work with the amazing drummer Chris Wabich, one of L.A.'s best. His enthusiasm for the music and immediate feedback pushed me to take this album further, and I dove into whatever material I had that featured dancing odd rhythms, a bit of improvisation, and complex arrangements. For this I would be going well beyond the use of instruments that I play myself, and the emailing began.
"Palisades" (named for the New Jersey region where "Wave" was recorded - the eminent Van Gelder studio) is a fully composed trio of bass and two guitars. Its busy counterpoint makes me want to call it "Bach-a Nova." The flute and clarinet highlight the guitars (and ukelele and mandolin), and the strings are an homage to 60s orchestrated jazz, in particular Claus Ogerman's great arrangements on "Wave." Ditto for the fact that Damjan Krajacic could contribute a bit of bass flute into the texture.
"Sandcastle" was composed in 2008 and brings the flute and clarinet (played by my wife, Maureen) to the fore in unworded song. The vibe is SoCal, nearly Bacharachian, speaking once more to the delicious orchestrations of 60s feel-good music.
"Chandelier" (from about 2004) is in a wily 11/8 for the most part, and in a repeating A/B structure that lends the only improvised solo spots to the album. Tim Leopold on flugelhorn and Damjan on flute dance over the changes brilliantly. There are also solo melodies in the oboe (Toyin Spellman-Diaz) and cello (Nat Chaitkin), while the accompaniment brings in the vibes (Payton MacDonald) and electric piano (me). Miles Brown contributes the acoustic bass parts on the album.
"Pinelands" tilts the style back to my home base of prog and indie rock. It's the most recent composition, begun in early 2019 and fleshed out for this recording. Mark Ptak, my bandmate in Advent, plays the Hammond C-3, and the rest is me, atop Wabich's effortless drums (and a solo to boot).
"Saturnalia" is a big band extravaganza. The bare music dates all the way back to 1990, with Frank Zappa as my influence. Though rather old at the core, the piece had never been realized and required a large amount of orchestration and shaping up to become the composition it is now. It is based on a spiral chord progression, and I challenged myself to keep the arrangement fresh while the underlying notes took their carousel ride. I am honored to have the Capitol Quartet (saxists Chris Creviston, Joe Lulloff, David Stambler, and Henning Schröder), for whom I have written a few pieces, contribute the sax section. As well, two trombonists (Gabe Rice and Nat Dickey) who played in my big band, Page One, in 1990 at Oberlin College rejoin me for some unfinished business!
Finally, I have to thank the tirelessly creative Chris Wabich for being my co-pilot through the mixing process, offering his ears and suggestions when mine were getting saturated and boxed in. Thanks also to John Leamy who never fails with the perfect touch on artwork, and Scott Anthony for his warm and careful mastering.
I hope you enjoy it!
credits
released May 1, 2021
Composed, mixed and produced by Evan Hause in West Orange, NJ
Parts recorded remotely by the musicians themselves
Mastered by Storybook Sound
Art by John Leamy
Personnel:
Chris Wabich - drums, percussion, steel pan
Damjan Krajacic - flute, bass flute [1, 2, 3, 5]
Maureen Hurd - clarinet, bass clarinet [1, 2, 3, 5]
Miles Brown - upright bass [2, 3]
Tim Leopold - flugelhorn, trumpet [3, 5]
Nat Chaitkin - cello [3]
Toyin Spellman-Diaz - oboe [3]
Payton MacDonald - vibraphone [3]
Mark Ptak - Hammond C-3 organ [4]
Christopher Creviston - soprano sax [5]
Joe Lulloff - alto sax [5]
David Stambler - tenor sax [5]
Henning Schröder - baritone sax [5]
Gabriel Rice - bass trombone [5]
Nat Dickey - tenor trombone [5]
Evan Hause - electric and acoustic guitars, electric bass [1, 4, 5], piano, mandolin, ukulele, additional percussion, mixing and programming
Special thanks:
I profoundly thank all of my collaborators for contributing their time and artistry to this project. You all made this process a joy and a revelation.
Here you will find my personal studio music discography - also known as the EVHA catalog. For a full listing of my music check out evanhause.com Thank you for listening!
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