[#136] February 28, 2022 2011 | Jazz Sextet and Wind Orchestra | Grade 5 | 20’-25’ | Jazz-based, Improvisatory
Think of Jazz by Spanish composer and jazz artist Jesus Santadreu is our Composition of the Week.
Think of Jazz was premiered at the “Com Sona l’ESO” (The sound of ESO) Festival in the summer of 2011.
The “Com Sona l’ESO” festival “is a project born in 2000 out of the enthusiasm of some music teachers who came from the region of Valencia and were teaching in Valencia, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Their enthusiasm led them to put all the ideas together to present to a wider public all that could be achieved with students of any social status, cultural background and academic level with one common goal: music, whose role at school is frequently underestimated amongst other subjects”.
Think of Jazz is a concert piece developed from a fifth interval. The entire introduction contains the genetic code for the development of the piece, and the melodies generally have a rather angular outline. The orchestral parts and the solo sextet are equal in the piece, and each member of the jazz group has improvisational solo interventions within a harmonic structure. Basically, this work consists of four expositions of different subjects with their own developments and transformations. “...This piece presents a strong Hard Bop influence, present throughout. The orchestral part has a medium difficulty level and is written in a traditional academic language, easily understandable for performers who are not very familiar with jazz, however it requires a jazz sextet with professional jazz musicians, experienced soloists, and a good rhythm section…” Program notes by composer
Think of Jazz has a duration of 20 minutes and it is scored for Jazz Sextet (Trumpet, Tenor sax, trombone, piano, bass and drums) and a standard wind band setting.
Jesus Santandreu, is a jazz artist specialized in different ensembles, such as chamber music, big band, symphony orchestra and wind orchestra. His symphonic works have had premieres and performances in Brazil, USA, Portugal, Germany, Colombia, China, Taiwan and Spain. He has teaching experience in several European, North American, Asian and Latin American universities.
He currently resides in Valencia. He is professor of improvisation at Sedajazz and serves as professor of saxophone and arranging at Conservatorio Superior Joaquín Rodrigo in Valencia. Director of the CSMV’s Big Band.
In 2000 he graduated in Jazz (Magna Cum Laude) from Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts and in 2014 he was awarded a Master of Arts degree, Symphonic Conducting from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
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