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Tom Pierson: Last Works
ByAn impressive and productive conducting and composing career for Pierson would follow, including friendships and musical relationships with many other composers, including legendary jazz arranger and band leader Gil Evans, and conducting Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" at the Metropolitan Opera and scoring films for director Robert Altman.
Based in Japan since 1991, conducting, performing and recording Pierson's "Last Works" brings forward a culmination of compositions brewing inside Pierson over time that he wanted to set down finally, in a recording that covers 2 CD's in length. The compositions vary in tone, mood and arrangement but share the greater value of distinction, as no track is similar to another, and each stands out in orchestral arrangement as an individual statement. There is no filler herejust the strength exhibited by composer and conductor meshing with solid musicianship.
On Last Works Pierson is accompanied by an astoundingly diverse group of musicians varying in age from 17 to 71, and spanning three continents. The Tom Pierson Orchestra, in its current incarnation, offers talent that delivers a depth of instrumental range from all. The 14 piece orchestra on Last Works" combines movements of orchestral sound that never fails to intrigue while crafting emotional tones with distinction between each composition.
Pierson's musical philosophy about composition and creation is simple and direct: "If you're not searching, you're not doing your job." Having had extensive musical interactions with a variety of legendary bandleadersincluding Gil Evansand a current brilliant innovator of jazz orchestra, composer and conductor Maria Schneider (whom Pierson introduced to Evans early in her career), Pierson not only speaks from the heart but also a foundation of performing, conducting and compositional experience. Within his own elaboration, Pierson explains: "I like to write pieces in a genre style, and I've never thought it was necessary to be 'Far-Out' to be creative." On Last Works Pierson is creating both the "thrill" of something freshthat soloing musicians live for ( to paraphrase the composerand also the long years of building compositions that allow this moment to happen.
Track Listing
Abandoned; Chandra Lowery's Samba; By The Martyr's Decree; Times Remembered; Winter's End; Dark Story; The Pharaoh's Serpent; Elipsis; Sultry, 45/8; In God's Name; Two Becoming 3; Among Strangers.
Personnel
Lou Marini: saxophone, woodwinds; Mark Vinci: saxophone, woodwinds; Stu Enomoto: saxophone, woodwinds; Neil Johnson: saxophone, woodwinds; Michael Lutzeier: saxophone, woodwinds; Dominic Degrasse: trumpet; Mike Ponella: trumpet; Tim Leopold: trumpet; Lew Soloff: trumpet; Ben Herrington: trombone; Robinson Khoury: trombone; Dan Levine: trombone; Jeff Nelson: trombone; Tom Pierson: piano; Kanoa Mendenhall: electric bass; Pheeroan Aklaff: drums.
Album information
Title: Last Works | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Self Produced