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Cool Change Composer Collective

Biography

Cool Change Composer Collective (CCCC) was established January 2011 at a coffee house on Larchmont Ave in Los Angeles by Austrian Composer, now based in Los Angeles, Gernot Wolfgang, Bevan Manson, from New York also based in LA and Ed Neumeister who splits his time these days between Los Angeles, New York and Austria, where he teaches at the University of the Performing Arts.

The three composers were already long time admirers of each others work and come from similar musical backgrounds, namely, as jazz musicians. What they also share is that they are all writing music for groups and musicians from classical backgrounds, especially chamber groups. It was evident that they shared a common esthetic that was relatively unique, jazz musicians composing for classical ensembles.

One of the frustrations of a composer, is that he/she will work on a piece for weeks, months, or even years only to hear it performed once or twice, if that. Many composers have stacks of music in their drawers, or on their hard drives with music that is complete but still “waiting" for an opportunity to be performed.

Consequently, they started preparing a concert together and booked their first concert at Vitello's, primarily a jazz room, in Studio City, CA. April 16 2011.

When Bevan Manson approached April Williams, who books Vitello's, she responded with an enthusiastic “Yes! Let's do it."

Rather than planning one concert, they decided to form the Cool Change Composers Collective and start a concert series called “Improvisatory Minds, Chamber Music composed by Jazz Musicians."

At that first performance in April 2011, the CCCC invited composers with a similar esthetic, Billy Childs and Alan Broadbent, both prominent composers (classical/jazz and in between) and jazz musicians.

That inaugural concert, which featured strings, piano, woodwinds and trombone, was a huge success with the full house enthralled by the music and the performances. Fourteen, mostly “classical" prominent Los Angeles musicians in groups of 2 to 8 performed to an enthusiastic, attentive (you could hear a pin drop, but of course there were no improvised bass solos which are always an invitation to talk) packed house, including luminaries from the jazz world like Bill Holman and others.

The success of that first concert led to the second concert this past October 1, 2011. Which featured guest composers Clare Fischer, Vince Mendoza and Larry Karush. The concert focused this time on strings with a little piano and was also received by a full, attentive and enthusiastic house.