On July 9th, Clare and Brent Fischer present the LATIN JAZZ QUINTET PLUS FOUR VOCALISTS at the JAZZ BAKERY IN CULVER CITY. This is a labor of love for Clare as throughout his long musical life and as a musical director for the HI LO'S his personal conclusion is that “NOTHING SOUNDS MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN HUMAN VOICES FOR RICH HARMONIES, AND STRINGS ARE A CLOSE SECOND". so that means Clare really likes writing for voices rather than for his big band, music which exemplifies some of the most sophisticated harmonic writing today. (however with the band he can double everything as he did on JAZZ CORPS. SEE BELOW)
This has been Clare's mantra throughout his career which has now been passed on to his son, BRENT FISCHER.
Brent has been giving suggestions to his dad since he was a teenager, even before he became adept at the electric bass, (he later graduated from California State College as a composition major, bassist and percussionist.) When Clare began receiving orchestral string projects from the likes of the JACKSON FIVE, CHAKA KHAN, AND LATER PRINCE, it was Brent who transcribed the cassettes submitted from the star POP AND R AND B PERFORMERS WHO WANTED STRING ARRANGEMENTS OR EVEN A SYMPHONY BEHIND THEIR TUNES. ALSO BRENT, BEING SOME 40 YEARS YOUNGER THAN CLARE KNEW ABOUT THESE POP, R AND B IDOLS, WHEREAS THEIR MUSIC WAS NOT PART OF CLARE'S NIGHTLY DIET.
Brent has a perfect ear, and he had to do the grunt work so to speak before he and Clare could put together the orchestrations for these, in many cases less sophisticated tunes. After all when the Fischers can compose classical and jazz music, you would think these simple tunes would be a piece of cake. Actually it's not all that easy. Suppose you had to orchestrate HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR STRINGS. it's not that simple, but i think that may have been done for MARILYN MONROE when she sang for PRESIDENT KENNEDY.
The Fishers only accept projects from artists they respect and who have some musical literacy. Also they do not and did not in anyway change what the artist would submit to them. That means Brent had to transcribe the tune submitted by the artist exactly note for note, notating some rather interesting syncopation. If these artists gave them a simple G MAJOR TRIAD, it was up to the Fischers to take that simple chord, or simple chords of these little ditties and create orchestral beauty behind these rather simple tunes. It must have worked because the Fischer arrangements made the performers hits; some became rich, made the Fishers a lot of money, won a few grammies for everyone.
This has been Clare's mantra throughout his career which has now been passed on to his son, BRENT FISCHER.
Brent has been giving suggestions to his dad since he was a teenager, even before he became adept at the electric bass, (he later graduated from California State College as a composition major, bassist and percussionist.) When Clare began receiving orchestral string projects from the likes of the JACKSON FIVE, CHAKA KHAN, AND LATER PRINCE, it was Brent who transcribed the cassettes submitted from the star POP AND R AND B PERFORMERS WHO WANTED STRING ARRANGEMENTS OR EVEN A SYMPHONY BEHIND THEIR TUNES. ALSO BRENT, BEING SOME 40 YEARS YOUNGER THAN CLARE KNEW ABOUT THESE POP, R AND B IDOLS, WHEREAS THEIR MUSIC WAS NOT PART OF CLARE'S NIGHTLY DIET.
Brent has a perfect ear, and he had to do the grunt work so to speak before he and Clare could put together the orchestrations for these, in many cases less sophisticated tunes. After all when the Fischers can compose classical and jazz music, you would think these simple tunes would be a piece of cake. Actually it's not all that easy. Suppose you had to orchestrate HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR STRINGS. it's not that simple, but i think that may have been done for MARILYN MONROE when she sang for PRESIDENT KENNEDY.
The Fishers only accept projects from artists they respect and who have some musical literacy. Also they do not and did not in anyway change what the artist would submit to them. That means Brent had to transcribe the tune submitted by the artist exactly note for note, notating some rather interesting syncopation. If these artists gave them a simple G MAJOR TRIAD, it was up to the Fischers to take that simple chord, or simple chords of these little ditties and create orchestral beauty behind these rather simple tunes. It must have worked because the Fischer arrangements made the performers hits; some became rich, made the Fishers a lot of money, won a few grammies for everyone.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
