Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Geoff Muldaur: Private Astronomy

252

Geoff Muldaur: Private Astronomy

By

Sign in to view read count
Geoff Muldaur: Private Astronomy
It is certainly not by accident that the Universal Classics Group is the label imprint on Geoff Private Astronomy—A Vision of the Music of Bix Beiderbecke. The rarely heard piano compositions of Bix Beiderbecke are majestically transformed into American chamber music by the loving touch and musical panache of another American original, Geoff Muldaur. For release during the Bix Beiderbecke Centenary, Mr. Muldaur’s recording of Leon "Bix" Beiderbecke compositions, and compositions associated with the coronetist, can not so much be termed a tribute disc as eine hommage. Taking what are essentially sketches for piano pieces; Mr. Muldaur builds a precipice out of the notes on the staff using the tonal palette of reeds and brass capturing the whimsy and humor of the roaring ‘20s.



Included and elaborated on are five Beiderbecke piano compositions, only one of which was recorded ("In A Mist"). "In the Dark," "Candlelight," and "Flashes" were transcribed by Beiderbecke’s editor Bill Challis and exist as sheet music. "Davenport Blues" was developed from his famous band recording. Mr. Muldaur was very specific on the treatment of these recordings. A core of instruments including violin, clarinet, alto saxophone, trombone, and baritone saxophone were assembled and arranged for the recording. Beiderbecke’s coronet solos would be played per transcription by other instruments. For the music associated with Beiderbecke, if Bing Crosby sang a song with the Rhythm Boys on the original recording, then a single voice (either Muldaur, Loudon Wainwright, or Martha Wainwright) would sing alone. Songs originally sung by Frankie Trumbauer were presented via the vocal trio of the Harmony Boys (Muldaur, Wainwright, and Greg Prestopino).



The resulting recording is a fully realized suite from Hemingway and Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age. Muldaur’s voicings on the instrumental selections are as delicate as a lily and pungent as honeysuckle. The vocal arrangements are perfectly suited for the period, one of gaiety and joy and hopeful abandon experienced before the Great Depression. Mr. Muldaur called upon the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Randy Sandke, Ted Nash, Dan Levine, and Butch Thompson for the recording, all of whom played with dedication and reverence (though, not enough to strangle the pieces). The sum of all of these parts is easily the finest jazz recording of 2003.



For more information, see Geoff Muldaur and Universal Records .

Track Listing

Take Your Tomorrow (And Give Me Today); In The Dark; There Ain

Personnel

Geoff Muldaur

Album information

Title: Private Astronomy | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Universal Music Group

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.