IT'S HERE! Denver Brass releases Fascinating Brass
Denver Brass releases a FASCINATING album in midst of pandemic crippling the arts community.
The Denver Brass is proud to announce the release of its latest album, Fascinating Brass. The album marks the 29th recording released by the ensemble, and the first major recording released by the group since 2012. Recorded live at the ensemble’s last live concert at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts before being shut down by the 2020 pandemic, Fascinating Brass is an exciting blend of jazz styles, featuring iconic classics, new original works by Steve Wiest, and electronically enhanced contemporary hits. The album release is a sweet treat for the Denver Brass and its musicians, staff, and fans, as the organization has spent the past seven months navigating the bitter realities of being a performing group in the midst of a health crisis. “This album was recorded in front of a live audience, which is something we haven’t really seen since early March,” comments Becky Wilkins, Executive Director. “There’s so much energy and joy in this music. Listening to this brings back the thrill of live music and stirs up major emotions for me.”
Tim Allums soloing during Gershwin’s “Fascinating Brass.”
Many of the pieces on this recording were funded by individual donors and foundations. Of note is “New Seasons,” a multi-movement work by Grammy-nominated trombonist, composer, author, and cartoonist, Steve Wiest, funded by the Fine Arts Foundation. Wiest was commissioned to create a new work for Denver Brass that was informed by the Baroque era but made use of modern compositional techniques. “In considering the era in question, the great Antonio Vivaldi came to mind along with his famous composition, The Four Seasons,” states Wiest, who is also Co-Chair of Jazz Studies at The University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. “I decided to write four short movements informed by Vivaldi in a programmatic manner; Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer. However, I created the music using harmonies more associated with Stravinsky, Copland and the modern jazz tradition. The result is fairly cinematic in nature and represents my programmatic take on ‘New Seasons.’” The piece was so enthusiastically received at its world premiere at Baroque Inventions in November 2019, that Denver Brass not only programmed it on another season series, but to included it on this album.
“There’s so much energy and joy in this music. Listening to this brings back the thrill of live music and stirs up major emotions for me.”
In fact, response to “New Seasons” was so positive, Denver Brass commissioned Wiest to write another original work for the group to record alongside “New Seasons.” The resulting work was “George’s Dilemma,” a moody tuba solo in a venerable blues format. “George’s Dilemma” was inspired by Wiest’s childhood, reflecting on the joy of sharing his birthday with our country’s first President, George Washington, and the life-long angst of watching Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthday holidays being rolled into one all-encompassing President’s Day holiday. It’s a snappy blues tune with a palpable angst we can probably all relate to in these days of a pandemic.
Mixed amongst the new are several recognizable classics that are guaranteed to make a toe tap and a smile crack. The Denver Brass places their signature twists on pieces like Lalo Schifrin’s “Mission: Impossible” theme and the title-inspiring track – Gershwin’s Fascinating Rhythm.
“It took a lot of tenacity and determination to complete this project,” says Artistic Director & Founder, Kathy Brantigan, “but it’s worth it for the benefit of all of us who are healed and inspired through music. Producing an album during a pandemic certainly provided its fair share of challenges, but it was soothing to have an artistic project to work on when we were not allowed to perform live for anyone.”
Fascinating Brass is available for purchase on iTunes and on Denver Brass’ website, denverbrass.org, as well as available for streaming on Spotify, Pandora, and other streaming services.