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| "River Runs" by Chuck Owen: world premiere, Manhattan School of Music Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra The Manhattan School of Music Jazz Philharmonic, conducted by Justin DiCioccio, joined by MSM jazz arts faculty as guest artists – Donny McCaslin, tenor saxophone; Jack Wilkins, guitar; and Sara Caswell, violin - will be showcasing River Runs by Chuck Owen, in the world premiere of this work in its entirety. Two of the movements have been performed previously. River Runs was released on CD in 2013, winning critical acclaim and two Grammy nominations. River Runs has a running time of 63:25. Chuck Owen, who established the Jazz Program at the University of South Florida in 1981, and its Center for Jazz Composition in 2004, received long deserved recognition for River Runs. The work is the result of his long held ambition to write a major composition and his music draws from a variety of jazz influences as well as from American folk/blues to Latin styles, funk/hip-hop, country music and classical works. By choosing the theme of rivers, he gave himself a framework for this piece, for structuring the movements, and for his memories of specific voyages and the feelings, colors and sounds. Owen skillfully integrates elements with sparkling colors and textures, and elements of surprise at every turn. The work's orchestration sparkles with color, harmonic freshness, and nimbleness; the movements flow much the same as one long great American river, traversing this country and all its beauty. write your comments about the article :: © 2014 Jazz News :: home page |