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| Franz Schubert Reimagined by Madre Vaca On Their New Release "Winterreise" While nearing the end of his life, Franz Schubert composed Winterreise (Winter Journey), a song cycle of 24 poems by Wilhelm Muller that told the story of a rejected man who left his beloved's home to wander away in the middle of a winter night. While the pieces were originally designed for voice and piano, drummer-pianist Benjamin Shorstein took ten of the songs and rearranged them for the jazz collective Madre Vaca. Utilizing the talents of saxophonist Juan Rollan, trumpeter Steve Strawley, trombonist Lance Reed, pianist Jonah Pierre, guitarist Jarrett Carter, bassist Mike Perez, percussionist Milan Algood, and the arranger on drums, Shorstein shows just how modern and flexible Schubert's work remains even nearly two centuries after it was composed. There is a surprising amount of variety in these performances. The opening "Good Night" has a memorable melody with a walking rhythm that sounds like the young man beginning his journey. "The Weathervane" is both dramatic and quite exuberant in its ensembles. "Frozen" becomes a modal romp á la McCoy Tyner with excellent tenor and piano solos while "Loneliness" has a Latin feel and a strong spot for guitarist Carter. "The Gray Head" has intuitive interplay between guitar, piano and bass, and "The Crow" is highlighted by a passionate tenor solo. "Last Hope" is quite advanced with some free playing while "The Stormy Morning" includes infectious rhythms that could have originated from Latin America. "The Sun Dogs" returns to the original voice-piano format before a spirited "The Hurdy-Gurdy Man" brings the program to a close. Madre Vaca is a jazz collective that explores a wide variety of music. Their earlier recordings, Nexus (2018) and Nero (2019) featured a quartet comprised of drummer Shorstein, pianist Pierre, guitarist Carter, and either Mike Perez or Thomas Milovac on bass. The Madre Vaca label which was formed by the musicians has also released several other recordings including 2019's A Certain Kind Of Darkness which showcases the duo of Benjamin Shorstein (on piano) and singer Rebecca Shorstein. Winterreise is a particularly intriguing and enjoyable set of music that will delight fans of both jazz music and the works of Franz Schubert. Artist: MADRE VACA Title: WINTERREISE LABEL: MADRE VACA RECORDS MVR 006 Artist Website: www.madrevaca.org/media Release Date: JUNE 4, 2020 UPC Code: 888295993371 TRACK LISTING 1. Goodnight 2. The Weathervane 3. Frozen 4. Loneliness 5. The Grey Head 6. The Crow 7. Last Hope 8. The Stormy Morning 9. The Sun Dogs 10. The Hurdy Gurdy Man Musicians: Juan Rollan – saxophone Steve Strawley – trumpet Lance Reed – trombone Jonah Pierre – piano Jarrett Carter – guitar Mike Perez – bass Benjamin Shorstein – drums Milan Algood – percussion write your comments about the article :: © 2020 Jazz News :: home page |