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| Oct. 4 – Mark Masters showcases trumpet virtuoso Tim Hagans on 'Sui Generis’ Composer/arranger Mark Masters spotlights trumpet virtuoso Tim Hagans on a jazz "concerto for chamber orchestra" Sui Generis, due out October 4 on Capri Records, presents a cycle of nine original compositions performed by an octet and designed as feature vehicles for trumpeter Hagans "Mark Masters has emerged as one of the great jazz arrangers of the 20th and 21st century." – Michael G. Nastos, Allmusic "Masters paints complex, intricate, detailed jazz landscapes, and he has always invited some of the most adventurous and innovative players into his ensemble." – Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz It was nearly fifty years ago that a teenage Mark Masters, then an aspiring young jazz trumpeter, first encountered the sound of trumpeter-flugelhornist Tim Hagans, who was playing in the Stan Kenton orchestra. "I heard him and thought, 'Wow, who is this guy? This is unbelievable, '" Masters recalls. Over the years, as Masters evolved into one of the most acclaimed composer-arrangers of his generation, he collaborated frequently with Hagans and came to know him as a singular talent. "Tim is a true original, " Masters says. "He's developed his own harmonic language, which not many people have done. The term 'sui generis'"—a Latin phrase meaning "one of a kind"—"absolutely applies to him." Indeed, Masters applies it to Hagans himself. Sui Generis, due out October 4, 2024 via Capri Records, is an album-length showcase for the trumpeter, placing him front and center of the composer's own idiosyncratic Mark Masters Ensemble. Originally conceived as featuring Hagans within a showcase of jazz standards, the project evolved into what Masters now calls "a kind of a concerto for chamber orchestra." Ever shifting in personnel and instrumentation, the Mark Masters Ensemble maintains two constants in all its variations: an extremely high bar of musicianship, and a taste for Masters' distinct, unconventional aesthetic. In this case, the Ensemble positions Hagans alongside two saxophones (Nicole McCabe on alto and Jerry Pinter on tenor and soprano); Dave Woodley's trombone; John Dickson's French horn; and the rhythm section of pianist Jeff Colella, bassist Chris Colangelo and drummer Kendall Kay—all of them among the finest jazz musicians on the West Coast. Hagans' place in the spotlight, Masters is keen to stress, shouldn't diminish the importance of these other musicians on Sui Generis. "They're all active participants and collaborators in this whole thing, " he says. "Even though it's orchestral music, it's still an improvised music; spontaneity and surprises happen, and all you can do is smile and look at your fellow musicians and marvel, because you know that their surprises will make the music better. And that is at the heart of what all jazz records should be." In that spirit, while Hagans takes center stage on every track, nearly every member of the Ensemble takes at least one solo on the album. The results are frequently sublime, as in McCabe's thoughtful alto entry on "Waxing and Waning, " Woodley's surprisingly tender statement on "Doyle Hud's Two Step, " or Kay's bracing fours on "The Stoic" and "Velocity." Still and all, Hagans' tart, forward-thinking sound remains the project's focal point. It electrifies the driving swing of "The Stoic"; adds wistful perspectives on both open and muted horn to "Deep Pools"; and gives an unexpected jolt to the downtempo "Pebbles." Masters wrote some of the tunes in celebration of his longtime friendship with the trumpeter: "Doyle Hud's Two Step" (which, ironically, is in three) is named after an inside joke about someone in Hagans' early sphere of influence; "Meet Me at Sal & Angie's" is an allusion to the 1971 film noir The French Connection, a favorite of both Hagans and Masters. Even so, it wouldn't be a Mark Masters record if the composer-arranger didn't stamp it with his own personality, and some of the tunes bear that out as well. "The Hammer" is his tribute to NFL great Fred Williamson, a lifelong hero. "The Stoic" refers to Masters himself and his Midwestern-bred reserve. "I had a friend a number of years ago that told me that he believed that I was the one who founded the school of Stoicism, " he says. It's a reminder that, although Sui Generis is for and about the unique genius of Tim Hagans, Masters himself is also one of a kind. Of course, he doesn't need to feature himself on an album of bespoke compositions in order to make that point; his music makes it for him. Born in Gary, Indiana on November 13, 1957, Mark Masters moved to Southern California as a child. was drawn from a young age to jazz, initially as a trumpeter. He studied at Riverside City College (with the esteemed music educator Roger Rickson) and at California State University, Los Angeles before forming his first band, the Jazz Composers' Orchestra, in 1982. Masters soon allowed his chops as a composer and arranger to come to the forefront, and over the years developed a reputation as one of the premiere jazz arrangers of his generation. With his flagship performance vessel, the Mark Masters Ensemble, he has explored new possibilities in the compositions of George Gershwin, Dewey Redman, Charles Mingus, Alex Wilder and Duke Ellington, among many others. As a highly accomplished composer in his own right, Masters has assembled a formidable book of his own original pieces, and has enlisted a remarkable list of collaborators—including Jimmy Knepper, Lee Konitz, Billy Harper, Gary Bartz, Oliver Lake, and Mark Turner—in bringing his compositions to life. Masters is also the founder and president of the American Jazz Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to the enrichment and enhancement of the appreciation of jazz music by spotlighting America's great jazz composers, arrangers and musicians. write your comments about the article :: © 2024 Jazz News :: home page |