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| Composer/Saxophonist Dave Anderson Pays Tribute To Jazz Luminaries & Personal Inspirations On In Lieu Of Flowers In Lieu of Flowers, the new album by composer and saxophonist Dave Anderson's New York-based quartet, pays tribute to inspirations here and gone, while reflecting on the ways people honor those who shape our lives. The new collection of songs pays homage to jazz luminaries Wayne Shorter and Maria Schneider, while also honoring the lasting influence of music educators and personal inspirations in Anderson's life and family. In Lieu of Flowers will be released on May 20 by LABEL 1 Records. Anderson, performing on both tenor and soprano saxophones, is joined on In Lieu of Flowers by Chamber Music America grant- winning pianist Grant Richards, versatile bassist Lorin Cohen on both acoustic and electric, and busy drummer-about-town Jimmy Macbride. Together, they create a cohesive modern quartet sound that propels music forward while understanding its deep roots. "As a composer, I've tried to capture some essence of each inspiring subject, and write music that communicates something essential to listeners via the musicians in this quartet, " says Anderson, a veteran of Memo Acevedo's Manhattan Bridges Orchestra and Pat Petrillo's Big Rhythm Band. "People share their appreciation for others in profound ways – sometimes while they are still present – though loss can help crystallize how others were important to us." The new album's ten originals, written by Anderson over a period of years but all first recorded for this project, cover a range of modern up-tempo swingers, ballads, contrafacts and complementary pieces. "Outer Circle" opens the proceedings with a modern cool vibe and solo contributions from Richards, Anderson and Macbride. Anderson pays homage to late, great composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter on "One for Wayne, " with double-time tenor yearnings, followed by a Richards piano solo and an oblique coda. The bandleader wrote "Thilmany" in tribute to a family that was friends with his own, including a peer of Anderson's who passed away as a young adult. The song starts and ends with peaceful piano chords, framing a floating melody, turbulent interludes and solos from Anderson, Richards and drummer Macbride. After losing his mother years ago, Anderson created a small haven in his apartment to process the loss, emerging from it one day to write the song "Sanctuary, " performed here as a duo by Richards, and Anderson on soprano. The upbeat "Upwind" has a flowing feel, with a title recognizing that life throws people unexpected headwinds, sometimes leaving them with the best course of sailing into the wind. The band digs in with solos by Richards, the leader, and the album's first solo statement from bassist Cohen. Anderson wrote "Lost City" the year he visited Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), finding a beautiful city in decay from decades of totalitarian rule. Cohen's bass, as on many songs in this collection, delivers counterpoint to the melody, and here also an evocative solo. The upbeat "Arms of Maria" honors active jazz composing legend Maria Schneider (who, like Anderson, was a graduate of the University of Minnesota). Anderson called on the graceful conducting style of Schneider for the title. "Stell" is dedicated to one-time National Association of Jazz Educators' educator of the year James Stellmaker, whose reverent students secretly called him by this name. "Stell" makes a musical pun out of "Stella by Starlight, " while honoring Stellmaker's exemplary musical and family life. A cyclist named James Gregg perished in an accident in Anderson's Brooklyn neighborhood; Gregg is now memorialized by a white bicycle on the same corner. "Ghost Bikes" pays tribute to this type of memorial and the 33-year-old man who inspired it. "Sandy's Ladies, " originally written on guitar, is named for Anderson's friend and pandemic teacher, Sandy Carter, a man whose life journey has taken him from strapping West Coast guitarist, to hot rod aficionado, and also doting attendant to his granddaughters. write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |