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| CAUGHT BETWEEN THE LION AND THE TWINS is my seventh recording for the Capri Record Label. I am dedicating this CD to those who have helped me believe that all would turn out well during the road back to recovery from my recent cancer surgery: my wife, Susan, and children, |
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| CAUGHT BETWEEN THE LION AND THE TWINS is my seventh recording for the Capri Record Label. I am dedicating this CD to those who have helped me believe that all would turn out well during the road back to recovery from my recent cancer surgery: my wife, Susan, and children, Nathan and Anna; parents, Louis and Fannie-Rose Oxman; sister and brother-in-law, Juli and Gerry Harnett; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Peter and Susanne Lansing; my nieces and nephew; my many friends, including the members of the jazz community; and my fellow teachers and the staff at East High School (where I have been the Director of Instrumental Music for the past seven years), the parents, and last, but certainly not least, the spectacular students whom I have the privilege of teaching. I am elated to be working with them once again in the East High School band room. I shall never forget their enthusiastic welcome that invigorated me after my two and one half month absence. They, along with the teachers, staff, and parents, continue to encourage me and to even indulge me when I need it. I would also like to thank my long-time friend jazz vocalist and writer, Annette Murrell (aka Dr Diva) for helping me edit and proofread these liner notes. How lucky I am to have all of these caring and kind relatives and friends in my life.
Under the leadership of Marc Sabatella, I along with the other musicians on this recording comprise the house band at El Chapultepec each Friday evening. Marc and I have been playing together at this renowned Denver landmark and famous jazz venue for over five years. Thomas Van Schoick joined us over a year ago. One week prior to making this recording, Brian Wilson, our youngest and newest member of the band, replaced our previous bass player Geoff Cooke who recently moved to Seattle.
I speak for all of us in expressing our gratitude to Angela Guerro, owner/manager of El Chapultepec for affording us the rare opportunity of not only performing, but also allowing us to present our own compositions.
We have confidence and trust in one another during live performances, and we comfortably and consistently critique ourselves in our ever-consuming goal to evolve and improve as a group. It is exciting to be working with these dedicated, talented, and highly esteemed musicians.
These musicians--these good friends--gave much musical and spiritual strength to me and this project during this trying time in my life. The day that we recorded this CD was during the four-week window between my radiation treatments and the beginning of chemotherapy.
This CD is our group’s second endeavor. We recorded Marc Sabatella’s DETERMINATION in March of 2007. At that time, David Conger proved to be the impetus to get us into the recording studio. In Marc’s liner notes, he acknowledged David’s invaluable help. I would also like to thank David for having faith in us for the second time in 2007 by assisting in the same way with this project.
As in the past, I again relied on the exceptional recording studio talent and experience of Jeff Jenkins and Scott Griess for helping to make the sound on this CD as good as possible. I am fortunate that all of my recordings as a leader are on the Capri Record Label owned by Thomas Burns. He has never wavered in his strong sense of ethics and integrity, and I am proud and honored to be able to claim him as a friend.
Most of my compositions on this CD were written in 2007 which reflects my experiences from that year.
The title of this CD and its opening track, CAUGHT BETWEEN THE LION AND THE TWINS, was inspired by the zodiac. It begins with a sixteen measure introduction followed by a repeated twelve bar minor blues that utilizes twelve-tone serial technique. Although a tone row is used, this piece is in the key of C minor as opposed to being a composition with no definite key center.
After an eight week hiatus from playing the saxophone in public, I returned to El Chapultepec where Marc surprised me with his new composition, THE OXMAN RETURNETH. We have been playing it ever since and, like most of the pieces on this CD, it was recorded in one take.
ZONE ROW G is based in part on an idea expressed by saxophonist George Garzone. The idea consists of constructing melodic lines out of triads connected by step. Marc used this method to construct a motif to which he could then apply different harmonizations, serial techniques, and other structural devices.
I composed COMRADE R.J. for Rob Johnson, a great fan of jazz music, a jazz writer and critic, and who is well-respected by Denver musicians. Rob and I have been friends for quite a while and have become closer during the past few months, sharing many conversations about the health challenges that we both are facing.
DEFENSIVE CARE is the only piece from the CD that has not been performed in a live situation and was composed after the recording session had already been scheduled. It is also the only work on the CD that was not recorded in 2007, but shortly after the new year in 2008. It serves as a vehicle for Tom and me to play a duet. The melody is not heard until the end of the performance, after the improvised duet between Tom and me and before Tom‘s short drum coda. |
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