Liner Notes:

Sonata for Bass Trombone (or Tuba) and Piano, by Daniel Schnyder.

    A distinguished saxophonist and composer, Daniel Schnyder composed his Sonata for David Taylor in 1996.  It utilizes a traditional 3 movement form for the work (using movement fast-slow-fast), but with non-traditional individual movements.  The first, “Blues,”  displays both “cool” and frenetic moments with frequent outbursts of energy, before it resolves in its closing.  The second movement, “An American Ballad,” sees the bucket-muted trombone line evoking a husky-voiced female improvising over a highly complex harmony.  The fast-paced and constantly shifting “Below Surface” completes the work in thrilling fashion.

 

Conversation (for Tenor and Bass Trombones), by Charles Small.

    Charles Small composed his Conversation for the composer and David Taylor.   This duet sees tenor and bass trombonist weaving lines in and around each other, beginning with a slow, melancholy introduction.  This yields to a fast-faced passage which recurs throughout the piece, interrupted by episodes of different moods and styles.  The opening melody eventually recurs towards the end, with the tenor trombone’s melody soaring above the fixed, rhythmic pulse of the bass trombone, before finally concluding with both instruments offering one last sigh. 

I Can’t Help It, by David Axelrod, Samuel Pottle, Joseph Bailey. 

    In selecting repertoire for this album, I felt it necessary to include both serious and light-hearted works (the listener can no doubt discern whether this is the former or the latter).  One of my fondest and strongest memories growing up was of the LP The Sesame Street Monsters.  Along with songs such as “I, Grover,” “There Are Five Monsters in My Family,” and “Frazzle,” was this gem.  Sung by Harry Monster, this song laments of the singer’s knack for causing accidental -- yet widespread -- destruction wherever he goes.  It is a fitting ode for an excitable, yet perhaps immature, contrabass trombone player.  This version for contrabass trombone and vocal solo features Joseph Alessi, Jr.

Suite of Negro Spirituals, arranged by James Markey.

    Since my last album, Offroad, I have had plans to continue arranging existing material to original use.  Negro Spirituals served as an ideal starting point for a three movement suite:  these songs, which helped spark the beginnings of ragtime and the jazz era in New Orleans, are infused with lamentation, Christian faith, and joy. 

    The inherent melancholy in “Deep River” provided the basis for this bluesy first movement.  The second movement, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,”  places the 4/4 time melody over a 3/4 accompaniment in the piano, and includes an energetic 7/8 section.  The third movement sets “Go, Tell It on the Mountain,” invokes the “old-tyme” gospel style of a Southern Baptist gospel church, including a very “traditional” ending.  Following is the text for each song:

“Deep River, my home is over Jordan,

Deep River, Lord,

I want to cross over into campground.

Oh don't you want to go

To that gospel feast,

That promised land

Where all is peace.”

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Swing low, sweet chariot,

Comin' for to carry me home!  (repeated refrain)

vs. 1

I looked over Jordan and what did I see,

Comin' for to carry me home!

A band of angels comin' after me,

Comin' for to carry me home!

vs. 2

If you get there before I do,

Comin' for to carry me home,

Jess tell my friends that I'm acomin' too,

Comin' for to carry me home.

vs. 3

I'm sometimes up and sometimes down,

Comin' for to carry me home,

But still my soul feels heavenly bound

Comin' for to carry me home!”

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“Go, tell it on the mountain

Over the hills and everywhere

Go, tell it on the mountain

That Jesus Christ is born (repeated refrain)

vs. 1

While shepherds kept their watching

Over silent flocks by night

Behold throughout the heavens

There shone a holy light

vs. 2

The shepherds feared and trembled

When lo! above the earth

Rang out the angels chorus

That hailed the Savior's birth

vs. 3

Down in a lowly manger

The humble Christ was born

And God sent us salvation

That blessèd Christmas morn”

Sonata in e minor, Op. 38, by Johannes Brahms

    This is a work I have both long enjoyed and considered recording for some time.  As a tenor trombonist, I was always rather reluctant to do so, largely because of the limitations of the instrument in the low register, but also because of the endurance required of the performer.  The bass trombone makes the lower passages more playable; and although the upper register work is challenging, the larger mouthpiece somewhat mitigates the problem of endurance that can sometimes be found with smaller-mouthpieced instruments. 

    As a whole, the work is a true collaboration between solo instrument and piano, with the melody traveling back and forth between the two instruments.  The first movement, a sonata-allegro form sweeps with each phrase over extended periods of time and with greater and greater intensity as the movement progresses, before ending with an extended release from the movement’s emotional turmoil.  The second movement is a Romantic take on a baroque form, while the third aptly closes the work with exhilaration.  

Theme and Variations on “Turkey in the Straw”, arranged by James Markey

    Over the past several years I’ve grown rather fond of music from Appalachia, particularly fiddling music.  This, coupled with the fact that the bass trombone has long been neglected as a solo instrument for works of this nature, helped fuel my decision to create this arrangement “a la Arthur Pryor.”  This popular fiddling tune finds itself in a rather humorous rendition with this arrangement. 

Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho, arranged by James Markey

   This is arguably one of the best known spirituals from the 19th century, set here for 8 part trombone choir.

General Info:

“On base”, my new solo bass trombone CD, is now available at Hickey’s Music Center and through CD Baby.  Simply click on either of the link boxes to the left to purchase a hard copy (electronic MP3 versions are also available at CD Baby at a reduced price).