Jazz Road Suite: Western States
Quarteto Nuevo was awarded a Jazz Road Creative Residency grant from South Arts to compose a Jazz Road Suite - exploring the connection of jazz to geographical and cultural locations. The members of Quarteto Nuevo composed new works for each state they visited during the 2023-24 touring season. The result is a nine-movement work entitled, Jazz Road Suite: Western States, that includes new compositions for Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. Each composer found connections to their chosen states through geography, culture, and personal experience. The complete suite was recorded live in concert in March 2024 at ASU Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale, AZ. Videos of the live concert will be released on YouTube starting August 2024. The full concert recording is scheduled for release in February 2025.
Alaska – Damon Zick: VIDEO
"Ravens Dance” honors the common raven, which is a year-round resident across the entire state of Alaska. The raven is among the smartest of all birds, a magnificent acrobatic flyer, and the largest species of songbird. Many Native Alaskan cultures view the raven as the creator of the world and the bringer of daylight, as well as an incurable trickster.
Arizona – Damon Zick: VIDEO
"Camelback” is a reference to Camelback Mountain. I began visiting Scottsdale in the late 1970s to visit my grandparents and extended family for holidays and celebrations. I distinctly remember landing at the Phoenix airport and driving down a small two-lane road past Camelback Mountain to get to Scottsdale. Being an annual visitor for over 30 years, I witnessed the explosive growth of the area from a small ranch town to the thriving city it is today.
California – Kenton Youngstrom: VIDEO
“Line Drive” pays homage to the uniquely influential music genre that grew out of the Southern California surf culture of the 1960s. In the piece are recognizable elements of that genre infused with Quarteto Nuevo's penchant for ”odd” meters, in this case, 7/8.
Colorado – Kenton Youngstrom: VIDEO
I found inspiration in the state flower, the Colorado Blue Columbine, of which ”Aquilegia" is the Latin name. The flower's two layers of petals, white and lavender, suggested two "colors" of instrumental sound. In this case, cello and soprano saxophone engage in a musical canon whereby the melodies overlay each other.
Montana – Felipe Fraga: VIDEO
"Big Sky” was written to explore the connection in geography and culture between the wide-open spaces of Montana and my home state of Paraná in Brazil. The composition uses a Paraguayan style of music called ânia” which is often heard in Brazilian country and folk music of that region.
North Carolina - Damon Zick: VIDEO
Two of my jazz heroes were born in the piedmont region of North Carolina. Thelonius Monk in Rocky Mount, NC and John Coltrane in High Point, NC. “Piedmont High Point” uses chord changes that John Coltrane made famous on the bridge and ends with a quote from Monk’s Bemsha Swing.
Nevada - Jacob Szekely: VIDEO
Nevada has figured prominently in many of my most cherished memories, and some of the best days of my life. "The Road” refers to the drive on Interstate 15. Driving through the vast expanse of emptiness acted as the perfect canvas for my imagination that I filled with hopes and dreams for the future and, most recently, the inspiration for this piece of music.
Oregon – Felipe Fraga: VIDEO
”A Jornada" was inspired by my journey from Brazil to the United States. I thought about those who arrived before me crossing from the East Coast to the West Coast via the Oregon Trail, learning new languages, and encountering new cultures along the way. The Chinook Love Song that closes the piece symbolizes the welcoming and connecting of distinct cultures.
Utah – Jacob Szekely: VIDEO
I visited Arches with Quarteto Nuevo during a tour through Utah several years ago. The scenery of the National Park was an inspiring, almost religious experience. “Arches” has four distinct sections played without pause: “Alaap of the Caves” is a chant-like section inspired by Indian Classical music with the sounds of echoes bouncing off of cave walls and the rustling of the desert brush; “Cave Counterpoint” features several melodies of different lengths slowly phasing against each other like the layers of rock and sediment in the cave walls; “Arches” adds electronic looping in the cello and takes on a musically minimalist style reminiscent of composers John Adams and Steve Reich to portray a bird in flight; “Sunset” is a chorale to end the day.
Wyoming – Damon Zick: VIDEO
When I was twenty-one, I bought my first car and made a solo drive from my hometown of Seattle to my final year of college in Rochester, NY. I remember leaving Seattle at 6am with a fully loaded car and tons of excitement for the journey ahead. After almost a thousand miles I finally stopped in Sheridan, WY for the night. When I woke up the next morning the stunning Big Horn Mountains were framed in my hotel room window. ”Cuerno Grande" conveys the sense of adventure that Wyoming has in my heart.