Vol. XIX No. 5
February 2004

Trombonastics: Joseph Alessi

Trombonastics: Works by Bizet, Pederson, Sulek, Messiaen, Debussy, Lynn, Stekke, Gershwin, and Brahms. Joseph Alessi, trombone; Ami Fujiwara, piano; Barbara Allen, harp; the Juilliard Alumni Trombone Choir. (Summit DCD 314)

JOSEPH ALESSI, who will present a faculty recital at Juilliard on February 25, is one of the most influential trombonists and brass teachers of our time (see article on Page 4). Alessi was appointed principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic in 1985, and has been a faculty member for 17 years.

Alessi's recent CD, Trombonastics (Summit 314), is an entertaining and diverse recital of music by nine composers. Bizet's Carmen Fantasy displays the astonishing articulation Alessi achieves on his slide instrument; he also lets his hair down amusingly in a jazzy "Habañera." In two other selections, Alessi is supported by the Juilliard Alumni Trombone Choir, made up of seven players now with major orchestras such as Philadelphia, St. Louis, and the Metropolitan Opera.

Other notable Alessi recordings include New York Legends: Joseph Alessi (Cala 0508), Fandango with New York Philharmonic principal trumpet Philip Smith (Summit 271), and two trombone quartet CDs: Four of a Kind (Summit 123), and the newly released Four of a Kind 2 (Summit 345).

An unusual Alessi CD is Collage by the New York Trombone Quartet (TNC 1441), containing repertoire from Bozza to Bartók, and Mozart to Thelonious Monk. A high point of the disc is a unique transcription for trombones of Bartók's Fourth String Quartet—the group's use of multiphonic double-stops, and the simulation of strings in the allegretto pizzicato movement, is a technical tour de force.

The Essential Miles Davis

The Essential Miles Davis. Miles Davis, trumpet, flügelhorn, and bandleader. (Columbia/Legacy C2K 85475, 2 CDs)

MILES DAVIS (1926-91), a protean master of postwar jazz, was born in Illinois. At the age of 18 he came to New York to enroll in Juilliard's diploma program (1944-45), where he was a trumpet student of New York Philharmonic first-chair player William Vacchiano.

Issued by Columbia/Legacy, The Essential Miles Davis (85475) is a comprehensive, two-CD retrospective containing 23 tracks covering Davis's recordings for seven labels from 1945 to 1986. Davis is heard in collaboration with such jazz luminaries as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Gil Evans. The collection includes an innovative, extended version of the Rodgers and Hart song "My Funny Valentine" from Davis's 1964 concert at what was then Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center, which gives a good idea of Davis's inimitable style (the complete concert is on Columbia 48821; a Carnegie Hall concert from 1961 is on Columbia 65027).

In recent years, Columbia/Legacy has remastered and reissued more than 50 of Miles Davis's albums, often with bonus material such as unreleased tracks and alternate takes. For a closer acquaintance with Davis, some other landmark Columbia CDs include 'Round About Midnight from 1955-56 (85201), Miles Ahead from 1957 (65121), the newly pitch-corrected Kind of Blue from 1959 (64935), the sultry, flamenco-flavored Sketches of Spain from 1959-60 (65142), and the post–Woodstock Festival Bitches Brew from 1969 that codified the combination of jazz and rock known as "fusion" (65774).

Finally, for Valentine's Day, February 14, there could be no more appropriate album than Miles Davis: Love Songs (Columbia 65853), as well as its just-released sequel, Love Songs 2 (Columbia 90337). Turn down the lights, listen to Davis's romantic 15-minute improvisation on "My Funny Valentine," and you will be able to say—to paraphrase Robert Frost's poetry: "But I have promises to keep, and 'Miles' to go before I sleep."

Michael Sherwin, marketing manager of the Juilliard Bookstore (bookstore.juilliard.edu), has written for High Fidelity and Musical America.

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