Ecstasy - Otto Cesana

Ecstasy

Ecstasy
Otto Cesana And His Orchestra

Photography by Dirone
Columbia CL 631

1955

From the back cover: Otto Cesana is one of those unusual people – a classical musician with a deep respect and appreciation for popular music. His early musical studies included piano, organ, music theory and composition. Later he added a working knowledge of all the orchestral instruments. His teachers were many and from each he garnered valuable data. During his long and varied career Cesana has worked as an arranger and composer for the various Hollywood motion picture studios and on many radio programs. In 1941 he gave a jazz concert in New York's Town Hall with his own band playing a program of original music. Among Cessna's repertory of original works are six symphonies, four overtures, numerous suites, concertos for various instrument including piano, clarinet, trumpet and trombone, as well as many short pieces, sonatas, trios and many songs.

To Cesana's technological interest in music may be ascribed his four books on "Modern Harmony," "Dancing Arranging," "Modern Counterpoint" and "Voicing the Modern Dance Orchestra," His penthouse studio is always the scene of impetuous creative activity during the morning hours, while in the afternoon there is a continuous procession of young arrangers and composition students planning their contribution to the growth of American Music.

Cesana describes his music thus: "From jazz, and by that I mean jazz as it is played by small groups, I derive sincere sentiment: in fact it is this naive but deep and honest feeling that is the life-blood of all real jazz. To the great harmonists such as Debussy and Wagner I owe a great deal of my harmonic dexterity; from Beethoven comes my knowledge of thematic development and some sound principles of musical form and to Rimsky-Korsakov, that meticulous master of orchestration, I owe most of my knowledge of orchestration. Of course for over-all sincerity and emotional intensity, I offer a very low how to that monument of integrity – Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky.

From Billboard - June 30, 1955: Cesana, who has campaigned long and well for the principle of originality in composition, has recorded 15 of his selections on this disk. They are quite beguiling and reflect the composer's wide range of musical knowledge – from jazz to the classics. There are Latin touches, bits of whimsy, nostalgia, mood pieces, and novel rhythmic patterns. They are interesting to the students and a pleasure to the casual listener.

Ecstasy

Let's Beguine

Enchantment

Yester-Thoughts

Starlight

Autumn Song

Symphony In Jazz (First Movement)

Mine At Last

Hey, Professor!

Devotion

Night Train

My Beloved

Marionette

Reflection

Whirlwind