Sole Forms - Brooks Arthur Ensemble

 

Sole Forms Parts 1 & 2

Sole Forms

Brooks Arthur Ensemble

Arranged and Directed by Garry Sherman and Fred Karlin**

Produced by Creed Taylor

Cover Design: Michael Malta

Cover Art: Marie Jones

Director of Engineering: Val Valentin

Recorded February 25, 1966 at Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Verve V6-8650

1966

Garry Sherman and Fred Karlin - Leaders

Art Kaplan (soloist) - Flute & Alto Flute, Tenor & Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet, Ocarina

Ray Beckenstein - Flute & Alto Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet

Joseph Grimaldi - Bassoon, Flute & Alto Flute, Bass Clarinet

Jimmy Buffington - French Horn

Eugenie Dengel - Viola

Harold Kohon - Violin

Andrew Svilokos - Violin

Bernie Leighton (soloist) Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Electric Clavichord

David Morre - Cello

Richard Davis - Bass

Bill Suyker - Guitar

Grady Tate - Drums

Artie Butler - Percussion

Miriam Workman - Voice Obligatto

From the inside (gatefold) cover: The wall between classical and popular music didn't fall when Rachmanioff inadvertently wrote "Full Moon And Empty Arms". The fact is, there never was a wall; it's just that our memories don't reach as far back as our prejudices. You don't have any prejudices? Good: you'll enjoy what's going on here.

The whole idea of infusing the music of a particular period with the motifs of an earlier one goes back to antiquity. Later picked up the Latin Psalms, Mendelssohn picked up Luther picking up the Latin Psalms. The Medical German minnesingers picked up Gregorian Chant, the Lowland composers picked up the minnesingers, and Carl Orff picked up the works and blew it in the air like confetti with his deliciously irreverent "Carmina Burana". Brooks Arthur had somewhat the same thought – though admittedly in a distinctly lighter vein – when he first conceived the present album. Its original title was "Herod Forms" which, in a way, is a better clue to his aims. The point was to underscore the universality of music by putting different periods – Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Jazz – through a blender, to show how elements of one can straighten and reinforce the ideas of another. To this end he brought in arranger Garry Sherman (*) and Fred Karlin (**), and set them loose on a collection of standards and classics. They're listed above with a dutiful (*) or (**) next to each. There weren't any rules – except, perhaps, that this was to be a quest after the spirit of things, rather than a superficial cloaking of classics in jazz garb. For the most part, Garry sought out the elements of jazz in the classics, and for the most part, Fred drew standard tunes into a Baroque atmosphere – but there was a good deal of crossing of lines. The two-movement title number that starts off side two, for instance, is a Garry Sherman original, best described as a Baroque improvisation by a 20th century jazzman. And was it coincidence that worked scare of "Yesterdays" into the fabric? To complete the line-crossing picture, Fred Karlin has re-discovered for us a delightful, but ancient and very nearly forgotten harpsichord sonata by Seixax (José Antonio Carlos; b. Coimba, Portugal, June 11, 1704; d. Lisboa, August 25, 1742; organist, harpsichordist, composer; pupil of Domenico Scarlatti). As we said, there weren't any rules. How could there be when the first movement theme of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is coming out of a combo consisting of piccolos, wordless chorus and an electric clavichord? This "Moonlight", by the way, is a marvel of musical caricature.

Here is Soul Forms". It's something different. Brooks, Garry and Fred did their level best, and they hope you like the results as much as I did. – Chuck Briefer

Chopin's Fantasy*

My Ship**

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata*

Moon River**

How Insensitive (Insensate)*

Sole Forms (Part 1)*

Sole Forms (Part 2)*

Once Upon A Summertime*

When I Fall In Love**

Stardust**

Seixas' Piano Sonata**