Brilliant Bill... Kirchner, That Is!

Saturday, October 24, 2015
Steven A. Cerra
Bill Kirchner’s distinctive approach to Jazz became even more unique on October 7, 2014 when he was joined by pianist Carlton Holmes, bassist/vocalist Jim Ferguson and vocalist Holli Ross for “An Evening of Indigos.”  

The music from this concert was released on October 16, 2015 on a An Evening of Indigos double CD [Jazzheads Records JH 1213].

The premise for this concert is contained in the following explanation:

"The mood at this remarkable concert was indeed indigo but far from monochromatic," remarks Dan Morgenstern in the package notes. 

Kirchner also includes his own comments made at the New School that night in the program notes:

"Most concerts are, in a sense, variety shows. The standard idea in programming them is to come up with a multiplicity of tempos and moods, usually building to a climax. In this case, we're aiming to explore one mood, though in different facets. And to sustain that mood, we'll refrain from talking to the audience between songs. . . . Just let the music and emotions envelop you."

In essence Bill wrote seven originals, arranged six standards, and invited three of his musician friends to perform it with him in concert. What a bash that must have been.

Bill Kirchner’s music is compelling; it draws you in with its originality. By way of analogy, it’s like being in the hands of a master navigator as you explore the unchartered waters of the Amazon. Think “Jazz” instead of “Amazon” and you are ready to have Bill take your senses and soul on a voyage of discovery as he navigates the music into new and different sonorities and textures. 

This is improvisational music such as you’ve never heard before: two hours of fun and adventure from the brilliant musical mind of Bill Kirchner and his well-chosen associates: Holli Ross, Jim Ferguson, and Carlton Holmes.

It’s impossible for me to improve on the insights, observations and words of praise from the many distinguished Jazz musicians, authors and other artists whose comments on the music from this concert make up a large part of the insert notes that are included with the double CD of the music.

So I thought it best to simply represent their comments “as is” within this posting along with other marketing materials that Bill sent along.
 Acclaim from those who were there or who watched the video on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGgdHdpC_-E

read more: http://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com.br/2015/10/brilliant-bill-kirchner-that-is.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+JazzProfiles+(Jazz+Profiles)

Bill Kirchner: Evening of Indigos

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

Saxophonist Bill Kirchner was on a roll in 1993. He had studied with saxophonist Lee Konitz, pianist Harold Danko and arranger Mike Crotty. He was leading a nonet that recorded several albums. His arrangements had been recorded by Konitz, Dizzy Gillespie and Patti Austin. And he had annotated numerous projects for a range of major labels. But that year, Bill was diagnosed with a non-malignant but life-threatening tumor in his spinal cord. The tumor was removed after two major surgeries, but he was left with no feeling in his right hand except for two working fingers, a pronounced limp, and chronic pain.

A physical setback of this magnitude would have sidelined most artists, transforming them from optimistic hard-drivers to angry souls bitter about their condition and the unfairness of life. Instead, Bill redoubled his efforts and refused to let his pain or physical disabilities undercut his passion for jazz, education or performance. In the years since his operations, Bill won a group Grammy in 1996 for Best Album Notes for Miles Davis and Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings in 1996; he completed editing The Oxford Companion to Jazz, a cinderblock-sized book published in 2000 that features essays by leading jazz writers detailing the history of the music; he recorded several albums with the help of a specially designed soprano sax that allows him to play with his only two working fingers; and he continued to teach in the jazz program at the New School—despite the hours of commuting by subway at his crab-like pace. Recently, Bill has acquired an electric scooter that he's learned to use on buses and subways.

I have long admired Bill for kicking bad luck to the curb and for ignoring the hurdles that would have defeated most of us. Whenever I've felt that my workload was nearing the impossible, I've asked myself whether Bill would feel the same way. At which point I purge such doubts and just get it done. Bill is a model for us all.

Case in point: Bill's latest album, An Evening of Indigos (Jazzheads), a live recording captured last October at New York's New School. I first wrote about the concert here. Bill was accompanied by singer Holli Ross, singer/bassist Jim Ferguson and pianist Carlton Holmes. The music is extraordinary, not because of the challenges Bill faces but because the music is heartfelt, soulful and fearless.

JazzWax tracks: Here's Bill playing his own Theme for Gregory...

Theme for Gregory

Here's Bill playing my favorite version of He Was Too Good to Me...

He Was Too Good to Me

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Bill Kirchner: An Evening of Indigos here.

JazzWax clip: Here's a video of the entire concert...

Used with permission by Marc Myers

Bill Kirchner's "An Evening of Indigos"

New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance Space, Arnhold Hall

Tuesday, October 7, 2014 at 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm

"Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous you don't want it." —Duke Ellington

Bill Kirchner is a Grammy award winning composer-arranger, saxophonist, bandleader, record and radio producer, jazz historian, and educator. Editor of The Oxford Companion to Jazz and A Miles Davis Reader, Kirchner teaches in the jazz programs at The New School, Manhattan School of Music, and New Jersey City University.

He has produced and written four one-hour "Jazz Profiles" for National Public Radio, and he has hosted 131 shows on WBGO-FM as part of the "Jazz From The Archives" series. Kirchner has toured worldwide as a soloist/clinician and has recorded eight albums as a leader.  

Featuring:
Bill Kirchner*, soprano saxophone;
Holli Ross, voice;
Jim Ferguson, voice, bass;

Carlton Holmes, piano.
from: http://events.newschool.edu/event/jazz_presents_bill_kirchners_an_evening_of_indigos#.VCCBlEsol3g