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Jazzical®: Dualing Orchestras™ creates a musical "event" like no
other. Both groups perform as classical and jazz musicians
simultaneously. No "oom-chuk-chuk" for the musicians.
It is truly a collaborative
artistic experience.
Michael
Jonnes, Executive Director, Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA) said
this:
"It
is with enormous enthusiasm that I write this letter about Joel Martin
and his Jazzical ' movement.' What is Jazzical? Joel Martin has done
these fascinating and original arrangements for jazz piano and
orchestra for several years, but the SSO connected to Joel and Jazzical
only this season. At a jazz and swing band themed pops concert earlier
this month, Joel was the featured-and fabulous-pianist in the
performance of two of his arrangements: the first movement of the
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 2 and a Scriabin piece. For the 2,300+
patrons in the audience, the Jazzical works were something of a
revelation, evincing a stamping, cheering response. Quite obviously,
the unusual fusion of jazz and the classical styles as well as Mr.
Martin's brilliant performance in these works captivated the house. Mr.
Martin's arrangements are superb and utilize the orchestra as a real
partner, rather than as background accessories. I would recommend Joel
Martin and the Jazzical arrangements highly as a potential pops
program. I would also be delighted to answer any questions or queries
about our experience."
How Jazzical: Dualing
Orchestras Evolved
It has
always been the mission of Jazzical to push the envelope of its music,
bringing more artists and musical groups into the performing and
creative process. The scope of Jazzical evolved from solo
piano, duo, trio, and quartet performances to big band, choir, symphony
and now Dualing Orchestras. The expansion of Jazzical into larger
formats started in the arts in education world when in 1999 the Friends
of Music and Art for the Bedford (NY) Public School System approached
Joel to create a Jazzical composition that would bring to the stage
both the High School Choir and Jazz Band for a concert. The result of
this effort was a performance of Montsaltvatge's
Cradle Song for choir
and jazz trio as well Chopin's C
minor Prelude with the Jazz Band.
Because of the unusual nature of this Jazzical-themed concert with many
students participating in both groups, it caught the attention of The
New York Times and a full feature article was written. The
concert was
an overwhelming success and the lives of 120 students were enhanced
because of Jazzical.
Soon afterward, interest in Jazzical arts to education collaborations
spread throughout Westchester County, NY. What started as a simple
Jazzical piece written for
Harrison High School's women's vocal
ensemble turned into a 5 year long arts in education residency
producing many Jazzical compositions, from Lee Hoiby's "Winter Song"
to "The Legend of Jazzical Joe" based on Chopin's B flat minor Nocturne
set as a swinging jazz waltz, original Jazzical arrangements and
medleys of Christmas songs, etc. He even wrote an original graduation
song for one of the senior singers. In 2006 Martin will write a special
Jazzical composition that will bring on stage the High School concert
band and the full choir performing together.
After
successfully bringing larger groups of musicians together
through Jazzical, Martin was interested in creating a musical event
that would
unite TWO groups of ensembles playing simultaneously on stage. In 2003,
he got that chance when Briarcliff
High School (NY) approached him to
create a Jazzical composition featuring their award winning string
orchestra program and jazz big band. The result of this major
collaboration was Scriabin's
Preluda Swinga Samba. This composition
later became a part of Martin's latest CD: Jazzical
Perestroika!
In
Spring 2004, Joel paired the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA)
with the Cab Calloway Orchestra for a pops concert on February 12. On
the program was the Scriabin Preluda Swinga Samba and a major 2
-orchestra expansion of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2. The
success and review of
this concert spurred Martin to continue the
creation of more Jazzical works for jazz big band and symphony
orchestra. In October 2005 Martin applied for a trademark with US Patent and Trademark
Office for Jazzical: Dualing Orchestras and in
November
2005 with the help of several grants from educational foundations and
private donations from around the country, Martin assembled a 12 piece
big band
and 19 piece chamber orchestra, an all-star lineup of some of the
finest classical and jazz musicians in New York (from Metropolitan
Opera Orchestra,
Thad Jones - Mel Lewis Big Band, Broadway Shows, etc) to rehearse and
record in a three hour session 3 Jazzical compositions. A 4th
selection,
Scriabin's
C sharp minor Etude, did not get recorded however a Gigastudio
version exists for you to hear in lieu of live instruments (though
there is
NOTHING better than live instruments).
Jazzical: Dualing Orchestras is helping
Martin fulfill his ambition:
To Bring Jazzical to the Masses
In terms of
audience development one of the
great appeals of Jazzical is its ability to reach and unite non-jazz
and
non-classical people, groups that would not usually go to the concert
hall together, if at all. They include school children, senior
citizens and multi-ethnic minority communities - some of the
largest untapped sources of support. In our push to provide quality
and relevant arts programming
reflective of these evolving
and growing populations Jazzical can be a great and proven partner in:
1. Arts in education programs and residencies in public and private
schools
2. Hosting special events, informal gatherings, and house music
concerts at
local churches and civic organizations
3. The utilization of television and radio exposure in a variety of
formats
4.
Collaborations with local arts and performance groups....Jazzical works
with practically everything.....soloists, children's groups, chamber
ensembles, choruses, symphony orchestras, even dance and
theater. Jazzical's applications are
only limited by one's imagination. Let's get together!!
JAZZICAL: DUALING ORCHESTRAS
The future of symphonic arts programming
joeljazz@earthlink.net
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