The Saga of Reflective Perspectives by Sandy Patton

Sandy Patton

The Saga of Reflective Perspectives

Price: € 19.95
Format: CD
Label: TCB The Montreux Jazz Label
UPC: 0725095013222
Catnr: TCB 01322
Release date: 09 March 2018
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Label
TCB The Montreux Jazz Label

UPC
0725095013222

Catalogue number
TCB 01322

Release date
09 March 2018

"Sandy Patton looks forward in the rearview mirror"

Jazzpodium, 26-4-2018

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Artist(s)

Composer(s)

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About the album

The Saga of Reflective Perspectives
… A musical voyage through the 19th and 20th centuries reflecting the evolution of the perspective “popular music” which evolved from the “classical masters” such as Chopin, Ravel, Fauré, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Bernstein and more...
Featured in the project are some of Switzerland’s multicultural musical talents, savvy in both classical and jazz genres.

Chopin’s Fantaisie Impromptu composed in 1834 is a stunning adventure. I love the motion and movement as well as the vision it immediately creates. In 1918 this song would become one of the most famous songs of all time. In 1941, the rendition of Judy Garland and her unforgettable interpretation in Broadway’s “Ziegfield Girls” gave this song an “evergreen status” that will last forever. This song was written originally for piano and has been exquisitely arranged for this ensemble by our arranger and guitarist Slawomir Plizga (“Slawek”); he has given it new life.

Reverie, composed by Claude Debussy in 1880 was beautifully transformed into a popular and masterful composition in 1938. The rendition, called My Reverie brought this cross-over music to the masses… so innocent, yet with a touch of eroticism.
Aprés Un Rêve by the most sensitive Gabriel Fauré, although composed in 1878 to this day its timeless and moving melody guides us through this dream sequence wishing that it would never end. Sometimes exhilarating and sometimes pensive but always hoping to experience this love again and again.

The Libertango from Astor Piazolla’s classic tango was composed in 1974 and was even more popular when the androgynous Grace Jones brought it to the “disco floors” around the world with her interpretation and lyrics, titled Strange in 1984.
Chopin’s Etude in E Major Op. 10 Tristesse composed in 1829 was a part of many of his etudes. However, this lovely melody was luxuriously transformed to a warm and heartfelt love song. It touches me deeply in its simplicity, arranged beautifully by Brigitte Dietrich.

Somewhere, from the most wonderful composer, pianist and conductor Leonard Bernstein has always been one of my favorite American compositions. Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim wrote this for the 1961 production of “West Side Story”. It always brings forth a feeling of hope, inspiration and aspirations.

Maurice Ravel’s Pavane was composed in 1899 and part of a dance suite “Pavane pour une infante défunte”. The evolution of its popular counterpart The Lamp Is Low is a masterful piece, very warm and haunting… full of romance and imagery.
Danny Boy, an Irish traditional lament that we all sang around the piano at my Grand Ma and Grand Dad’s house… I just love it!
Having this vision come to fruition is a blessing and a labor of love, a pleasure and a feeling of ultimate gratefulness. It warms my heart to have these wonderful musicians and engineer share this vision with so much talent, patience, enthusiasm, and love… Thank you all.
Remembering always my Uncle Ben (Benjamin F. Gray, Concert Pianist) my mentor and constant inspiration

Die Saga der reflektierten Perspektiven
Eine musikalische Reise durch das 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, die die Entwicklung der Perspektive ‚Populärmusik‘ widerspiegelt, die sich aus den "klassischen Meistern" wie Chopin, Ravel, Fauré, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Bernstein und anderen entwickelt hat....
Im Rahmen des Projekts werden einige der multikulturellen musikalischen Talente der Schweiz vorgestellt, die sich sowohl in klassischen als auch in Jazz-Genres auskennen.
Chopins ‚Fantaisie Impromptu‘ - 1834 komponiert - ist ein überwältigendes Abenteuer. Ich liebe die Kraft und Bewegung sowie die daraus resultierende Vision. Im Jahre 1918 wurde dieses Lied zu einem der berühmtesten Lieder aller Zeiten. 1941 verlieh die unvergessliche Interpretation von Judy Garland in Broadways ‚Ziegfield Girls‘ diesem Lied einen "Evergreen-Status". Dieses Lied wurde ursprünglich für Klavier geschrieben und von unserem Arrangeur und Gitarristen Slawomir Plizga (‚Slawek‘) exquisit für dieses Ensemble arrangiert; er hat ihm neues Leben eingehaucht.
Die 1880 von Claude Debussy komponierte Reverie wurde 1938 in eine beliebte und meisterhafte Komposition verwandelt. Die Wiedergabe ‚My Reverie‘ genannt, brachte diese Crossover-Musik in die Massen... so unschuldig, aber mit einem Hauch von Erotik.
‚Aprés Un Rêve‘ des empfindsamen Gabriel Fauré, bereits 1878 komponiert, diese zeitlose und bewegende Melodie führt uns durch eine Traumsequenz, von der er wünscht, dass sie niemals enden möge. Mal berauschend und mal nachdenklich, aber immer in der Hoffnung, diese Liebe immer wieder erleben zu können.
Der ‚Libertango‘ aus Astor Piazollas klassischem Tango wurde 1974 komponiert und war umso beliebter, als die androgyne Grace Jones ihn 1984 mit ihrer Interpretation und ihren Texten unter dem Titel ‚Strange‘ in die "Disco Floors" der Welt brachte.
Chopins Etüde in E-Dur Op. 10 ‚Tristesse‘, 1829 komponiert, war Teil vieler seiner Etüden. Diese wundervolle Melodie wurde jedoch aufwendig in ein warmes und herzliches Liebeslied verwandelt. Es berührt mich zutiefst in seiner Schlichtheit, die von Brigitte Dietrich wunderschön arrangiert wurde.
‚Somewhere‘ von diesem wunderbarsten Komponisten, Pianisten und Dirigenten Leonard Bernstein war schon immer eine meiner Lieblingskompositionen in Amerika. Bernstein und Stephen Sondheim schrieben dies für die Produktion der ‚West Side Story‘ von 1961. Sie bringt immer ein Gefühl der Hoffnung, Inspiration und Sehnsucht hervor.
Maurice Ravels ‚Pavane‘ wurde 1899 komponiert und ist Teil einer Tanzsuite ‚Pavane pour une infante défunte‘. Die Evolution seines populären Gegenstücks ‚The Lamp Is Low‘ ist ein meisterhaftes Stück, sehr warm und eindringlich... voller Romantik und Bilder.
‚Danny Boy‘, ein traditionelles irisches Klagelied, das wir alle im Haus meiner Großmutter und meines Großvaters am Klavier gesungen haben... Ich liebe es einfach!
Diese Vision zu verwirklichen, ist ein Segen und eine Arbeit der Liebe, ein Vergnügen und ein Gefühl höchster Dankbarkeit. Es ist mir ein Herzensanliegen, dass diese wunderbaren Musiker und Tontechniker diese Vision mit so viel Talent, Geduld, Enthusiasmus und Liebe teilen... Danke an alle.
Ich erinnere mich immer an meinen Onkel Ben (Benjamin F. Gray, Konzertpianist), meinen Mentor und meine ständige Inspiration.

Artist(s)

Sandy Patton (vocals)

Sandy Patton is the former Jazz Vocal Professor for the Jazz Department of the Hochschule der Künst in Bern, Switzerland. Her tenure of 18 years was quite distinguished. She studied voice at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and University of Miami, also touring with the University of Miami’s Jazz Orchestra. Before joining the Swiss Jazz School she had performed with some of great “Who’s Who” of Jazz. She toured with the great Lionel Hampton’s, performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Paquito D’Rivera, Jimmy Woody, Al Grey, Benny Baily, Harry “Sweet’s” Edison, Clark Terry, Buddy Tate, Paul Kuhn, Cab Calloway, Bobby Durham, Frank Owens, Bob Cranshaw just to name a few.

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The Amigern String Quartet

Thomas Dürst (bass)

Slawomir Plizga (guitar)

Composer(s)

Claude Debussy

Claude Debussy was a French composer. He and Maurice Ravel were the most prominent figures associated with impressionist music, though Debussy disliked the term when applied to his compositions. He was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1903. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his use of non-traditional scales and chromaticism influenced many composers who followed. Debussy's music is noted for its sensory content and frequent usage of non-traditional tonalities. The prominent French literary style of his period was known as Symbolism, and this movement directly inspired Debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant Among his most famous works are his Clair de Lune, his Three Nocturnes...

Claude Debussy was a French composer. He and Maurice Ravel were the most prominent figures associated with impressionist music, though Debussy disliked the term when applied to his compositions. He was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1903. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his use of non-traditional scales and chromaticism influenced many composers who followed.
Debussy's music is noted for its sensory content and frequent usage of non-traditional tonalities. The prominent French literary style of his period was known as Symbolism, and this movement directly inspired Debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant Among his most famous works are his Clair de Lune, his Three Nocturnes and his orchestral piece La Mer.

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Maurice Ravel

Joseph Maurice Ravel was a French composer who is often associated with impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In the 1920s and 1930s Ravel was internationally regarded as France's greatest living composer.
Born to a music-loving family, Ravel attended France's premier music college, the Paris Conservatoire; he was not well regarded by its conservative establishment, whose biased treatment of him caused a scandal. After leaving the Conservatoire Ravel found his own way as a composer, developing a style of great clarity, incorporating elements of baroque, neoclassicism and, in his later works, jazz. He liked to experiment with musical form, as in his best-known work, Boléro (1928), in which repetition takes the place of development. He made some orchestral arrangements of other composers' music, of which his 1922 version of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition is the best known.
As a slow and painstaking worker, Ravel composed fewer pieces than many of his contemporaries. Among his works to enter the repertoire are pieces for piano, chamber music, two piano concertos, ballet music, two operas, and eight song cycles; he wrote no symphonies and only one religious work. Many of his works exist in two versions: a first, piano score and a later orchestration. Some of his piano music, such as Gaspard de la nuit (1908), is exceptionally difficult to play, and his complex orchestral works such as Daphnis et Chloé (1912) require skilful balance in performance.

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Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric Chopin is one of the greatest composers of the Romantic piano tradition. He was a master in making the small form great. His ballades, mazurkas, polonaises, preludes, etudes and nocturnes all belong to the most popular standard works for piano ever written. As a child prodigy, Chopin grew up in a middle class family, who lived among the literati of Warsaw. When in 1830 the November Uprising broke out in Poland, the twenty year old Chopin stayed in Vienna. He became an exile and never returned to his mother country. He eventually settled in Paris. He avoided public concerts, but he did like performing in small settings, such as salons and at home for his friends. This way, Chopin built a reputation as an exceptional pianist, teacher and composer.
Chopin brought a unique synthesis between the Viennese bravado and the French/English lyric style. Even though his pieces often are technically very demanding, the focus was always on creating a lyric expression and poetic atmosphere. He invented the instrumental ballade, and brought salongenres to a higher level with his many innovations and refinements.

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Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was one of the most iconic American composers and conductors of the 20th century, and was among the first American musicians who gained worldwide recognition.
He actually made his breakthrough as a conductor by chance, when he suddenly had to stand in for the ailing Bruno Walter for a concert by the New York Philharmonic in 1943. The concert, which was broadcast live on radio, received critical acclaim from the press. Bernstein would soon become a sought-after guest conductor.
From 1958 till 1969, Bernstein was principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic, with which he performed amongst others the complete symphonies of Mahler, which sparked a renewed interest in the music of the Austrian composer in the United States. He was also an advocate of the music of American composers, in particular that of his close friend Aaron Copland. Bernstein recorded nearly all of his orchestral works, and paid much attention to his music in his popular television series Young People’s Concerts, in which he introduced a young audience to classical music.
As a composer, Bernstein is primarily known for his accessible theatre works such as Wonderful Town, Candide and The West Side Story, which still is his most popular work. He also composed three symphonies and several shorter chamber works. In his music he fused elements of Jewish music, theatre music and jazz with those of composers like Copland, Stravinsky and Gershwin.

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Gabriel Fauré

Gabriel Fauré was a French Romantic composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. Among his best-known works are his Pavane, Requiem, Nocturnes for piano and the songs Après un rêve and Clair de lune. Although his best-known and most accessible compositions are generally his earlier ones, Fauré composed many of his most highly regarded works in his later years, in a more harmonically and melodically complex style.
Fauré's music has been described as linking the end of Romanticism with the modernism of the second quarter of the 20th century. When he was born, Chopin was still composing, and by the time of Fauré's death, jazz and the atonal music of the Second Viennese School were being heard. During the last twenty years of his life, he suffered from increasing deafness. In contrast with the charm of his earlier music, his works from this period are sometimes elusive and withdrawn in character, and at other times turbulent and impassioned.

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