Ethan Iverson (b. 1973)
Playfair Sonatas
rec. 2023, Oktaven Audio, New York
Reviewed as a 24/96 download
Urlicht AudioVisual UAV5960 [94]

The pianist and composer Ethan Iverson has long been interested in the intersection of jazz and classical music, and his career has been marked by significant milestones in both idioms. In the late 1990s, Iverson was the music director for the celebrated Mark Morris Dance Group, when he played all sorts of classical repertoire for large audiences, including Robert Schumann’s Fünf Stücke im Volkston with Yo-Yo Ma onstage and dancers including Mikhail Baryshnikov. During this era, Iverson met the tenor Mark Padmore; eventually Iverson accompanied Padmore in several performances of Schubert’s Winterreise.

In 2002, Iverson left Morris and formed The Bad Plus; here is a MusicWeb International review of one of Bad Plus’s CDs Prog.  One of the Bad Plus’s most celebrated projects was a version of Rite of Spring where Iverson essentially played the Stravinsky piano part “straight.” Their recording of this piece earned a rare five star review in DownBeat. Since leaving the Bad Plus in 2017, Iverson has continued to release several critically-acclaimed jazz albums. Downbeat has called Iverson “A master of melody” while Hot House recently commented, “Known for his intellectual depth and adventurous musical spirit, Ethan Iverson has traversed the boundaries of jazz tradition while leaving an indelible mark on its evolution.” 

The album is called Playfair Sonatas because Piers Playfair has had a long history of curating, producing, and commissioning new work, especially at the intersection of jazz and classical music. In 2020, many artists had to cope with the lack of income due to the corona virus, therefore, Playfair and Iverson did a deal. In exchange for six months’ rent, Iverson agreed that he would write six sonatas, and that Playfair would be allowed to choose the instrumentation. Iverson relished the opportunity to create on deadline, and the work went quickly and smoothly. Indeed, the Playfair project propelled Iverson into much more writing of sonatas and bigger pieces, including a Piano Sonata released on Iverson’s second Blue Note record, Technically Acceptable. This piano sonata has a rather jazzy feeling, reserved and lyrical one moment yet leaping with wild agility the next. 

The result is a wonderful CD featuring six sonatas each for a different instrument and, of course, six different soloists. Iverson composed all pieces and plays piano on all but one of the tracks. The outer movements of each sonata are simply called “Allegro” or “Rondo” (or whatever relevant title), while the middle slow movements are dedicated to a musician notably interested in blending “jazz” and “classical” music. Each soloist was asked follow the score but to play the piece bringing as much personal style as they wish, stretching the boundaries between classical and jazz styles. This is Iverson’s principle aim, to create new and exciting music at the boundaries between the two styles.

For The Violin Sonata the soloist is Miranda Cuckson who already has several successful CDs to her name. She focusses on contemporary music and has had pieces written for her by a wide range of composers including Philip Glass and Luigi Nono. On this recording, she plays with precision, elegance and passionate intensity. The first movement contains many musical styles and colours; at times it’s dreamy, humorous, sprightly, mournful etc. The second one is slow and dedicated to Ornette Coleman (1930 – 2015) who was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist, and composer. Iverson says of Coleman, “he played a kind of noisy modernist violin; he also was one of the great blues musicians.” The movement is called violin Blues for (Ornette Coleman) and is full of microtones that have a “bent” effect – making the music sound “slurred”. In the final movement, the players take it in turns to play the principal theme and then the episodes.

Playfair chose the marimba for one of the sonatas; it’s an instrument with a unique tone colour. Marimbist Makoto Nakura is a musician who has been entertaining audiences for three decades. He was the first marimbist to win first prize in the prestigious Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and his performances around the world have included venues in London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Montreal, Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and the US where he now lives. Many leading composers have written pieces especially for him to explore and expand the possibilities of the instrument. In 2019, his CD Tears and Prayers won the “New Prominent Master” award from the Japan Association of Professional Recording Studios. His other solo CDs include four discs devoted to works especially written for him (Ritual Protocol, Triple Jump, Tsuneya Tanabe: Works for Marimba, and Wood and Forest) and three discs of transcriptions.

The Marimba Sonata has four rather than three movements. The composer says in the CD notes, “The marimba is often best in a solo setting, which is why I give the instrument a lyrical movement alone, “Cadenza.”. This cadenza is the third movement and it’s gentle and soothing. As is the norm on this recording, the second movement is dedicated to someone, in this case to Eric Dolphy (1928 – 1964). Dolphy used melodic lines that were “angular, zigzagging from interval to interval, taking hairpin turns at unexpected junctures, making dramatic leaps from the lower to the upper register. His style may be described as “modernist” and Iveson’s notes say, “Thus, this slightly acrid Blues for Eric Dolphy. The first movement is simple with the piano giving the marimba ample room to shine whilst the fourth movement is a lively Rondo.”

The clarinet is an instrument much more used to having sonatas written for it. In this case the soloist is Carol Mc Gonnell. Carol has performed chamber music with musicians including the Danish String Quartet, the Modigliani Quartet, the Elias String Quartet, Jonathan Biss, Kit Armstrong, Simon Crawford-Phillips, Midori, Daniel Hope, Barbara Hannigan and Frederica Von Stade. The clarinet sonata is set in a minor key. The first movement is uplifting, driven and bold. The second dedicated to Carla Bley (1936 – 2023) and marked “Music Hall” is relaxed but has a great rhythm, the third movement is lively and once again bold. 

The trumpet is equally at home in both the jazz and classical genres. On this CD, it’s played by Tim Leopold. He is skilled and comfortable in classical music, jazz, world music, and popular idioms. He is also a member of Atlantic Brass Quintet, Alarm Will Sound, Meridian Arts Ensemble, Nu Deco Ensemble, Pittsburgh Collective, and TILT Brass and has played with Josh Roseman’s Extended Constellations, the Slee Sinfonietta, and in dozens of Broadway productions including Finding Neverland, Chicago the Musical and Les Misérables. Tim is a frequent collaborator with living composers. 

Iverson says in the CD booklet “My Trumpet Sonata is direct and fun, almost like ragtime and early jazz, although there are also a few sultry cinematic moments, including the slow moment.” The first movement of the trumpet sonata is a lively, bright and cheerful piece; it then slows to a dreamy lyrical melody before returning to the style of an allegro; it’s a lovely piece. The second movement is dedicated to Joe Wilder (1922 – 2014) who was a great jazz trumpeter but also performed classical music at the highest level. Once again, it’s a lovely piece played virtuosically at a slow, mournful pace by Tim Leopold. The final movement is a playful and jazzy rondo.

Another brass instrument often associated with jazz music is, of course, the trombone. Mike Lormand is the trombonist on the CD. He is a performer of eclectic contemporary and classical music, as well as being a member of many ensembles. Lormand’s love for the orchestral repertoire has led to performances with the Metropolitan Opera, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, The Knights, New York City Ballet, New York City Opera, American Ballet Theatre, American Symphony Orchestra, New York Pops, Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. As a soloist, he has commissioned numerous new works for trombone. 

The orchestral palette requires trombone for climatic passages but solo repertoire is uncommon. However, jazz musicians have made the most of this epic and unwieldy instrument. Iverson say “All three movements of my Trombone Sonata address the blues and the preach; the last movement has some old-time train boogie as well.”

In the first movement of the Trombone Sonata we can instantly hear the warm tone of the instrument and the distinctive legato/slurring style that it allows. There’s a slower section in the middle that’s quiet and whimsical before we return to the style played at the beginning of the movement. The second movement is called, Hymn for Rosswell Rudd (1935 – 2017). Rosswell Rudd was a well-known jazz trombonist. It’s a slow peaceful piece with plenty of atmospheric legato. The final movement marked Rondo is a lively jazzy piece.

An instrument well associated with jazz is the saxophone. All the saxophones are used in jazz: baritone, tenor, alto, soprano. In classical music the main solo repertoire is for alto. A lot of that music is French. Harrison Birtwhistle (1934 – 2022) however, did use an alto saxophone for his concerto Panic written in 1995. The soloist on Iverson’s CD is Taimur Sullivan. He is Professor of Saxophone at Northwestern University in Illinois US, and a member of the PRISM Quartet. His performances have taken him from the stages of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Centre, and the Knitting Factory, to engagements in Russia, China, England, Germany, and throughout Latin America. He has earned critical praise as “outstanding…his melodies phrased as if this were an old and cherished classic, his virtuosity supreme” (New York Times), and as a player of “dazzling proficiency” (American Record Guide).  

I feel that the alto saxophone works so well in this sonata, complementing Iverson’s diverse compositional style. The first movement has a bright, lively tone with that definite “French” feeling associated with the instrument, the last few bars offer the listener a pleasing gentle finish. The second movement is a slow, mellow, relaxing piece dedicated to Paul Desmond (1924 – 1977) who, like his partner Dave Brubeck (1920 – 2012), was interested in the fusion of classical and jazz music. The final movement is an easy going, jolly, uplifting piece where like many of Iveson’s pieces you are never quite sure where the music will go next.

There are two short pieces where all the players known as the Full Ensemble are included. In the first one, at the beginning of the CD, called Fanfare no one instrument dominates and it ends in a chaotic decrescendo. The final track Recessional is also played by the Full Ensemble, creating a soothing and fitting end to this imaginative recording.

Ken Talbot

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Contents
Fanfare
Recessional
Violin Sonata
Marimba Sonata 
Clarinet Sonata
Trombone Sonata
Alto Saxophone Sonata
Trumpet Sonata

Soloists
Ethan Iverson (piano), Miranda Cuckson (violin), Makoto Nakura (marimba), Carol McGonnell (clarinet), Mike Lormand (trombone), Taimur Sullivan (alto saxophone), Tim Leopold (trumpet)