This Should Be Fun Patrick Cornelius

• 1 Big Pictures 06:45
• 2 Leaving Paradise 05:09
• 3 This Should Be Fun 04:59
• 4 Precious Souls 02:21
• 5 Telescope 05:37
• 6 Dissolution 07:06
• 7 Restless Willow 04:59
• 8 Like Kenny 07:19
• 9 One Shy Of A Dozen 05:18
• 10 For Morgan 07:56
• Total Runtime 57:29

Info for This Should Be Fun

Alto Saxophonist Patrick Cornelius steps back onto the roster with his latest release This Should Be Fun. It's no joke when Cornelius stands up and delivers a compelling program with the serviceable assistance of pianist John Escreet, bassist Ben Allison and drummer Mark Ferber in the rhythm section. For added excitement, trombonist Nick Vayenas steps into the front line for a few numbers and Cornelius reaches back and pushes the intensity even further, truly demonstrating his astonishing command of his instrument. Critical listeners will certainly enjoy this amazing collection of compositions and arrangements while Cornelius entertains us and succeeds in reinforcing that he is a saxophonist to keep our ears on in the years to come. From the opening salvo to the final crescendo, This Should Be Fun engages the audience and is sure to delight fans of straight forward jazz everywhere.

"Generous concentrations of joy and exuberance are offered on four of the album’s ten pieces: the title track is a hot bluesy churner rooted in the early jazz tradition; “Restless Willow” displays a lively piano figure upfront, combining ingratiating Latin vibes with typical jazz standard progressions that almost make “I’ll Remember April” relive; “Like Kenny” boasts a soulful melodicism and substantial harmonic color; and “One Shy of a Dozen”, a lightning fast 12-bar blues ridden with energy and shook by Escreet’s deliciously twisty details. Everything is laid bare with quick-moving vitality and enormous respect for the past, yet two ballads counterbalance this prevailing cheerful mood: “Precious Souls”, a rubato sax-bass duet, and a tuneful closing story, “For Morgan”. Advocating arrangements that are both efficacious and uncomplicated, Cornelius makes use of his tunes to emit great vibrations. Most of the support will likely come from straight-ahead jazz circles, but everyone looking for honest true jazz should find something fun here." (jazztrail.net)

Patrick Cornelius, alto saxophone
Nick Vayenas, trombone
John Escreet, piano
Ben Allison, bass
Mark Ferber, drums

Patrick Cornelius
Over the course of 20 years in New York City, alto saxophonist and composer Patrick Cornelius has cultivated a substantial body of work as a composer and bandleader, and performed his original music in some of the world’s top jazz venues. Hailed as “self-assured” and “resourceful” by The New York Times, “Elegant” and “Extraordinary” by DownBeat Magazine (in whose annual Critics Poll he has been listed among the “Rising Stars” multiple times), and “Bold and Gifted,” by All About Jazz, Cornelius’ discography of eight albums as a leader or co-leader features established veterans (like Jeff Ballard, Ben Allison, and Frank Kimbrough) and well as rising stars (including Gerald Clayton, Aaron Parks, Kendrick Scott, and Miles Okazaki).

As a composer, Cornelius has earned an array of awards and commissions, including four consecutive ASCAP “Young Composer Awards,” (now Herb Alpert Award) and Chamber Music America’s “New Jazz Works” in 2012, and has been commissioned to compose and arrange original music for ensembles across the globe. Cornelius’ latest album, ‘Acadia: Way of the Cairns’ (Whirlwind Recordings, 2020) reunites his longtime transatlantic partnership with London bassist Michael Janisch, Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu, and Luxembourgish drummer Paul Wiltgen after ten years apart. Praised as one of the best albums of 2020 by BBC Music Magazine, and “thoughtful and ambitious” by JazzTimes, ‘Way of the Cairns’ showcases a suite of original music inspired by the natural beauty of Acadia National Park in Maine.

An active music pedagogue, Patrick (who received a Bachelor’s Degree from Berklee College of Music, a Masters Degree from The Manhattan School of Music, and an Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School), has appeared as visiting artist or guest lecturer at international institutions such as Berklee College of Music, The Royal Academy, the Birmingham Conservatoire, St. Mary’s University in Texas, The University of North Carolina, Hunter College in NYC, and Snow College in Utah. He serves on the music faculty of Snow College in Ephraim, Utah and The United Nations International School in New York City, and currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife, two children, and seven neon tetras.

This album contains no booklet.