Leo Sowerby: The Paul Whiteman Commissions & Other Early Works Andy Baker Orchestra, Avalon String Quartet & Andy Baker

• Leo Sowerby (1895 - 1968):
• 1Sowerby: Synconata, H. 176a11:35
• 2Sowerby: Serenade for String Quartet in G Major, H. 13709:36
• String Quartet in D Minor, H. 172:
• 3Sowerby: String Quartet in D Minor, H. 172: I. Somber and Slow - Heavily, Not Fast06:57
• 4Sowerby: String Quartet in D Minor, H. 172: II. Quietly, but with Warmth10:56
• 5Sowerby: String Quartet in D Minor, H. 172: III. Fast and with Passionate Urge11:04
• Leo Sowerby:
• 6Sowerby: Tramping Tune for Piano & Strings, H. 122c03:18
• Symphony for Jazz Orchestra, H. 178 "Monotony":
• 7Sowerby: Symphony for Jazz Orchestra, H. 178 "Monotony": I. Nights Out07:58
• 8Sowerby: Symphony for Jazz Orchestra, H. 178 "Monotony": II. Fridays at Five04:57
• 9Sowerby: Symphony for Jazz Orchestra, H. 178 "Monotony": III. Sermons05:21
• 10Sowerby: Symphony for Jazz Orchestra, H. 178 "Monotony": IV. Critics06:36
• Total Runtime01:18:18

Info for Leo Sowerby: The Paul Whiteman Commissions & Other Early Works

Evoking the Roaring Twenties, Chicago composer Leo Sowerby’s engaging and ingenious Synconata (1924) and Symphony for Jazz Orchestra (“Monotony”) (1925), critically praised for their distinctive harmony, counterpoint, and humor, receive world-premiere recordings by Chicago bandleader-trombonist Andrew Baker and his Andy Baker Orchestra, making their Cedille Records debuts.

Sowerby was among the leading young American classical composers commissioned by celebrity bandleader Paul Whiteman to create fresh repertoire for his landmark series of “symphonic jazz” concerts — a roster that also included George Gershwin, Ferde Grofé, and Zez Confrey.

The same Jazz Age concerts that saw the premieres of Sowerby’s Synconata and Symphony for Jazz Orchestra also launched Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue into America’s consciousness.

The program also includes Sowerby chamber works from the same period: his Serenade for String Quartet and the world-premiere recordings of his String Quartet in D minor and Tramping Tune for piano and strings, all performed by the Avalon String Quartet, an ensemble “prizing grace, charm and elegance” (WQXR Radio). Joining the Avalon in Tramping Tune are pianist Winston Choi, head of the piano program at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, and Alexander Hanna, principal double-bassist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Notes by Francis Crociata: Before we consider the music on this recording — selected compositions by Leo Sowerby spanning the decade from 1916 to 1925 — I must take a moment to acknowledge the unusual challenges of making the sounding of these particular works possible. Specifically, I would like to commend the work of Andrew Baker and the members of the Avalon String Quartet, all of whom did far more than “just” perform these scores with great instrumental virtuosity and sensitivity to style. They were called upon to make a variety of creative judgements in order for these pieces to work musically and emotionally. In his quest to evoke the sound and virtuosity of Whiteman’s famous band, Andrew Baker had to bring all his experience as a band-leader and session player to bear to navigate the difficulties presented by two sets of scores and parts often in disagreement with one another. The challenge to the Avalon String Quartet was even greater, essentially calling upon the players to assume the role of co-creators.

Andy Baker Orchestra (Symphony for Jazz Orchestra (“Monotony”) H 178 (1925)
Andrew Baker, conductor
Avalon String Quartet (String Quartet in D minor H 172 (1923)
Winston Choi, piano
Alexander Hanna, double bass

Andrew Baker
Trombonist, composer, and conductor Andrew Baker, born and raised in London, began performing professionally at the age of 14 and had appeared on recordings and TV shows by the age of 18. During his four years at the Guildhall School of Music, Andy played two seasons with the Covent Garden Festival Orchestra, toured Europe with the Desford Colliery Band and in the show Carmen Jones, performed and recorded with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and began substituting in London’s West End theatres. Although his studies were in orchestral trombone playing, Andy took part in graduate jazz classes and ensembles and conducted his first recital before graduation. Andy spent the next four years touring extensively with the Ray Gelato Giants and freelancing in all aspects of London’s extensive music scene before relocating to Chicago in 2001.

Quickly establishing a reputation as one of the most versatile musicians in town, Andy was a member of Jon Faddis’s Chicago Jazz Ensemble from 2006–2012 and has been a core-member of Fulcrum Point New Music Project since 2010. In the early 2000s, Andy joined the faculties of Northwestern University and Elmhurst College and co-founded the bands Bakerz-Million and the New Standard Jazz Orchestra. Returning to school to pursue his interests in education and composition, Andy earned a master’s degree from DePaul University and joined the full-time faculty at the University of Illinois, Chicago in 2012.

Andy appears as a guest artist and clinician across the United States, England, and France and continues to perform and record in jazz, classical, and commercial music. Andy is a Michael Rath Trombones and Denis Wick performing artist.

Andy Baker Orchestra
Forming the ensemble for these recordings presented some unusual challenges. While finding excellent musicians in Chicago who could code-switch between the classical and early-jazz vernaculars heard in Synconata and “Monotony” was fairly straightforward, other considerations were more complex. As with Gershwin’s original version of Rhapsody in Blue, Sowerby orchestrated for the individuals in Whiteman’s band: their unique skill sets and unusual instrumental versatility. This meant finding a first trumpet who could play not only a lush orchestral melody, but also a double high C (three octaves above middle C) and the rarely heard slide trumpet; an excellent tubist who was also an orchestral bassist; and woodwind multi-instrumentalists skilled on everything from E-flat clarinet to alto sax to contrabassoon. I am extraordinarily grateful for the skill and passion of my colleagues who embraced this wonderful music with grace, good humor, and stamina throughout long days of rehearsal and recording.

Avalon String Quartet
The Avalon has performed in major venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd St Y, Merkin Hall, and Bargemusic in New York; the Library of Congress and National Gallery of Art in Washington DC; Wigmore Hall in London; and Herculessaal in Munich. Other performances include appearances at the Bath International Music Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Caramoor, La Jolla Chamber Music Society, NPR’s St. Paul Sunday, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Dame Myra Hess Concerts, Los Angeles Music Guild, and the Ravinia Festival. The quartet is performing the complete Beethoven Cycle for Beethoven’s 250th Anniversary Celebration at its concert series in historic Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. In recent seasons, the Avalon presented the complete quartet cycles of Beethoven, Bartok, and Brahms at Fullerton Hall at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Avalon is quartet-in-residence at the Northern Illinois University School of Music, a position formerly held by the Vermeer Quartet. Additional teaching activities have included the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Institute, Interlochen Advanced Quartet Program, Madeline Island Music Camp, and the Britten-Pears School in England, as well as masterclasses at universities and conservatories throughout the United States. Additionally, they have given numerous performances and presentations to young audiences in under-resourced schools and communities.

In 2018 the quartet released a recording of the complete quartets of Matthew Quayle for Naxos, and recorded “Aqua” by Harold Meltzer for Bridge Records, a recording which received a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Compendium. In 2015, the quartet released “Illuminations”, its first recording for Cedille Records. It was met with praise from NY Times, WQXR radio and Chicago Tribune. This recording follows a critically acclaimed CD of contemporary American works on the Albany label in 2010. The Avalon String Quartet’s debut CD, Dawn to Dusk, featuring quartets by Ravel and Janacek, was honored with the 2002 Chamber Music America/WQXR Record Award for best chamber music recording.

The quartet’s live performances and conversations are frequently featured on Chicago fine arts radio station WFMT. They have also been heard on New York’s WQXR and WNYC, National Public Radio’s Performance Today, Canada’s CBC, Australia’s ABC, the ARD of Germany, and France Musique.

The Avalon captured the top prize at the ARD Competition in Munich (2000) and First Prize at the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York City (1999). In its early years, the ensemble trained intensively with the Juilliard Quartet at The Juilliard School, the Emerson Quartet at the Hartt School of Music, and the Vermeer Quartet at Northern Illinois University

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