New York Project
Release Date: 00, 0000
Steve Giordano Quintet
Steve Giordano - Guitar
Eddie Henderson - Trumpet
Cecil McBee - Bass
Victor Lewis - Drums
Dave Postmontier - Organ
Liner Notes
NYP or New York Project was produced by Jim McElroy, a trombonist living in Philadelphia, who has been a long-time supporter of my music knowing me both as a guitarist and a composer. NYP came about from an idea of wanting to hear how my writing and approach to music would manifest using some well-known jazz musicians living and working in New York and being unfamiliar with my work. There is sort of an interesting trade off here: familiarity vs freshness. My long-term band in Philly gave birth to these compositions and arrangements with a personal musical development over years resulting in a unique "sound" growing from personal symbiotic treatment whereas the NYP band simply drew from their developed individualism and vast musical experiences to offer their interpretation of my works. At first I made the mistake of trying to mold these musicians into my Philly band but that could never be. Once I let go of wanting to hear the compositions the way I conceived them in my head, I began to enjoy them from a new perspective. Eddie Henderson's fiery approach to Summer Waltz brings out a different dimension to a composition originally designed to be sweet and delicate. But it is Eddie's way of hearing this tune and I like it as well.
This was really a marathon recording session lasting nearly 10 hours featuring various combinations of personnel including quartet of trumpet, guitar, bass and drums, an organ trio, a guitar trio, a duo, and a solo piece. Unfortunately, not all the cuts could be included on this CD but I included a variety. Cecil McBee's connection with Victor Lewis is apparent throughout the CD forming an interactive ensemble with guitar.
The 3 jazz standards All the Things You Are, Dolphin Dance, and Once I Loved, are in guitar trio format. Sparks, Who Needs Forever, and Blues for J, are organ trio style featuring my long time colleague Dave Posmontier on synthesized organ complete with left hand bass. Organ trio is, and will always be, a favorite musical context for me. The 3 quartet tunes are my composition Summer Waltz, my special arrangements and reharmonizations of When you Wish Upon a Star simply called Star here, and Wayne Shorter's Fall. The solo piece is the beautiful love song When I Fall In Love to which I reharmonized and arranged for guitar out of love for the tune which is always my criteria for reharmonization in the first place.
In closing I would like to thank Jim McElroy for producing this CD and creating the unique circumstance that allowed me to experience my music from a different perspective.
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