Fanfare, Nocturne, Fanfare

€ 24.00 · 4.5 (247) · Auf Lager

When one peruses Greg Simon’s catalogue, it does not take long to find gems of concert music, jazz, and electronic music -- not unlike most of his contemporaries. However, where Simon sets himself apart is his relentless and earnest pursuit in trying--and succeeding--to combine the three into an uncontrived, expressive entity. One piece that does this is Simon’s latest installment, Fanfare, Nocturne, Fanfare. The latest work in Simon’s catalogue fires on all cylinders, including talents from a cohesive ensemble featuring soloists Cubby Phillips (guitar), Shawn Bell (trombone), and Chris Leach (synth). Phillips leads off with an expressive guitar solo featuring modern intervallic language over the rhythm section’s subdued, atmospheric backdrop. Next, Bell’s trombone solo combines extensive lyricism with a mastery of the harmonic terrain to create a pristine interlude between the two electronic instruments. Leach’s solo brings bebop vocabulary into the fray as he builds energy over the ensemble backgrounds that usher the listener into the final fanfare section, a satisfying conclusion to Simon’s seventeen minute, sonic adventure. In Fanfare, Nocturne, Fanfare, Simon has produced a work whose authenticity of spirit represents the most captivating narrative elements of the concert, electronic, and jazz genres without sidelining any language in favor of the others. One does truly feel as though the piece is a complete story through its three parts. In this work, it is clear that Simon’s journey as a composer of jazz, concert music, and electronic music continues, and it leaves the listener excited to find out where he will go next. ~Jordan VanHemert