New Century Saxophone Quartet Press

KALAMAZOO GAZETTE Thursday, July 12, 2007

Saxophone ensemble shows off versatility

By C.J. Gianakaris

uesday in South Haven and Precise, synchronized playing Wednesday night at Brook Lodge T in Augusta, Fontana Chamber Arts was matched by a balanced presented the New Century blend … A total winner. Saxophone Quartet. Its playing of a wide range of works, by seven different By the last half of the concert, it composers, initiated the audience in the became clear that certain compositions musical possibilities of such ensembles. lend themselves more to saxophone sound The New Century features Michael than others. The first section of Astor Stephenson on soprano saxophone, Chris- Piazzolla’s marvelous “Histoire du topher Hemingway on alto saxophone, Tango,” arranged by Claude Voirpy, was Stephen Pollock on tenor saxophone and a total winner. Infectious tango rhythms Connie Frigo on baritone saxophone. worked well for saxes, as did tapping of After marching in while playing Bob the instrument’s body — a technique Mintzer’s invigorating “Contraption,” the heard often in Piazzolla’s music. ensemble turned to five selections from George Gershwin’s great American J.S. Bach’s “Art of the Fugue,” BMV opera “Porgy and Bess” also sounded 1080. Immediately impressive was the especially fine. Our ears are accustomed velvety aura emanating from different to hearing Gershwin played with soaring saxophones possessing varying ranges. reed instruments, clarinet or sax, Precise, synchronized playing was deliberately scored. So the sounds were matched by a balanced blend, suggesting warm and familiar. saxophones could present Bach’s works as well as other instruments.

International Record Review June 2004

J.S. Bach with his sight fading fast, had really lost recording but a devotedly virtuoso the plot. Nowadays I can barely listen to traversa1 of some of the most mind- The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080. this breathtaking musical valediction bogglingly ingenious and inspired exam- New Century Saxophone Quartet without tears in my eyes — the moment ples of counterpoint ever committed to (Michael Stephenson, soprano saxo- when the work’s crowning Contrapunctus manuscript. The New Century Saxo- phone; Christopher Hemingway, alto peters out, representing the last creative phone Quartet are technically unimpeach- saxophone; Stephen Pollock, tenor saxo- gasps of the most colossal creative genius able and (unusually for a saxophone phone; Brad Hubbard. baritone saxo- music has ever witnessed, I still find ensemble) play with impeccable intona- phone). unbearably poignant. tion and coordination. As Bach’s Channel Classics CCSSA20204 (full counterpoint magically interweaves, so price, 1 hour 18 minutes). Website This is no ordinary recording, one senses more than usual the work’s www.channelclassics.com. but a devotedly virtuoso linear complexity. Here the music feels Producer/Engineer C. Jared Sacks. Dates less like a tour de force of technical January and August 2003. traversal of some of the most ingenuity founded upon foursquare har- mind-bogglingly ingenious monic principles than a sublime frisson Bach’s contrapuntal genius is virtually and inspired examples of of horizontal inter-reaction that dictates indestructible, so it should come as no the harmonic outcome as it proceeds. surprise to learn that The Art of Fugue counterpoint ever committed Listened to in stereo this skilfully engi- sounds as wonderful as ever when played to manuscript. A revelation. neered performance balances the various on four saxophones, unconventional lines immaculately, ensuring that each though it may seem at first (imagine So to the present recording, which pre- instrument registers with equal weight doing the same to, say, Beethoven!). My sents virtually the entire work, with the and clarity within a gentle ambience. first experience, too many years ago to exception of Contrapunctus 17, whose Activate the SACD 5.0 surround track mention, of The Art of Fugue was via a multi-linear complexities are beyond the and the music takes on a further dimen- dour, furrowed-brow reading from a dis- reach of four voices, and Contrapunctus sion as the four lines open up before your tinguished German organist of the time. 18, which, although recorded, was omit- ears, cocooning the listener in a complex My head was then so full of such choral ted from the final edit due to timing con- web of directional events that illuminates splendours as the B minor Mass and straints. The culmination of eight years Bach’s thought processes as never before Magnificat that Bach’s staggering last of study and fine-timing, helped in the in my experience. A revelation. musical will and testament struck me ini- latter stages by Baroque flute specialist —Julian Haylock tially as the work of art old man who, Stephen Preston, this is no ordinary

Christmasreviews.com Fall 2004

A New Century Christmas

anting a little sax this Merry Gentle Mensch” are funny, funk- Christmas? The always exciting alicious wonders that immediately catch WNew Century Saxophone Quar- your attention. Pickett, a former Tower of tet (NCSQ) presents a fascinating concept Power member, describes Christmas as album with fresh holiday sounds on “A his “least favorite holiday” and certainly New Century Christmas.” Have a listen brought a twisted talent to the project. (after all, one cannot have too much sax) — this saxophone extravaganza is a first- A first-class sleigh ride. class sleigh ride. When the NCSQ decided to assemble a Do not, however, imagine that “A New holiday album, they commissioned ori- Century Christmas” will sit quietly ginal works by a dozen composer-friends gathering dust on the shelf as a bizarre (Benjamin Boone, Lawrence Dillon, novelty album. The songs are all solid Arthur Frackenpohl, Gordon Goodwin, holiday renderings in their own right. Glenn Haynes, Brad Hubbard, Ben Although the NCSQ and this album are Johnston, David Ott, Lenny Pickett, not for all tastes, the music is top-quality, Ronald Rudkin, Jeff Schiller, Ken Valit- albeit avant-garde. Some tunes are gentle sky). The composers were free to follow interpretations that embrace the season in or ignore the melody lines to their hearts’ a creative fashion, but with largely tradi- content. The result is a relatively tional strains (these include “The First eccentric, but superbly crafted, “collection Noel,” “We Wish You a Merry Christ- of original music that is eclectic, witty, mas,” and the “Christmas Medley”). serious, silly, and different” (as the NCSQ Others provide adventurous departures themselves describe it). Bravo! The from the usual routes, and it’s a fascin- NCSQ achieved their goal, and that is ating trip. good news for those who love holiday For pure fun, the Pickett numbers are a music and are searching for that some- hoot and should not be missed. As for the thing special this Christmas season. In rest, every song has true holiday merit and order to navigate this adventurous ground, deserves serious consideration. The New the extensive liner notes provide an inval- Century Saxophone Quartet certainly has uable resource, laying out the thoughts of my attention this Christmas season. If you each composer for each piece. love stylish sax in innovative styles, “A This instrumental album is an absolute New Century Christmas” should grab delight, and the high points are numerous. your attention, too. Lenny Pickett’s two tunes are genuine showstoppers: “Funkin’ with the Bells” —Carol Swanson (the opening track) and “God Rest Ye

Raleigh, North Carolina Saturday, September 23, 2000

Tidal Wave of Sound A surge of concerts inundates the calendar this weekend

By John W. Lambert

he season begins with a vengeance, he tends to be pretty straightforward. bringing in a single week at least (Chances are he won’t appear in T eight appealing programs. These clodhoppers, either - although he might include the Jerusalem Lyric Trio, need them due to construction at the site). appearing Thursday at the Freeman Center for Jewish Life. Friday’s lineups present Doing for saxophones tough choices as the Kiev Symphony Orchestra and Chorus return to the what Casals did for the Triangle for a concert in Page Auditorium; the N.C. Symphony offers cello and Segovia, for the first of two Memorial Auditorium the guitar. programs (the second is on the 23rd) featuring the premiere of a consortium- And despite their mod publicity photos, commissioned Concerto for saxophone those “New Centurians,” who performed quartet by Peter Schickele (the alter-ego at the NCMA last January, are of P.D.Q. Bach), played by the New consummate, serious artists (with strong Century ensemble; and Women’s Voices NCSA ties) who are doing for saxophones presents in University United Methodist what Casals did for the cello and Segovia, Church “A Room of Her Own,” twice for the guitar. postponed due to the great storm of ‘00.

The Schickele piece is likely to be unusual but not “funny” per se, for when the composer’s not in his “P.D.Q.” mode,

The Washington Post Saturday, April 5, 1997

New Century Saxophone Quartet

by JOAN REINTHALER

The saxophone is not a reticent instru- second movement a slow and pulsing ment. Its presence colors the sonority of opportunity for reflection and the final any ensemble it joins, and its voice evokes movement a virtuoso example of a not only the sounds but even the heat and rhythmic structure in which the four the smells of urban air or French cafes or instruments begin together, slide further jazz clubs. and further apart as each one moves at its The members of the New Century own pace and finally come together and Saxophone Quartet, which performed into focus. In this case, the musicians also Thursday at Bethesda’s Georgetown Pre- wandered offstage one by one as the piece paratory School under the auspices of drew to a close, a little like the end of the Strathmore Hall’s “Music in the Mansion” Haydn “Farewell” Symphony. The per- series, have a broader view of the instru- formance was beautifully coordinated. ment’s possibilities. Their program of mostly recent pieces by American composers (an excellent transcription of three So well done with so of the Contrapuncti from Bach’s “The Art of the Fugue” was the only exception) little apparent effort offered a convincing argument for the saxophone as a stand-alone player with an or premeditation. attractive repertoire all its own, tinged only occasionally with hints of jazz or the Other pieces by Frakenpohl, Schaffer rest. and Peck called for agility, rhythmic inci- The most interesting piece on the pro- siveness and careful attention to gram (and a premiere) was the Quartet ensemble. What distinguished this No. 2 by Lenny Pickett of “Saturday performance was that all of this was so Night Live” fame. Its three movements well done with so little apparent effort or focus on musical ideas rather than premeditation. saxophone acrobatics, the opening movement a lovely study in blues, the

February 9, 1994

Quartet makes impact in west coast debut

by JOSEF WOODARD

Tackling brave new territory in the con- Shostakovich pieces, of marginal interest, servative-leaning realm of classical music established further connection with the tradition takes a unique blend of convic- classical orthodoxy. But the most re- tion, refined talent and a bit of damn-the- freshing music came from living compos- torpedoes ambition. Those qualities are ers. amply in evidence with the New Century Saxophone Quartet, not to mention a finely honed musicality deserving wider They made acceptance. While one half a house showed up at believers here. Ambassador Auditorium Monday night for the North Carolina based quartet’s Sherwood Shaffer’s handsome Sinfonia West Coast debut, those in attendance for Saxophone Quartet had the group proved a conspicuously appreciative contrapuntally weaving and intersecting gathering. Polish and vitality distinguish voices, while Elliot del Borgo’s Quartet the group - soprano saxophonist Michael featured both rampaging triplets and dark- Stephenson, altoist James Boatman (also toned introspection. Morton Gould’s the group’s arranger), tenor Stephen Pavane (from his American Symphonette Pollock and baritone Brad Hubbard. No. 2) contained some of the evening’s Outside of jazz and theater music, most overt jazz references but in coy, saxophones have always had a rough time quirky style. gaining respect in the classical world. As Better-integrated jazz ideas came with shown again in Pasadena, this bias is un- the concert’s highlight and closer, Russell fortunate, because this is a hybrid instru- Peck’s “Drastic Measures.” ment of great luster and versatility. Inherently, the New Century Opening with the formality of Jean Saxophone Quartet is a crusading unit, Baptiste Singelée’s First Quartet (1857), spreading the gospel about this maligned the ensemble immediately displayed its instrument’s serious aspirations. They winning voice, a warm, reedy and cream- made believers here. ily unified collective sound. Three short

THE NEW YORK POST Friday, March 26, 1993

Saxophone Quartet as Fit as a Fiddle

by SHIRLEY FLEMING

The New Century Saxophone Quartet, Shaffer’s three-movement work sent first-prize winner in the 1992 Concert the instruments cheerfully bubbling and Artists Guild New York Competition, looping, sometimes tumbling uphill with made its debut at Weill Recital Hall on Poulenc-like cheekiness. A “Petit qua- Tuesday, in a virtuosic display of tuor” (1935) by the Frenchman Jean Fran- dexterity and keen ensemble work. çaix displayed a delicate bounce and Soprano saxophonist Michael Stephen- son, alto James Boatman, tenor Stephen Pollock and baritone Brad Hubbard, all A virtuosic display of products of the North Carolina School of dexterity and keen ensemble Arts, have dedicated themselves to prov- work. ing their instruments’ mettle as a serious concert vehicle. While the pre-eminence of the string quartet remains unthreatened transparent texture in the first movement by this effort, the New Century puts its (the quietest episode in a generally “forte” argument forcefully enough. evening) and a presently pensive quality In a varied program ranging from a in the second, during which the soprano Fantasia, by the 17th-century organist Jan instrument remained silent. “Drastic Pieters Sweelinck, and a set of Mozart Measures,” (1976) by Russell Peck, variations (drawn from the piano original) careened recklessly but happily among to the premiere of a brand-new Sinfonia what seemed like dozens of ideas, by Sherwood Shaffer of the North Caro- culminating in something very close to lina School, the quartet demonstrated both jazz. the liquid sinuosity and the pointillistic The players handled it all with panache, snap of the saxophone. and topped off the concert with a ragtime encore that fit them like a glove.