Ripples

The sessions which resulted in 'Ripples' were some of the most amazing i have ever experienced. Somehow, this quartet jelled from the first moment. I hope you will experience the joy, peace, and spirit of that week as you listen to these tracks. Every once in a while, you chance upon a serendipity which is rare in human experience. Such was my meeting with New York pianist & arranger Linda Dowdell. From our first duo gig, there was a simpatico between us such as i have never known in 30 years as a professional reed player. When i became the proud foster parent of a homeless Steinway named Gertrude, it grew obvious we needed to record this unusual nexus. Ted Enderle & Tom Svornich were obvious choices to round out the quartet. They have played together in various settings for years, and, from the many gigs i have done with them, i knew the chemistry would be right between this foursome, as it was from the first moment they shook Linda's hand. In preparing to record these 11 songs, i thought long & hard about which instrument(s) to use. I did test recordings of all the tunes, first on tenor sax, then on alto sax, and finally on clarinet. 2 weeks before the scheduled recording sessions began, i received an extraordinary clarinet mouthpiece in the mail. The transformation was phenomenal, as if the clarinet had metamorphosed into an entirely different instrument. That settled it! This needed to be a clarinet CD. The fact that all 11 songs were recorded by the same 4 people on the same 4 instruments in the same 4 sessions gives this CD a unity i have never before achieved. (Coming from 'Honk' with our 3 singers, 3 writers, & 3 soloists, stagnancy has never been a concern!) Even so, there is plenty of diversity on 'Ripples,' thanks to the rich variety of composers and rhythmic approaches presented on the record. The pieces of this puzzle fit together in an uncanny way, one i have never before experienced. From Neil's expert recording to Pat's sensitive mastering to Paul's intuitive graphic treatment, 'Ripples' has inspired me to once again embrace life's many waves. Of the 9 terrific standards in this collection, some have not as yet received the recognition they deserve. Let's explore each in turn. While there are wonderful readings of Quincy Jones' lovely 'The Midnight Sun Will Never Set' by Marshall Royal, Milt Jackson, Phil Woods, and others, it was Sarah Vaughn's vocal that totally knocked me out. Linda, Ted, & Tom were deeply moved when i played Sarah's recording for them, and they proceeded to create a setting which fully captures the mystic mood of this extraordinary piece. 'What?' is an original melody set to the changes of Cole Porter's 'What Is This Thing Called Love,' but with 1 extra bar added to accommodate the '?'. Duke Ellington's great tune 'I Didn't Know About You' grabbed me when i heard vocal recordings by Jo Stafford and Ella Fitzgerald. The standard 'Get Happy' here receives one of Linda Dowdell's sparkling original arrangements. Though it was more choreographed than the rest of the CD, 'Get Happy' comes across as spontaneous and fresh, thanks to everyone's willingness to jump in the water and splash around. 'Invitation' has long intrigued me, with it's most unusual harmonic context, the large leaps in it's melody, and the surrealistic lyrics. It was Seattle vocalist Karen Shivers who made those lyrics come alive for me, and the amazing improv by Ralph Moore inspired me to tackle this challenging composition. I have often sung 'I'm Glad There Is You' for my wife Faye in our performances, and the audience seems to appreciate the song as much as Faye does. 'In this world of overrated pleasures and underrated treasures, i'm glad there is you.' A beautiful melody, an unusually tender lyric. Written by reed man Jimmy Dorsey...how interesting! As a child, i was blown away by Benny Goodman's Quartet (with Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson, and Gene Krupa). Their recording of 'The Man I Love' is of course a ballad and an amazing rendition. Thus, it was a head spinner to hear Coleman Hawkins fly through this Gershwin cl