The Inventions Trio
Photos by Judy Kirtley
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A brand new group: two classically-trained jazz masters of the piano and trumpet have joined with a marvelously gifted and classically-trained cellist to explore the intersection of chamber music and jazz, to “find the chamber music in jazz and the jazz in chamber music,” performing fresh interpretations of well-known classical themes, jazz classics, and original works.
WHO is it?
Pianist Bill Mays, trumpeter/flugelhornist Marvin Stamm, and cellist Alisa Horn.
WHERE did it come from?
The Inventions Trio grew out of Mays and Stamm’s long association and duo work together, followed by a commission of Mays’ three-movement Fantasy for Cello, Trumpet & Piano. Another inspiration was Mays’ duo work with flutist Bud Shank in 1980 that resulted in the Concord Records LP, Explorations, which featured Mays’ Suite for Flute and Piano and improvisations on classical themes. In the 1990s Mays mixed musical genres again by orchestrating The Nutcracker Suite for Jazz City Records. Written for four woodwinds and rhythm section, the CD featured movements from the Nutcracker and other well-known themes by Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel and Rachmaninoff. In recent years, Mays teamed with members of the Finisterra and the Philadelphia Piano Quartets to play his jazz versions of Arensky, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Rodrigo, and Vivaldi. In Mays’ words: “whether playing Borodin or Bird, Bach or bop, the aim is to make the music come alive in a new way, find great melodies, be true to the composer’s underlying harmonic scheme, let the music swing, listen intently, play honestly, always honoring the rich traditions from which we’re drawing and building upon.”
WHERE’S it performed?
Rubin Art Museum, NY, NY; Chicago Institute of Music; Buckman Fine Arts Center, Memphis, TN; San Francisco Conservatory of Music, CA; The Kitano, NY, NY; Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA; Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA; Bosendorfer Pianos, NY, NY; A Better Chance, Ridgefield, CT; C.O.T.A. Festival, Delaware Water Gap, PA; The Seasons, Yakima, WA; Tusten Theater, Narrowsburg, NY; University of California, Fresno, CA; Roy's Hall, Blairstown, NJ; Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA; University of La Verne, La Verne, CA; Piedmont Pianos, San Francisco, CA
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WHAT’S it playing?
Along Came Betty (Benny Golson)
Bachianas Brasilieras #5 Mvt. I (Heitor Villa Lobos) Listen mp3
Baubles, Bangles and Beads (Alexander Borodin, from 2nd. String quartet) Listen mp3
Concierto de Aranjuez-Adagio/Spain (Joaquin Rodrigo/Chick Corea)
Euterpe (Bill Mays)
Fantasy for Cello, Trumpet and Piano (Bill Mays)
Mvt. 1 Listen mp3
Fun House (Bill Mays)
Girl With The Flaxen Hair (Claude Debussy) Listen mp3
Invention #8/Scrapple From The Apple & Ah-Leu-Cha (J. S. Bach/Charlie Parker)
Lagrima Agradecida (Bill Mays)
My Bells, Interplay, Turn Out The Stars, Waltz For Debby (Bill Evans)
Peace Waltz (Bill Mays)
Prelude, Op. 11, #3/Sometime Ago (Alexander Scriabin/Sergio Mihanovich) Listen mp3
Sippin' At Bells/Dance Of The Infidels (Miles Davis/Bud Powell) Listen mp3
The Outlaw (Horace Silver)
Three And One (Thad Jones)
Zingaro (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
Delaware River Suite (selected highlights from Mays' new piece):
Alisa Marvin Bill
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The artistry of Bill Mays is beyond category. With deep roots in jazz, gospel, pop and classical music Bill’s eclectic career as a pianist, composer and arranger spans more than five decades. On hundreds of recordings, Bill’s concert and recording credits include work with artists as diverse as Ron Carter, Al Cohn, Buddy DeFranco, Benny Golson, Freddie Hubbard, Al Jarreau, Barry Manilow, Shelly Manne, Red Mitchell, Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Frank Sinatra, Sonny Stitt, Toots Thielemans, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Sarah Vaughan, Phil Woods and Frank Zappa.
Bill’s keyboard work has been heard on numerous movie soundtracks and TV shows, among them Adaptation, Annie, Being John Malkovich, CBS Early Morning, Consenting Adults, Dallas, Fargo, Frida, Fur, Gremlins, Interview With The Vampire, Knot’s Landing, Kojak, Ladykillers, Late Night with Jay Leno, Mission To Mars, Name That Tune, Rocky, Shaft 2, Simone, Sleepless In Seattle,Superman, The Alamo and Wolf.
Much respected for his compositional and arranging talents Bill has written saxophone quartets, suites for flute and piano, double bass and piano, music for the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Aureole chamber ensemble, the Woody Herman Band and incidental music for TV and film (Anamorph, Hamlet, Looker, Tribeca). He is a recipient of grants from Meet The Composer, the N.E.A., Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, is a Grammy nominee, a Steinway Piano Artist and a PennPat roster artist. His recent work on Palmetto Records (www.palmetto-records.net) documents his long-standing piano/bass/drums trio with Martin Wind and Matt Wilson (Summer Sketches, Going Home, Live At Jazz Standard). The Inventions Trio's new recording, Fantasy, showcases Bill's three-movement Fantasy for Cello, Trumpet and Piano and features the members of the trio in brilliant individual and group improvisations on classical themes.
Marvin Stamm is a graduate of the well-known North Texas Lab Band program. Upon completing his degree, he went on the road for several years, serving as trumpet soloist for the Stan Kenton and Woody Herman Orchestras. Marvin moved to New York City in 1966 where he spent twenty-three years as a major New York City studio musician. During this time, Marvin was a member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the Duke Pearson Big Band, and the American Jazz Orchestra led by pianist and composer John Lewis. He also performed for a period with singer Frank Sinatra and with the Benny Goodman Septet. He also appears as soloist with symphony orchestras and performs as a member of the George Gruntz Concert Jazz band and the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. Marvin has also been involved in Jazz education for many years and spends a good deal of time working with young musicians. Current CDs: By Ourselves - Marvin Stamm/Bill Mays Duo; The Stamm/Soph Project;The Stamm/Soph Project - Live at Birdland.
Alisa Horn is originally from Memphis, Tennessee, where she studied with Professor Peter Spurbeck at the University of Memphis. She completed her Master of Music in Cello Performance at Northwestern University with Professor Hans Jorgen Jensen in 2006 and received her Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Michigan where she studied with Professor Anthony Elliott. Alisa was the Second Prize Winner in the 2006 WAMSO-Minnesota Orchestra Volunteer Association’s Young Artist Competition and won the 2004 University of Michigan Concerto Competition performing Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo. She was a regular member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in 2004-2005 and was appointed the principal cellist of the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra during the summer of 2006. Alisa often performs and records with singer/songwriter, Sam Winch, and one of their songs was featured in an episode of the hit TV series, Grey’s Anatomy. Recently, Alisa and pianist, Jue He, recorded the Rachmaninoff and Miaskovsky Sonatas for Cello and Piano and the duo was featured on McGraw-Hill’s Young Artist Showcase, WQXR-FM in New York City. In May of 2007 Alisa performed Miaskovsky’s Cello Concerto with the Oakville Chamber Orchestra of Ontario, Canada. Alisa is currently living and working as a free-lance artist in New York City
websites (marvin stamm) (alisa horn)
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