Have sweeping journeys lost their place in the era of the cute little web video? Is the in-depth musical exploration of intense personal transformation irrelevant when one could instead condense those experiences into a text message? Is spending an uninterrupted hour-plus listening to an intricate and ambitious piece of instrumental music a waste of time in the era of the ringtone? When given the opportunity, thanks to the Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation New Jazz Works grant, to compose a 65 minute, uninterrupted suite of music for septet, I decided to tackle this along with the very personal yet universal topic of self knowledge.
Noah Baerman | composer, piano, melodica
Wayne Escoffery | tenor and soprano saxophones
Erica von Kleist | alto saxophone and flute
Chris Dingman | vibraphone
Amanda Monaco | guitar
Henry Lugo | bass
Vinnie Sperrazza | drums, marimba
Recorded November 23, 2009 at Bennett Studios, Englewood, NJ