Trombonist Nick Finzer to Release Reimagined “Cast of Characters” EP
Trombonist Nick Finzer reimagines the possibilities of his 2020 release “Cast of Characters” with a live set recorded just before the onset of 2020’s lockdown…
Digital EP Releases May 21st, 2021 with Video Series to Follow
New York, New York: At the start of 2020 jazz trombonist and bandleader Nick Finzer was poised to take the world by storm with his latest album project “Cast of Characters” when the Western world entered Lockdown in mid-March.
“This [Cast of Characters] album was my favorite collection of compositions to date, and I was itching to get this music in front of people” Finzer explained. “Little did I know that this first concert of the tour, would be one of the biggest shows of the tour, and that most of it would never happen…”
The “Cast of Characters” Launch event took place on “Leap Day 2020” (Feb 29th, 2020) at the famed University of North Texas (where Finzer is the Assistant Professor of Jazz Trombone) with a combination of NY vets (Quincy Davis, drums & Dave Meder, piano – both also on faculty at UNT), experienced students (Eric Hitt, bass) and original members of the project (Lucas Pino, saxophone & Finzer, trombone).
This live Digital EP and Video Project is a celebration of the music itself, as well as an expression of how pieces in jazz can morph, their stories retold in new and different ways, for each audience. The twists and turns of the original compositions by Finzer extol the impact of various characters that enter and exit our lives, given new life, and telling a new story, in this live concert format.
“Recording with an enthusiastic audience in the room is a truly special event” Finzer recalls “knowing that you’re going to share this performance in the future, gives you a little more of an edge when you’re playing, a little more concentration, and a little more fire!”
A Sorcerer… is a myth opens the set with a rousing energy that features the full ensemble in mixed meter, through-composed journey “Sorcerer is all about the inner journey we go on through our artistic development” says Finzer “… the further along the path we travel, the more we realize that the artists that once seemed to have magical powers in their artistry, were really masters of craft, they were dedicated to the practice of creativity!” Evolution of Perspective is all about “staring down challenges to your world view, your perspective, your initial way of understanding the world – we have to evolve to make decisions with new information as it becomes available to us…” Finzer explains “the piece takes some of the themes that appear across the full [Cast of Characters] album and presents them in a different light, one that shifts and changes underneath you!” Patience, Patience opens with a contemplative piano introduction by fellow UNT Faculty member Dave Meder “Patience is really a reminder to me to slow down…” Finzer recalled “… for a long time in my life I’ve lacked a certain amount of patience, which sometimes has been good, and sometimes I need to remind myself to take a breath!” The collective awareness of the ensemble is brought to the forefront here, featuring the interaction between the musicians, in real-time – the real beauty of a live set.
The “Cast of Characters” Live from Denton Digital EP launches May 21st, 2021 with the live video series to follow on Finzer’s YouTube Channel. This EP will be available through streaming only.
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Source: Outside in Music
