Against All Odds liner notes
I'll touch more on this later, but I can't stress enough the importance of personality in music. Even if you play something that's already been played, if it comes out right it will sound like you. The thing is really getting comfortable in your own skin and being able to interact with others; what else are personalities for but bouncing off each other? There is no community without individuals; often, individuals will have problems. Another reason I deeply adore the Kung Fu Panda movies is for their depiction of self-doubt and imposter syndrome, things I have generally dealt with as a French horn player in a jazz community, especially starting out with the decision to play it. (An inspiration for this album is that the horn is the panda of the jazz world.) Hence the title of the album, Against All Odds, refers generally to the insurmountable pressure from society and one's own self to succeed. Something I now understand is that true enlightenment or wisdom comes from being able to see past your insecurities so you can really focus on confidently moving forward; I'm of course not there yet, but it's something we all strive for. This music is a depiction of this spiritual journey we all have to start at some point in our lives.
"Book of the World" was inspired by Hermann Hesse’s novel Siddhartha, depicting the spiritual journey throughout the title character’s entire life. The novel touches on themes of religion and self-discovery; the event that inspired this tune is Siddhartha’s spiritual awakening, in which he realizes he must see the world on its own terms, rather than through a veil or preconception. To paraphrase, one must not get caught up in the book of the world criticizing the print and the material of the pages, and instead simply read it and learn from it. On another level, the tune is inspired by/dedicated to the great Wayne Shorter, a deep musician, thinker, and ardent Buddhist who passed away in March 2023. After my solo, some beautiful solos from Isaiah Petrie, Henry Scamurra, and Sebastian Arias.
As someone who plays an instrument not usually played in jazz, I’ve had many second thoughts and many questions about if I play another instrument. "Stop, Go, Potato" is a result of taking this apprehension and out of it, creating music; this is me confronting my doubts head on by directly pairing myself with my closest brass relative, the trombone. In my first year of my master’s degree, Spencer Banister has been someone I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and play with, and he proves an ideal counterpart in this setting. As for the title, the theme of yin-yang rings true in several ways: stop/go, potato/potahto, horn/trombone, as well as the sing-songy melody with unusual harmonies (and the lack of a chordal instrument).
"Life Force" is based on the idea of chi, or qi, which is an energy in all of us that comes from awareness and consciousness; an important part of being able to channel it is being one with yourself and your individuality, something that the best, most creative musicians in the best situations can harness. In the humble opinion of this author, while Kung Fu Panda 3 is the weakest of the trilogy (the metaphorical Ewok entry), the themes of qi and individuality are handled brilliantly and beautifully, and warranted the creation of this tune. The solos are the most open-ended of this batch of tunes, meaning that the soloists and rhythm section alike play not over chord changes or forms, but purely with their ears and instincts. Some insanely noteworthy solos from Spencer Banister and Henry Scamurra, and some playing from myself; the rhythm section deserves special mention for essentially playing from scratch with the soloists.
The two-part finale starts with "Mural", a tune written generally in the manner of John Coltrane, with a rubato melody (handled beautifully by Sebastian Arias and the horns) followed by solos in a medium swing tempo. It’s also a code word to be derived from the videos of Brian Steever, an esteemed KC drummer with a long resume, as well as a super gracious and humble human being. The drum slot after solos from myself and Henry Scamurra is filled by Matt Robertson, a close friend of five years and one of my biggest inspirations; a la Roy Haynes on Chick Corea’s “Steps/What Was”, the drum solo takes us to the finale: “Liberated Goof”, the dance of someone (perhaps a panda) who is liberated through confidence and joy of one’s complete self, flaws and all. (It could also be considered the dance party scene that ends many animated movies from Shrek on.) We get blues solos from Isaiah Petrie, Spencer Banister, myself, and Sebastian Arias, followed by a collective improvisation a la early jazz, hammering the celebration home. Perhaps the larger journey continues, and the Promised Land still awaits, but there are many journeys in life worth celebrating at their end; take it all in while you can.
Aside from the studio tracks, I decided to add some contrast by including three short free improvisations - I recorded these on my phone and edited them so they sound especially brittle. These are "body", "mind" and "spirit", and each of them features a particular player who brings out these specific attributes. The duo with Matt, "body", is meant to suggest John Coltrane's duets with Elvin Jones, and as such is aggressive and earthy. With Henry on "mind", the counterpoint between two horns (as opposed to a rhythm instrument) requires more attentiveness and strategy, and the result is half zig-zaggy and half pulsating pitches. On "spirit" with Isaiah, the focus is on the special textural and timbral qualities of the vibraphone; I've always loved the instrument, and Isaiah is doing wonderful things with it. This duo track has a meditative feel, interspersed with some blindingly fast lines.
"Book of the World" was inspired by Hermann Hesse’s novel Siddhartha, depicting the spiritual journey throughout the title character’s entire life. The novel touches on themes of religion and self-discovery; the event that inspired this tune is Siddhartha’s spiritual awakening, in which he realizes he must see the world on its own terms, rather than through a veil or preconception. To paraphrase, one must not get caught up in the book of the world criticizing the print and the material of the pages, and instead simply read it and learn from it. On another level, the tune is inspired by/dedicated to the great Wayne Shorter, a deep musician, thinker, and ardent Buddhist who passed away in March 2023. After my solo, some beautiful solos from Isaiah Petrie, Henry Scamurra, and Sebastian Arias.
As someone who plays an instrument not usually played in jazz, I’ve had many second thoughts and many questions about if I play another instrument. "Stop, Go, Potato" is a result of taking this apprehension and out of it, creating music; this is me confronting my doubts head on by directly pairing myself with my closest brass relative, the trombone. In my first year of my master’s degree, Spencer Banister has been someone I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know and play with, and he proves an ideal counterpart in this setting. As for the title, the theme of yin-yang rings true in several ways: stop/go, potato/potahto, horn/trombone, as well as the sing-songy melody with unusual harmonies (and the lack of a chordal instrument).
"Life Force" is based on the idea of chi, or qi, which is an energy in all of us that comes from awareness and consciousness; an important part of being able to channel it is being one with yourself and your individuality, something that the best, most creative musicians in the best situations can harness. In the humble opinion of this author, while Kung Fu Panda 3 is the weakest of the trilogy (the metaphorical Ewok entry), the themes of qi and individuality are handled brilliantly and beautifully, and warranted the creation of this tune. The solos are the most open-ended of this batch of tunes, meaning that the soloists and rhythm section alike play not over chord changes or forms, but purely with their ears and instincts. Some insanely noteworthy solos from Spencer Banister and Henry Scamurra, and some playing from myself; the rhythm section deserves special mention for essentially playing from scratch with the soloists.
The two-part finale starts with "Mural", a tune written generally in the manner of John Coltrane, with a rubato melody (handled beautifully by Sebastian Arias and the horns) followed by solos in a medium swing tempo. It’s also a code word to be derived from the videos of Brian Steever, an esteemed KC drummer with a long resume, as well as a super gracious and humble human being. The drum slot after solos from myself and Henry Scamurra is filled by Matt Robertson, a close friend of five years and one of my biggest inspirations; a la Roy Haynes on Chick Corea’s “Steps/What Was”, the drum solo takes us to the finale: “Liberated Goof”, the dance of someone (perhaps a panda) who is liberated through confidence and joy of one’s complete self, flaws and all. (It could also be considered the dance party scene that ends many animated movies from Shrek on.) We get blues solos from Isaiah Petrie, Spencer Banister, myself, and Sebastian Arias, followed by a collective improvisation a la early jazz, hammering the celebration home. Perhaps the larger journey continues, and the Promised Land still awaits, but there are many journeys in life worth celebrating at their end; take it all in while you can.
Aside from the studio tracks, I decided to add some contrast by including three short free improvisations - I recorded these on my phone and edited them so they sound especially brittle. These are "body", "mind" and "spirit", and each of them features a particular player who brings out these specific attributes. The duo with Matt, "body", is meant to suggest John Coltrane's duets with Elvin Jones, and as such is aggressive and earthy. With Henry on "mind", the counterpoint between two horns (as opposed to a rhythm instrument) requires more attentiveness and strategy, and the result is half zig-zaggy and half pulsating pitches. On "spirit" with Isaiah, the focus is on the special textural and timbral qualities of the vibraphone; I've always loved the instrument, and Isaiah is doing wonderful things with it. This duo track has a meditative feel, interspersed with some blindingly fast lines.
Overall, there were two objectives with making this album. First was to entertain the notion that playing jazz music can be fun, and that even straightahead acoustic jazz can be creative and inventive, and doesn't necessarily need to be buttoned up or academic. We don't always have to reinvent the wheel, but the masters would most definitely get bored if all we did was sound exactly like them. If we're talking about Kung Fu Panda, this makes it all the more clear what the message is: why be another Charlie Parker when you can be a first you? Much of the music here has space for longer solos, meaning the people in the band get to solve the musical problems according to their limitations, their own rules, their personality and how their mind works. This leads me to the second objective, as mentioned above: putting some kick-ass musical personalities on display. This was a dream band to put together, full of virtuosi whose playing I adore for all the reasons that make them unique. I also love them as people, and there's very much a rapport between everybody in the group. Community without individuals is conformity.
This was a very fun project to work on, as well as personally and artistically fulfilling. The development of this music has likewise seen some large developments in my life, my playing, my experience, and my outlook on life at large. I do hope this inspires you to go listen, and that you enjoy this music with your own life experiences in mind!
Henry Scamurra - alto saxophone
Spencer Banister - trombone
Loren Broaddus - French horn
Isaiah Petrie - vibraphone
Sebastian Arias - bass
Matt Robertson - drums
Against All Odds
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