Edge of the Center

March 27-28: David Sanford Big Band residency

Open rehearsal, UB Band master class, composer presentation and Slee Hall, performance on the 28^th of March

The Center for 21st Century Music was pleased to welcome a visit by David Sanford and the David Sanford Big Band in a residency that took place on the 27^th and 28^th of March. It was a really unique experience, we are beyond grateful for this residency.

(Source: http://chattmanphotography.com/)

One participant reported on the David Sanford residency as follows: “David Sanford's highly individualistic, poly-stylistic perhaps even kaleidoscopic music demands each listener to re-assess what the Big Band does. In person, David Sanford is a thoughtful and sensitive messenger of his own, collaborative music. To paraphrase founding member of Sanford's band, and UB faculty, Jon Nelson, what Sanford does is create a highly unique space for musicians to do their thing - there's nowhere else you can play this music!”

Brian Caswell, UB doctoral Candidate in composition

Some background about the David Sanford Big Band from their website: 

The New York-based David Sanford Big Band (formerly the Pittsburgh Collective) was formed in 2003 and comprises twenty musicians specializing in jazz, avant-garde, classical, funk and Latin genres. 

Members and soloists have included Hugh Ragin, Jon Irabagon, Anna Webber, Josh Roseman, Mike Christianson, Steven Bernstein, Bruce Johnstone, Chris Washburne, Adam Kolker, Ted Levine, Tony Kadleck, Hiro Noguchi, Dave Ballou, and players from the Meridian Arts Ensemble, Boston Musica Viva, the Knights, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the International Contemporary Ensemble, Talea Ensemble, the Denver Neophonic Jazz Orchestra, and most of the prominent big bands in New York City.

Along with presenting original works written expressly for the ensemble, the group performs big band literature that draws heavily on classical idioms (Stravinsky), classical works (Tomkins, Mahler) and popular music (Nick Cave, Sia), as well as jazz standards (Gillespie, Mingus, Elvin Jones)
Source: https://www.davidsanford.org/bigband

 

A Prayer for Lester Bowie (David Sanford Big Band feat. Hugh Ragin)

V-Reel

Scherzo Grosso (cello soloist, Matt Haimovitz with the Pittsburgh Collective Big Band) 

 

And the concert he gave at UB on the 28^th of March 2023.
All compositions by David Sanford, except Moors of Spain by Hugh Ragin, and Three Card Molly by Elvin Jones arranged by David

 Sanford.