Title - Gotham
Artist - Wayne Alpern
For those unaware, Wayne Alpern is a New York City composer, arranger, and scholar who integrates popular and jazz idioms with classical techniques and repertoire to create a sophisticated contemporary style of cross-genre, or even post-genre music.
After years of composing complex new music, he embraced his personal history and indigenous musical culture and fused them with his classical background and training.
His work includes numerous jazz arrangements, string quartets, woodwind and brass quintets, mixed ensembles, pieces for string orchestra, and several piano works.
On this brand new release, Gotham (out now via Henri Elkan Music), Alpern brings together 13 newly-recorded tracks, including the classic Batman theme, along with other well-known songs from such notables as Antonio Carlos Jobim, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Stephen Sondheim, Hoagy Carmichael, and amongst others, Lamont Dozier, Brian and Eddie Holland.
1. Batman
2. Blue Room
3. Desafinado
4. Norwegian Wood
5. Anyone Can Whistle
6. Spartacus Love Theme
7. Lady Madonna
8. Two Sleepy People
9. Song for My Father
10. Have You Met Miss Jones
11. Little Darlin’
12. I’ll Be There
13. When I’m Sixty-Four
This brilliantly rhythmic, melodically supreme new recording opens on the infectiously reworked classic theme to Batman, the late night, low slung Blue Room, and the dutifully elegant Desafinado, and then we get the languishing beauty within Norwegian Wood, the ornately sculpted Anyone Can Whistle and the sheer elegance of an aching yearn that veins throughout Spartacus Love Theme.
Then comes the upbeat and joyful Lady Madonna, the slow ballroom swirls and twirls of Two Sleepy People and the all-embracing Song for My Father, and they are themselves backed by the resoundingly resplendent Have You Met Miss Jones, the finger snapping, toe tapping vibe of Little Darlin’, the album rounding out on the gently euphoric I’ll Be There, closing on another reworking of a Beatles track, this time the playfully flirtatious When I’m Sixty-Four.
PLAYERS, INSTRUMENT:
Wayne Alpern, Arranger and Producer
David Mann, Reeds & Winds
Tatum Greenblatt, Trumpet
Trevor Neumann, Trumpet
Michael Davis, Trombone
Sara Jacovino, Trombone
John Patitucci, Bass
Clint de Ganon, Drums
Andrew Ezrin, Keyboards
Kevin Ramessar, Guitar
Antoine Silverman, Violin
Wayne Alpern - Anyone Can Whistle [Official Music Video]
Official Website
Wayne Alpern @ Facebook
Wayne Alpern @ Spotify