Labyrinth by Billy Childs

Temple University Studio Orchestra
featuring
Terell Stafford, trumpet
Dick Oatts, saxophone
 

1. Labyrinth by Billy Childs 
2. Red Braid by Banks Sapnar
3. Rainforests by Bill Cunliffe

Labyrinth by Billy Childs

Labyrinth, a piece for big band, rhythm section and orchestra, was composed as a feature for Terell Stafford (trumpet) and Dick Oatts (alto saxophone). It is so titled because I was hoping to create a maze-like sense of imbalance through constantly shifting meters. I wanted the piece to start out feeling like it is in a triple meter (6/8 in this case), but actually being in multiple meters (6/8, 5/8, 2/4, and 9/8 in various configurations), thereby giving the listener, hopefully, a feeling of unpredictability while maintaining a logical continuum. So, the rhythm section starts out with this asymmetrically metered groove, with various chordal punctuations from the orchestra and big band. Terell and Dick then enter with a trumpet and alto sax melody that begins with a quartal phrase and is then followed by other melodic material – these melodic fragments are used later in shout choruses and tutti passages as a means to develop the piece.

A special challenge for me was to make big band, symphonic orchestra and small group with soloists congeal into an organic whole, from a sonic and orchestrational standpoint. So, in my mind, the big band took on the role of the symphonic brass and woodwind sections – at least in certain sections, like tutti passages, usually, where a lot of counterpoint and density was going on. I also included French horns, flutes and clarinets from the symphonic world because these instruments are very versatile sonically and blend well with other instruments.

Structurally, the piece is basically in two parts: the labyrinthine first part with the shifting meters, the trumpet solo section in 6/8 and the contrapuntal tutti section; and a slower, ballad-like section, which features the alto saxophone (later joined by the trumpet). This section ends with an intense build-up solo duet with trumpet and alto sax soloing together. This leads into a drum solo in 6/8, which then brings us back to the original “labyrinthine” opening section.

I want to offer a heartfelt thanks to Terell Stafford, Dick Oatts and Temple University for the honor of being commissioned to compose this piece.
--Billy Childs

Red Braid by Banks Sapnar

To me, Red Braid represents the love, joy and comfort that all of the amazing people in my life bring to me, and how that inspires me compositionally. Overwhelmingly inspired by a masterclass from bassist and composer John Clayton, I arranged this tune for the Temple University Jazz Band (TUJB) in one obsessive week, before bringing it into rehearsal to read. This piece was first performed at the TUJB winter concert at the Temple Performing Arts Center, then shortly after at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall for the band’s set at the Jack Rudin Jazz Championship. In the weeks leading up to the competition, the tune was workshopped and experimented with before becoming the final version it is today. Much of my musical inspiration for this arrangement came from some of my favorite big band composers such as Maria Schneider and Bob Mintzer, my love of modern American choral music, as well as modern jazz composers such as Pat Metheny, Billy Childs and Keith Jarrett.

Thanks to the work of my friends in the band, the piece is full of life that represents the creative spirit of the band as a whole. I am extremely grateful to Terell Stafford for the opportunity to hear and develop this composition, and to my fellow bandmates for putting their hearts and souls into my music and making it their own. Without them, the piece is just dots on a page: Their love is what makes it truly special.

I have some amazing people to thank for this piece, as I could not have done it without them. First, to Dick Oatts and Bruce Barth, my composition mentors at Temple who do an outstanding job of fostering an environment that is endlessly supportive to creativity and new ideas; to my trumpet teacher, Terell Stafford, for believing in my music, pushing and encouraging me, and giving me the opportunity to share my original music on these amazing stages; and my best friend and musical partner, Evan Kappelman, for his musicianship, advice, and for inspiring me  to start composing in the first place. Thanks for listening and enjoy Red Braid!
--Banks Sapnar

Rainforests by Bill Cunliffe

For years, I’ve been intrigued by trees. Not only the trees in my neighborhood of Studio City, California, but the trees that keep us safe and healthy such as the tropical mangrove. Its tangle of roots allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides and slow the movement of tidal waters, causing sediments to build up the muddy bottom. The mangroves in the rainforests are truly the heart of our planet and help keep us alive. I’ve been thinking about them a lot, and the music of the tropics has always been a focus of mine, with the recordings I’ve done of Brazilian and Cuban music, samba and salsa.

Having three great horn soloists (Terell Stafford, Dick Oatts and Tim Warfield), a great piano soloist (Bruce Barth) and a fabulous symphony orchestra directed by José Luis Domínguez, one of our great conductors, meant I couldn’t go wrong.

The first movement starts with a large battery of percussion playing rainforest-like sounds in the style of a samba, the national dance of Brazil seen all year long, but especially during Mardi Gras, in the streets and barrios. The simple four-note melody is presented and twisted and turned by Tim Warfield in a variety of ways.

Movement two is a cross between a Mexican bolero and a Brazilian bossa, cast as a slow romantic movement. The great Dick Oatts presents the theme as a series of descending thirds, then improvises for a while. The movement ends with a cadenza featuring rainforest sounds as before, with the soloists adding bird calls and other exotic sounds.

Finally, the energetic street dance, but with added movements into meters of 5, 6 and 7, is stated by Terell Stafford and echoed by the orchestra. Hints of jazz big band figures lead into complex rhythmic figures you could get lost in like the rainforest! A transitional passage built on a Brazilian drum rhythm leads into the final climax, a batucada-like street dance as I saw in Rio so many years ago, but overlaid with jazz soloists and dissonant harmonies.
--Bill Cunliffe

Stream and Download

Labyrinth by Billy Childs will be available for streaming and download on all major platforms on May 17, 2024.

Performers

1. Labyrinth by Billy Childs
   Temple University Studio Orchestra
   José Luis Domínguez, conductor
   Terell Stafford, trumpet
   Dick Oatts, alto saxophone
2. Red Braid by Banks Sapnar
   Temple University Jazz Band
   Terell Stafford, director
3. Rainforests by Bill Cunliffe
   Temple University Studio Orchestra
   José Luis Domínguez, conductor
   Terell Stafford, trumpet
   Dick Oatts, alto saxophone
   Tim Warfield, tenor saxophone
   Bruce Barth, piano
   Mike Boone, bass
   Justin Faulkner, drums

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY STUDIO ORCHESTRA

Temple University Symphony Orchestra

Violin I

Alexandr Kislitsyn, concertmaster
Iuliia Kuzmina, assoc. concertmaster
Yuan Tian, asst. concertmaster
Zi Wang
Irina Rostomashvili
Taisiya Losmakova
Samuel Allan-Chapkovski
Suhan Liang
Minghao Zhu
Sofia Solomyanskaya
Alexander Covelli
Juan Yanez
J Pelton
Eunice China
Kyungmin Kim

Violin II

Andrew Stump, principal
Abigail Dickson, assoc. principal
Sherry Chen, asst. principal
Kyle Stevens
Ryujin Jensen
Yucheng Liao
Katherine Lebedev
Congling Chen
Esmeralda Lastra
Linda Askenazi Mochon
Alysha Delgado
Alyssa Symmonds
Nicholas Sontag

Viola

Adam Brotnitsky, principal
Jasmine Harris, assoc. principal
Arik Anderson, asst. principal
Meghan Holman
Tara Pilato
AJ Stacy
Shannon Merlino

Cello

Leigh Brown, co-principal
Brannon Rovins, co-principal
Samuel Divirgilio, assoc. principal
Lily Eckman
Max Culp
Alfonso Gutierrez
Marcela Reina
Chloe Kranz
Gevon Goddard
Lily Perrotta
Alison Park
Samay Ruparelia
Yohanna Heyer
Jonah Rose

Double Bass

Jia Binder, principal
Mohan Bellamkonda, assoc. principal
Daniel Virgen, asst. principal
Sophia Kelsall

Flute

Samantha Humen
Nicole Hom
Malinda Lisette
Anabel Torres

Piccolo

Anabel Torres

Oboe

Kay Meyer
Eleanor Rasmussen
Amanda Rearden

Clarinet

Wendy Bickford
Anthony Bithell
Sihan Chen
Antonello DiMatteo

Bassoon

Rick Barrantes
Adam Kraynak
Joshua Schairer

Contrabassoon

Joshua Schairer

Horn

Hanna Eide
Olivia Martinez
Aidan Lewis
Amanda Staab
Jordan Spivack

Harp

Tina Zhang

Percussion

Scott Breadman
Garrett Davis
YoungGwang Hwang
Alvin Macesaro
Milo Paperman
Alex Snelling
Yeonju You

Temple University Jazz Band

Saxophone

Christian Ertl
Adam Abrams
Evan Kappelman
Jason Blythe
Zachary Spondike

Trumpet

John Brunozzi
Nick Dugo
Andrew Esch
Banks Sapnar

Trombone

Drew Sedlacsik
Laura Orzehoski
Michael Kaplan
John Kim, bass

Rhythm

Anthony Aldissi, piano
Mike Raymond, guitar
Dan McCain, bass
Maria Marmarou, drums

Recorded April 18, 2023 at Temple Performing Arts Center, Philadelphia, PA

Executive Producers: Robert Stroker, David Pasbrig
Recording Engineers: David Pasbrig, John Harris
Assistant Engineers: Nick Kruse, Isaac Kraus, Jack Maynard, Luke Kiernan
Mixing Engineer: David Pasbrig
Mastering: David Glasser (Labyrinth, Red Braid) and Bob Katz (Rainforests)
Design: Pao Navarro