One of my friends and fellow York Undergrad Alumni Jason
Stillman showcased his composition and saxophone chops while performing as part
of his doctorate studies at the University of Toronto one fine Saturday
afternoon.
His recital showcased two ensembles that primarily performed
a bulk of his original compositions and arrangements of two standard
tunes. The first band, a quartet
comprised of pianist Noam Lemish, bassist Alex Lakusta and drummer Evan
Cartwright gave the perfect foil for Jason Stillman to showcase his talents as
an alto sax stylist.
In the quartet set, things start of modern through a reading
of Jason Stillman’s
“Hurry Up and Wait”. The performance
married forward thing jazz with intense melodicism that brings a certain
element of swing through its rhythmic shifts and turns. “Tribute” is a composition in 5/4 that
starts of as a peaceful ballad but then builds up in intensity until it reaches
to a heightened climax.
Jason’s Reading of “Prelude to a Kiss” evoked elements of
the great Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter through a respectful and highly
involved reading of the piece that evoked romantic emotions throughout the
piece. “Dizzy Atmosphere”, a Dizzy
Gillespie standard, brought the roots of swing and bebop into an otherwise
modern affair for the recital, giving a moment to allow the members of the
quartet to stretch out and have some playful fun on a very playful piece.
For the last three tunes, Jason performed all original
compositions arranged for a University of Toronto 12tet that comprised of two
trumpets, two trombones, two saxes, vibes, guitar, piano, bass and drums. In this section I heard the various colours
and textures that give a new dimension to Jason’s pieces and thus shows his
strengths as a great arranger in addition to composing. The first song, “Tomorrow Maybe” starts off
in 5/4 with its ornamental arrangements but then it shifts into 4/4 swing. Jason solo’s very effectively and very
forward thinking in the piece and Mike McCormick’s guitar solo is very mellow
and soft toned like a well oiled Jim Hall.
The highlight of the 12tet piece would have to be “Ulysses”,
a composition that Jason Stillman plans to “retire” after this performance. I hope he doesn’t because it happens to be
one of his best and strongest compositions and hearing it arranged for a bigger
band showcases a whole lot of colour and nuances in the piece. It also featured a fine solo by Noam Lemish
and it was a swinging take on playing in ¾ time.
The 12tet closes the afternoon with a great reading of
“Quartet Blues” which is a modern way of taking the blues structure and making
it one’s own.
Jason Stillman has come a long way from when I first met him
at York University to pursuing a doctorate in music. He is a fine musician, composer and arranger
and what he displayed that afternoon shows continual career evolution and
progress that he can forever take with him in various musical situations.
JASON STILLMAN OFFICIAL WEB SITE
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