Artist's Statement

Artist’s Statement I long envied and admired jazz musicians, and always wished I could be one. You wouldn’t believe the number of pianist friends who have told me, “Oh, I can teach you to play jazz!”

But it doesn’t work that way.

Jazz improvisers are very different animals, with a demanding lifelong discipline of their own.

With this project I’ve delighted in the opportunity to put my love of jazz right under my own fingers, and to experience the richness and surprise of what these 6 extraordinary composer/improvisers chose to express in a fully-notated “concert” piece.

I’ve also thrilled at the opportunity to perform the complete “set” in some beautiful jazz clubs as well as concert halls. Two sets on an evening? ...I’ve never done that...but sure! And as my husband says, doesn’t everything sound better with a martini? [for the listener, not for me] The project has been about entering a space between two musical worlds that to me seem thoroughly aligned spiritually, but regrettably divided by genre labels. Why do they draw such separate fan bases and play such different venues?

As a longtime inhabitant of the "contemporary classical” realm, it seems to me that it and “jazz” are two of the most esoteric, misunderstood, under-appreciated of all Western musical styles.

I’m hooked on both. Their shared ethic of exploration and experimentation feels like home to me.

These six pieces ignore musical labels. I hope they will appeal to any and all adventurous listeners.

I’m also excited to have the recording on Biophilia Records, a label that’s well known to jazz fans.

What was the genesis of the project?

• The project is rooted in my lifelong awe for jazz musicians and their ability to compose, improvise, and perform (dazzlingly). I was curious to see what this group of six highly individual composer/improvisers might choose to express in a fully-notated piano piece.

• Also, at UCLA where I teach contemporary music classes (not piano), a biannual band of brilliant Masters students from the Herbie Hancock Institute comes through my graduate seminar. The interactions with my “classical” grad students always reflects deep mutual admiration. But they size each other up from opposite sides of the room, clearly thinking of each other as utterly alien creatures.

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I wanted to find my own way into that gap and see what was there to discover and share.

How were the composers chosen?

• James Newton is a close friend and UCLA colleague. I’ve recorded and frequently performed his music, and loved having the jazz elements of it under my fingers. I decided to commission another piece from him, and to tap him to help me choose 5 other composers.

• A 6-composer project felt right to me, as with MONTAGE: Great Film Composers and the Piano.

What's the significance of the title, and how is that theme reflected in the album?

• I named my Root Progressions commissioning project in acknowledgement of jazz as the original American music, as well as referencing an elementary jazz practice method.

• All of the composers on this album spoke of their indebtedness to Monk, Ellington, Cecil Taylor, Geri Allen, as well as to the classical composers who inspired their pieces, such as Dutilleux and Ravel in James’s case.

• I was struck at how each and every one of them thought to openly honor the past, cite their influences, and see themselves as part of a tradition.

How does this project manifest your identity and interests as a pianist?

• I’ve always envied jazz pianists, always wished I could be one, or at least have the ability to do what I do and improvise on a standard. This put me a little closer to that world.

What are your aspirations for this project with respect to the contemporary piano repertoire?

• I'm always am thrilled when pieces I’ve commissioned find a place in other pianists’ program. I hope the same for these.