THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Music presents
Jazz Ensemble I
Leon Anderson, Jr., Director
with special guests
Nestor
Torres, Flute
Corey Allen, Composer
Thursday, October 17, 2024
7:30 p.m. | Opperman Music Hall
To Ensure An Enjoyable Concert Experience For All…
Please refrain from talking, entering, or exiting during performances. Food and drink are prohibited in all concert halls. Recording or broadcasting of the concert by any means, including the use of digital cameras, cell phones, or other devices is expressly forbidden. Please deactivate all portable electronic devices including watches, cell phones, pagers, hand-held gaming devices or other electronic equipment that may distract the audience or performers.
Recording Notice: This performance may be recorded. Please note that members of the audience may at times be included in this process. By attending this performance you consent to have your image or likeness appear in any live or recorded video or other transmission or reproduction made in conjunction to the performance.
Florida State University provides accommodations for persons with disabilities. Please notify the College of Music at (850) 644-3424 at least five working days prior to a musical event to request accommodation for disability or alternative program format.
PROGRAM
Soft Lights, Sweet Music
Caravan
Come Fly With Me
In a Sentimental Mood
Esperança
Sarah Langdon, soprano; Cassandra Cruz, alto Jackson Roberts, tenor; Victor Angel, bass
Eden Rewa and Christopher Wheaton, violin
Mary Boulo, viola; Jadan Sanzo, cello
Irving Berlin arr. Michael Abene
Duke Ellington arr. Alan Glasscock
Jimmy Van Heusen arr. Corey Allen
Duke Ellington arr. Corey Allen
Vince Mendoza arr. Corey Allen
Avalon
Al Jonson arr. Bill Holman
INTERMISSION
Dominican Suite
Merengue
Bolero
Salve
Preludio y Mangulina
Corey Allen
Cada Dia Corey Allen
Eden Rewa, Samuel Brewer, Christopher Wheaton, Tori Joyce and Carlos Cordero Mendez, violin; Mary Boulo, viola
Jaden Sanzo and Alexandria Yarusso, cello; Mordecai Elazar, 12 string guitar
Once Upon a Time in Santo Domingo
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Corey Allen
Harold Arlen (as performed by Nestor Torres) arr. Gary Lindsay
Professor of Jazz Studies Leon Anderson, Jr., joined the Florida State University faculty in 1998. His musical experience includes that of a classical and jazz percussionist, educator, clinician, and composer. Anderson earned the B.A. degree in Music Education at Louisiana Tech University and the M.A. degree in Percussion Performance at Southeastern Louisiana University. His mentors have included Ellis Marsalis, Willis Delony, and Victor Goines of the New Orleans jazz scene, as well as the late bassist Ben Tucker. Anderson currently teaches drum set, jazz ensembles, jazz combo, and jazz history at the FSU College of Music.
In 1997 Anderson was a featured soloist with The Marcus Roberts Trio’s performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl and he was the selected drummer for the “Great Saxophone Legends” concert at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, featuring Jimmy Heath, David Sanchez, Javon Jackson and Red Holloway.
Anderson also has performed with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in roles of drummer and percussionist. Additionally, he has performed with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra with the Ellis Marsalis Trio; National Orchestra de France with the Marcus Roberts Trio conducted by Seiji Ozawa; Umbria Jazz Festival, Perugia Italy; Ingolstadt Jazztage in Ingolstadt Bavaria; Switzerland Jazz Festival in Basel, Switzerland; North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and Ascona Jazz Festival in Ascona, Switzerland.
His professional recordings include Victor Goines’ Joe’s Blues (1998), Marcus Roberts’ Cole After Midnight Vol. 1 (1998); To Those We Love So Dearly (1999) with Victor Goines; Sunrise to Midnight (2000) The Victor Goines Quartet; Five By Design’s Club Swing (2001); Richie Summa’s Tear It Down (2001); Etienne Charles’ Culture Shock (2006); David Detweiler’s New York Stories (2009); Melvin Jones’ (Grammy nominated) Pivot, (2011); Larry Panella’s The Gestures Project (2012); and Joy Road Vol. 2 (The Complete Works of Pepper Adams) with the Kevin Bales Quartet (2017).
His professional collaborations include performances with numerous artists: David Sanchez, Red Holloway, Donald Brown, Wynton Marsalis, Mike Wolf, Nathen Page, Allan Harris, Stephanie Nakasien, Phyllis Hyman, Barry Greene, Dianne Reeves, Harold Baptiste, Donald Harrison, Mary Stallings, Judy Collins, Wessell Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, Kent Jordan, Oliver Lake, James Moody, Deborah Brown, Rufus Reid, Henry Mancini, Art Farmer, Jason Marsalis, Eric Reed, Sean Jones, Oliver Lake, Delfeayo Marsalis, Victor Goines, Ellis Marsalis, Lou Donaldson, Hank Jones, Ben Tucker, Terence Blanchard, Bunky Greene, Carmen Bradford, Byron Stripling, Jon Faddis, Rodney Whitaker, Terrell Stafford, Marcus Printup, Larry Panella, Melvin Jones, Mace Hibbard, Gary Motley, Nicholas Payton, Alvin Batiste, and many others.
Anderson has also performed at the International Association of Jazz Education Conference with Bunky Green, Ellis Marsalis and the New Orleans Jazz All-Stars, and has served as an artist/clinician for several jazz festivals in the United States, including the Bill Evans Jazz Festival; Savannah Music Festival (Swing Central Jazz); Loyola University (New Orleans) Jazz Festival; Governor’s Honors Jazz Camp; Broward County All-City Jazz Ensemble; “Jazz in the Schools” program in Jacksonville, FL; Florida Music Educators All-State Jazz Ensemble; Louisiana Music Educators All-State Jazz Ensemble, and numerous All-County Jazz Ensembles throughout the state of Florida.
Anderson has also been featured in a review of the jazz composition “Afro Blue” for the text Teaching Music Through Jazz (December, 2007) and an article entitled “JazzEd Scene” by Steve MacQueen, published in Research and Review (Vol. XIV, No. III, Fall, 2004). He also occupies the drum chair in The Jazz Orchestra at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Florida.
At FSU, Anderson continues to implement innovative ways in an effort to enhance and expand the Jazz Program. Since its inception, the program has grown exponentially and yielded numerous successful students, many of whom have solidified careers nationally in Jazz performance and education.
ABOUT THE GUEST ARTISTS
Standing on the shoulders of flute giants from worlds as diverse as Rampal & Galway in Classical Music; Richard Egues’ Cuban Charanga style; rocker Ian Anderson’s Jethro Tull; Herbie Mann and – most influential of all – Hubert Laws as pioneers of Jazz Flute, Latin Grammy Award winning Nestor Torres’ rhythmic and mellifluous flute sound remains apart in a class all by itself. His 14 recordings as a soloist; 4 Latin Grammy nominations, one Grammy nomination and one Latin Grammy Award; collaborations with diverse artists such as Gloria Estefan, Kenny Loggins, Dave Mathews, Herbie Hancock, Tito Puente, Michael Camilo, Paquito D’ Rivera and Arturo Sandoval; as well as performances with the Cleveland, Singapore, and New World Symphony Orchestras among many others, are testament to the remarkable journey of an Artist who continues to grow and enrich the lives of those who experience his talents.
Born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Torres moved to New York City, where he pursued Classical flute studies at Mannes School of Music, Jazz at Berklee College of Music, and Classical and Jazz at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. During that time he also learned to improvise in the “Charanga” Cuban Dance Music style, which helped shape and develop his melodic and danceable sound.
His CD This Side of Paradise won the Latin Grammy award in the Pop instrumental category, scheduled to be presented on September 11, 2001. This great achievement – and its timing – proved to be a major turning point for Torres.
Since then, Torres has focused on transcending his role as a jazz flautist to that of an agent of change through crossover multi-media productions, compositions and performances. To that effect, his compositions Successors, Marta y Maria and Disarmament Suite (commissioned by the Miami Children’s Chorus, St. Martha-Yamaha Concert Series, and ICAP – International Committee of Artists for Peace – respectively), are variations on Torres’ multi-cultural fusion sounds as expressions of today’s world. Then again, Nestor’s music has always been about that: a crossover fusion of Latin, Classical, Jazz, and Pop sounds. Rich and engaging, complex and exuberant, profound yet accessible. In addition to his achievements in the studio and on the stage, Torres is also the recipient of many awards, including two honorary doctorate degrees from Barry University and Carlos Albizu University, for his commitment to youth, education and cultural exchanges.
As a producer, performer, composer, and arranger, Corey Allen has worked in genres as diverse as Jazz, R&B, Latin, film scores, classical, house, pop, gospel, fusion and musical theater.
He has collaborated with celebrities and jazz greats including The Manhattan Transfer, Dianne Reeves, Chuck Mangione, David Sanchez, Doc Severinsen, Lou Rawls, Carol Welsman, Arif Mardin, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Kevin Mahogany, Bruce Vilanch, Kim Bassinger, Kenny Barron, James Moody, Ken Peplowsky, Frank Gambale, Dave Koz, Bill Holman, Bob Berg, Eric Gale, John Patitucci, Wallace Roney, Brian Bromberg, Jack Sheldon, Lewis Nash, Alex Acuna, Grant Geissman, Scott Bacula, Airto Moreira, Arthur Fiedler, Max Morath, Keely Smith, Lainie Kazan among many others.
Allen’s vocal arrangements have been recorded by The Manhattan Transfer with the Cincinnati Pops and with the City of Prague Symphony Orchestra; M-Pact (US), Suite Voice (Japan), Vocalese (Spain) and the vocalists Anthony Jefferson, Bobby Caldwell, Jimmy Demers, Tim Hauser, and Kevin Mahogany, to name just a few. Many of his vocal arrangements are published by Sound Music Publications.
His discography of 125 recordings includes eleven CDs he produced for Manhattan Transfer soprano, Cheryl Bentyne. Among the highlights are: Something Cool for Columbia records, The Book of Love for the Telarc label and Moonlight Serenade for King Records (featuring a vocal über group consisting of members of Take 6, The Manhattan Transfer, and Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra. Allen released a solo CD, My Romance – an Homage to Bill Evans for King Records in October of 2022, and a new recording – The Dominican Suite – featuring flautist Nestor Torres.
His film and television credits include the film Live Nude Girls starring Dana Delaney and Kim Cattrall. He wrote music for the Showtime film Noriega: God’s Favorite starring Bob Hoskins, for the Biography Channel presentation Carmen Miranda - The South American Way and contributed music to the film Just Cause starring Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne. Allen composed the soundtracks for the documentary films The Powder And The Glory about cosmetics industry pioneers Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, and Stolen Basses, a film about the lowest level of baseball’s farm system. Allen has also composed and arranged music for several American late-night television talk shows.
In live theater, Allen received the “Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Award” for outstanding musical direction for Niteclub Confidential. He was the musical director for the Boston, Saint Louis, Atlantic City, Monte Carlo, and touring productions of the successful revue, The All-Nite Strut.
As a conductor Allen has conducted the Saint Louis Symphony Pops Orchestra, The City of Prague Symphony and countless studio and pit orchestras from Los Angeles to Monte Carlo.
Equally at home at the piano and electronic keyboards, Allen has recorded 21 albums of jazz “standards” for the PianoDisk company and three solo piano albums for the Yamaha Disklavier library and a digital version of his own solo CD, My Romance.
Allen (with Kevin Axt and Dave Tull) is a founding member of the “LA Jazz Trio.” The trio recorded 101 “standards” from the “Great American Songbook” for King Records and has released two CDs in Japan and Korea under its own name and appears on several compilation recordings. The trio was also the regular trio for Chuck Mangione, Kevin Mahogany, Cheryl Bentyne, and recorded with James Moody, Richie Cole, Ken Peplowski among others.
Allen is currently the Academic Director at the Escuela Internacional de MĂşsica Contemporánea, at the National University, Pedro HenrĂquez Ureña (UNPHU) in the Dominican Republic. He taught at the Berklee College of Music from 1980 to 1985 and again from 2002 – 2004. He has given master classes in music theory and arranging at the The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, the University of Oregon, Milligan College, the University of Maine, Florida State University, the Conservatoire de Lausanne, Switzerland and the Hochschule fĂĽr Musik in Aachen, Hannover and Hamburg, Germany.
In 2010 Allen was a cultural envoy to the Dominican Republic. In the same year he began his association with the Jazzaar Festival in Aargau, Switzerland as a guest artist and mentor.
He continues his association with Jazzaar and the Swiss Youth Jazz Orchestra as an arranger.
Allen has authored nine books. Arranging In The Digital World, published by Berklee Press (now out of print.) Collectively his books The Voice of the Arranger parts 1 – 4 and Harmony – A New Approach for the Creative Contemporary Musician parts 1 – 4, form the curricula of the arranging and applied theory programs at UNPHU.
Between 2020 and 2022, Allen produced records for artists in the United States, Germany, and the Dominican Republic; composed his Symphony of Four Poets, and the Dominican Suite for flute soloist and big band. The Dominican Suite was premiered on February 24, 2022 at the Hochschule fĂĽr Musik und Theater (Hamburg) with Fiete Felsch as flute soloist. It received its Dominican debut in Santo Domingo in April of 2023 at the Conference of Latin American Schools of Music with Nestor Torres as soloist. In 2023, Allen was commissioned by the Orquestra SinfĂ´nica Brasileira in Rio De Janeiro, to compose a cello concerto which will be premiered in 2025. He is currently working on a large-scale work for chorus and orchestra.
Saxophone
Tyler Pauletti, alto*
Carter Hetz, alto
Aidan May, tenor
Owen Robinson, tenor
Branton Rosemann, tenor
Joshua Spraker, baritone
Jazz Ensemble I Personnel
Leon Anderson, Director
Trumpet
Christopher Goldwire*
Roman Ullian
Isaac Hernandez
Sebastian Gonzalez
Nelson Keakopa-Udofia
Trombone
Steven Blake*
Zach Urbine
August Romaine
Brent Creekmore, bass
Rhythm
Blake Dwelle, piano
Asher Pereira, piano
Ari Pereira, guitar
Andres Aybar, bass
Jacob Mobley, percussion
Alex Bonahue, percussion
Lawrence Turner, drums
John Gonzalez, drums