Oblivity

Some wonderful guitarists have come out of Pittsburgh, including Shawn Purcell. Shawn studied in the prestigious guitar program at Duquesne University and went on to serve his country as an Air Force musician in some of the top military bands. Before his retirement from the military, he was stationed near Washington DC. Now, a first-call guitarist in the Washington-metro area who has just released a new album Oblivity.

JB: Your group is all fine musicians. Are they players that you regularly perform with?

SP: This exact lineup hadn't played together as a unit before, but over the years everybody has played together in various settings. Darden and I have been collaborating musically throughout our entire relationship and marriage. It's a rare and rewarding experience to share both life and music like this, and I consider myself very fortunate that we get to do it regularly.

I've been collaborating with Ben Patterson since we met as members of the Air Force "Airmen of Note" jazz ensemble in Washington, DC. He is a killer trombonist and an outstanding composer and arranger. I first worked with Steve Fidyk on Ben's first small group record, The Prowl. Before joining the jazz faculty at George Mason University, I taught at Towson University 2013-2015. That's when I met bassist Jeff Reed. Chris Ziemba and I first worked together on Ben's Origin Records debut album, Push the Limits.


Walt Weiskopf was the only musician I hadn't worked with. He's been a musical hero of mine for many years, but we met for the first time in the studio on day one of recording. To put into perspective how incredible these musicians are, we had only a three-hour rehearsal before heading into the studio.

JB: The album is entirely original compositions by you. Are they songs written specifically for this project?

SP: Great question! I typically write more when I have a specific project in mind—deadlines tend to spark inspiration and creativity for me. Several of the tunes on Oblivity were written for another project—a group Ben and I formed over a year ago that featured Darden on vocals. I composed "Quiet the Chaos," "Meu Amor," "Primaries and Spares," and "Flow" for that band.

Once I decided to record another album under my own name, I shifted gears and began writing explicitly for Oblivity. "Oblivity," "Verdigris," "Gentle Giant," and "Move the Needle" were all composed with this record in mind. "Lazy Day Reverie" goes back to 2009-ish, when Darden and I were doing our doctorates at the University of Illinois, and I composed "Sunday Best" in 2020.


JB: The album opens with the title track, "Oblivity." It's a great tune and has a little of the vibe of Larry Coryell's "Foreplay" that opens his 1972 album Offering. Anything intentional there?

SP: Thanks! Wow—I hadn't heard "Foreplay" before this, so there was nothing intentional in the composition. The intro for "Oblivity" actually comes from harmonic motion I hear a lot in modern jazz piano from players like Kenny Kirkland and Joey Calderazzo. But, your observation is spot on, Joe! The initial four-chord, intervallic motion in "Oblivity" is very similar to what Coryell uses in "Foreplay," where that sequence forms the harmonic basis for the entire tune. I'm definitely going to check out the entire Offering album!

JB: I like the meter things going on in "Quiet the Chaos."

SP: Thanks, Joe! "Quiet the Chaos," which is anything but quiet, is a contrafact on the great George Gershwin tune, "Summertime." I also wrote a bass vamp for the intro, which reappears as an interlude between solos. It's a half-step above the key of the tune, which adds some harmonic tension and helps disguise the source material a bit.

The piece is mostly in 5/4, but the last five measures toggle time signatures: three bars of 6/4, one bar of 5/4, and a final bar of 6/4. That shift made musical sense to support the shape of the melody, but I didn't want to torment the soloists too much (especially me!), so I kept the solo section strictly in 5/4 time. 5/4 is already a bit of a challenge for me, and staying put during the solo section makes navigating the tune a little less perilous.

JB: "Verdigris" is a word not in everyone's vocabulary. What is it in the music that brings this title to mind?


SP: Verdigris is "a specific type of patina, primarily seen on copper, brass, and bronze, characterized by its bluish-green hue." The idea of this tune came to me as I was waiting for a medical appointment. The thought struck me: what if I wrote a contrafact on Bill Evans' "Blue in Green"? I also wanted something with an Afro-Cuban feel on the record, so I literally jotted down on my to-do list: "compose 'Blue in Green' contrafact with Afro-Cuban feel" (laughs).

Later that day, I wrote the melody and also composed the vamp that you hear as the intro and interlude. The vamp didn't quite flow harmonically with the rest of the tune, so I composed an additional four-bar section—not related to Evans' changes—that serves as a bridge from the melody back into the vamp. Interestingly, the vamp became an integral part of the form.

Darden's opening vocal was very intentional—a haunting, a cappella take on the vamp's minor pentatonic melody, like a voice from the past or a dream. Dave Darlington drenched it in reverb to heighten that ghostly feel, and that nailed exactly what I was hearing.

JB: Talk about how you came up with the funky "Primaries and Spares."

SP: I admit it - I really enjoy writing tunes inspired by our cats that we have at home! This one's inspired by our incredibly chatty and affectionate cat, Clifford Angus. He's named after trumpet icon Clifford Brown and AC/DC guitarist Angus Young. It's said that cats have a "primary" human and a "spare" human—I'm definitely the primary. (laughs)

Musically, I was trying to channel a John Scofield meets Eddie Harris feel. Sco's Blue Note records from the early '90s were a huge influence on me, and I wanted to tap into that energy. While I'm primarily a jazz guitarist, my early influences were all rock and heavy metal! I love Sco's use of overdrive and the "warbly" chorus sound he uses to mimic the sound of a Hammond B3. I used a similar approach with the addition of a subtle octave-up effect to give the guitar a jazz-meets-rock edge. The Fender Rhodes electric piano complements the tune beautifully, and one of my favorite moments is the addition of the tambourine underneath the trading between guitar and Rhodes. It gives that section an unexpected party vibe that I really dig.

JB: "Gentle Giant" is a beautiful ballad. Tell me about it.

SP: Thanks! This is another "cat song"—written for our cat, Whitley. He's a big boy, but with a gentle demeanor, so we call him our gentle giant. For jazz musicians, the word "giant" typically brings to mind John Coltrane's legendary "Giant Steps." My compositional process typically begins with writing the chord progression, followed by the melody. With "Gentle Giant," I wanted to pay homage to the harmonic movement in Coltrane's tune, so the key centers shift in major and minor thirds.

Whereas "Giant Steps" moves through three key centers, "Gentle Giant" cycles through eight—so I guess it's nearly three times as challenging! (laughs) The melody draws heavily on the idea of upper-structure triads, a sound that musicians like Walt Weiskopf and guitarist Peter Bernstein often use in their own playing and writing.

JB: I can't ask about every song. Let me ask about one more. What is behind the gospel feel of "Sunday Best?"

SP: "Sunday Best" was originally slated for inclusion on 180 (Origin Records), but I ended up with more material than I could fit. I've played it on gigs for the past few years—it's just one of those tunes that's always easy and fun to play.

When it came time to record Oblivity, I needed something in 3/4, and this one fit the bill perfectly. The version on the record came out a bit more aggressive and hard-bop flavored than I initially imagined, but it still holds onto that gospel-influenced vibe. The rhythm section really drives this one—serious pocket.

JB: Bassist Jeff Reed and drummer Steve Fidyk play superbly. What do you appreciate most about these two musicians as your rhythm section?

SP: Steve is one of the best drummers on the planet. I've been fortunate to play on both of his Posi-Tone Records releases—Head's Up and Allied Forces. What always amazes me is how he plays exactly what you'd hope for in every moment. I'd suggest zeroing in on Steve's playing on "Flow." You could take everything else out, and his performance would still be captivating.

Jeff appeared on Darden's latest album, Love's Got Me in a Lazy Mood (OA2 Records). His quarter-note feel is rock solid, but he's also a creative soloist. His solo on "Gentle Giant" is a real highlight for me, and what he does behind the soloists on "Sunday Best" elevates the whole track. I don't think Steve and Jeff had ever played together before this session, but you'd never know it. The way they locked in together was seamless—one of those times when the chemistry just clicked.

JB: Talk about your musical relationship with pianist Chris Ziemba.

SP: Chris is currently the pianist with the Air Force's jazz ensemble, the "Airmen of Note"—a group I had the privilege of performing with for nearly eight years. So, there's a shared lineage there. Chris is a world-class soloist, but what really stands out to me is his comping. When he's playing behind a soloist, he's not just providing harmonic support—he's actively shaping the solo in real time. It's very conversational. One particular example is 4:10 on "Quiet the Chaos," at the beginning of Walt's solo. What Chris plays in those initial 10-15 seconds floors me. And of course, when it is his time to step forward, he brings something really special. His solo on "Verdigris" is next level!

JB: Being a huge Steely Dan and Donald Fagen fan, I've enjoyed the playing of saxophonist Walt Weiskopf many times. What do you appreciate about his playing?

SP: The first record that turned me on to Walt's playing was Simplicity, and then I discovered A World Away while diving into Peter Bernstein's music. His album Song for My Mother was the one that really made me hear how beautiful his writing is.

His book Intervallic Improvisation - The Modern Sound: A Step Beyond Linear Improvisation had a huge impact on me during my formative years. It introduced me to the sound of triad pairs and upper structure triads—concepts that have become a big part of how I approach composition, and ones I'm still working to use more effectively in my solos. Having Walt as a guest artist on Oblivity was an incredible honor. His sound is unique and instantly recognizable, and he is a true jazz master in every sense.


JB: Your wife, Darden Purcell, is a wonderful singer. What does her vocalese bring to the sound?

SP: Thank you, Joe! Darden is an incredible jazz vocalist, and her voice fits beautifully with the vocalese writing I love to explore. I'm a huge admirer of trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, especially his work on Music for Large & Small Ensembles. The writing on that album is just otherworldly, and Norma Winstone's vocals are a major part of that magic, as is Darden here. What I find so compelling is his treatment of the voice as an instrumental color—another element in the ensemble's sonic palette rather than the traditional role of lead soloist. That approach really resonates with me. Darden also happens to be a fan of Norma Winstone, so it was a natural fit.

On Oblivity, Darden adds a unique warmth and depth that really complements the rest of the band. Her singing on "Quiet the Chaos" and "Lazy Day Reverie" are particular standouts for me—she captures perfectly the sound of what I was going for on those tunes, and "Meu Amor" is perhaps my favorite tune on the record! Darden sounds amazing on this track!