MUSIC REVIEW BY Thierry De Clemensat, Paris-Move
5 STARS
If, from the opening moments of this album, you sense a faintly cinematic and slightly mysterious atmosphere in Dave Slonaker's music, it is probably rooted in a fascination that took hold early in his life: the sound world of great orchestras. As a teenager, that curiosity led him to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where he immersed himself in the mechanics of orchestration and large-scale composition. Decades later, Slonaker has become a seasoned orchestrator, arranger, and composer for film and television. For the past fifteen years, he has also used his own Grammy-nominated ensemble, made up of some of Los Angeles's finest jazz and studio musicians, as a laboratory in which to refine and expand his musical language and aesthetic vision.
What is most striking here is the sense of scale. What might initially be perceived as a big band project gradually reveals itself as something approaching a symphonic orchestra in intent, if not in strict form. This is a testament to Slonaker's rare command as both composer and arranger. Origin Records once again delivers a deeply impressive release.
The United States is home to countless big bands, many of them bursting with imagination and technical prowess, yet Slonaker's work stands apart precisely because of the path he has taken to get here. Looking back at his career as an orchestrator, arranger, and composer for film and television helps explain the breadth of his musical thinking. He has worked alongside a wide range of Hollywood composers, including John Addison, David Bell, Steve Bramson, Bruce Broughton, Danny Elfman, Joel McNeely, Alan Silvestri, Larry Rosenthal, and many others. His film credits include orchestration for major productions such as Oz the Great and Powerful, Alice in Wonderland, Spider-Man, and Air Force One. His work for television and animation is equally extensive, with contributions to series like JAG, Murder, She Wrote, and Tiny Toon Adventures.
All of these experiences, absorbed over years of serving other people's narratives, have shaped Slonaker's own musical voice. What emerges most clearly in his music is a heightened sense of dramaturgy, pushed almost to its limits. Having spent so much time supporting the stories of others, Slonaker has developed a narrative instinct that is unmistakably his own. Nothing is left to chance. He maintains total control over the ensemble, from the smallest instrumental detail to the overarching compositional arc. There is something quietly mesmerizing in the way he introduces instrumental solos, allows them to bloom, and then lets them recede as if by sleight of hand. These gestures feel effortless, but they are clearly the product of decades of experience. In this sense, the album functions as a kind of sound sculpture, carefully carved and balanced from beginning to end.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Slonaker received his first trombone from his father and began studying both trombone and piano at an early age. His deep engagement with classical music, jazz, and popular music is evident throughout this recording. It is worth noting, in passing, how often trombonists reveal themselves to be formidable composers, Michael Dease on Origin Records being a prime example. Slonaker, unsurprisingly, draws heavily on his classical training when shaping the brass sections, giving the album a distinctive and richly colored sonic identity.
The only artist who readily comes to mind as working in a similar vein is Henry Mancini. Revisiting Mancini's body of work, it becomes clear that Slonaker is, in many ways, following in the footsteps of that master composer, an especially delicate and demanding artistic lineage. In the end, Shifty Paradigms proves to be a genuine pleasure to hear, equally capable of satisfying listeners drawn to a more traditional conception of jazz and those who favor complexity, density, and structural ambition.
If, from the opening moments of this album, you sense a faintly cinematic and slightly mysterious atmosphere in Dave Slonaker's music, it is probably rooted in a fascination that took hold early in his life: the sound world of great orchestras. As a teenager, that curiosity led him to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where he immersed himself in the mechanics of orchestration and large-scale composition. Decades later, Slonaker has become a seasoned orchestrator, arranger, and composer for film and television. For the past fifteen years, he has also used his own Grammy-nominated ensemble, made up of some of Los Angeles's finest jazz and studio musicians, as a laboratory in which to refine and expand his musical language and aesthetic vision.
What is most striking here is the sense of scale. What might initially be perceived as a big band project gradually reveals itself as something approaching a symphonic orchestra in intent, if not in strict form. This is a testament to Slonaker's rare command as both composer and arranger. Origin Records once again delivers a deeply impressive release.
The United States is home to countless big bands, many of them bursting with imagination and technical prowess, yet Slonaker's work stands apart precisely because of the path he has taken to get here. Looking back at his career as an orchestrator, arranger, and composer for film and television helps explain the breadth of his musical thinking. He has worked alongside a wide range of Hollywood composers, including John Addison, David Bell, Steve Bramson, Bruce Broughton, Danny Elfman, Joel McNeely, Alan Silvestri, Larry Rosenthal, and many others. His film credits include orchestration for major productions such as Oz the Great and Powerful, Alice in Wonderland, Spider-Man, and Air Force One. His work for television and animation is equally extensive, with contributions to series like JAG, Murder, She Wrote, and Tiny Toon Adventures.
All of these experiences, absorbed over years of serving other people's narratives, have shaped Slonaker's own musical voice. What emerges most clearly in his music is a heightened sense of dramaturgy, pushed almost to its limits. Having spent so much time supporting the stories of others, Slonaker has developed a narrative instinct that is unmistakably his own. Nothing is left to chance. He maintains total control over the ensemble, from the smallest instrumental detail to the overarching compositional arc. There is something quietly mesmerizing in the way he introduces instrumental solos, allows them to bloom, and then lets them recede as if by sleight of hand. These gestures feel effortless, but they are clearly the product of decades of experience. In this sense, the album functions as a kind of sound sculpture, carefully carved and balanced from beginning to end.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Slonaker received his first trombone from his father and began studying both trombone and piano at an early age. His deep engagement with classical music, jazz, and popular music is evident throughout this recording. It is worth noting, in passing, how often trombonists reveal themselves to be formidable composers, Michael Dease on Origin Records being a prime example. Slonaker, unsurprisingly, draws heavily on his classical training when shaping the brass sections, giving the album a distinctive and richly colored sonic identity.
The only artist who readily comes to mind as working in a similar vein is Henry Mancini. Revisiting Mancini's body of work, it becomes clear that Slonaker is, in many ways, following in the footsteps of that master composer, an especially delicate and demanding artistic lineage. In the end, Shifty Paradigms proves to be a genuine pleasure to hear, equally capable of satisfying listeners drawn to a more traditional conception of jazz and those who favor complexity, density, and structural ambition.