Shifty Paradigms

Years ago, you may have found a young Dave Slonaker hunched over books and piles of music sheets at Pittsburg's Carnegie Library, researching the nuts and bolts of how big band music is created. His fascination developed when he was just a teenager and has continued for decades.

Today, Slonaker heads a 15-year-old Grammy nominated ensemble and is a busy orchestrator, arranger and composer for film and television. This big band features some of the crème de la crème of Los Angeles studio musicians. This is Slonaker's third album for Origin Records.

They blast out of my CD player with an opening tune called "Dash Cam" that swings across my listening room with high energy, featuring Ida Meshulam on valve trombone and Tom Luer on tenor saxophone. Dave Slonaker references driving in L.A. as an inspiration for this tune.

"Everyone in L.A. seems to have dash cams. Some like to upload videos of bad drivers on social media. So, imagine that we begin our drive on a Los Angeles freeway ... will we make it home safely?" Dave Slonaker questions, weaving LA bumper-to-bumper traffic into his arrangement.

I haven't heard the familiar "Bye Bye Blues" in quite a while. The arrangement pleasantly surprised me. Slonaker starts the tune as a jazz waltz to feature Adam Schroeder on baritone saxophone, then pushes the piece forward, into a straight-ahead, up-tempo groove for Ron Stout's trumpet to dance upon. Peter Erskine's drums propel the music forward relentlessly. This is the only 'cover' tune on Slonaker's big band album. He has composed and arranged all the other tunes.

"We all leave home at some point in our lives to seek adventure. Sometimes we can go home again, but we are not always the same when we return. "Comin' Home" with changeable, intense grooves and solos by Brian Scanlon and Andy Waddell, explores our journey," Slonaker writes in his liner notes.

The "Blue Windows" arrangement reflects a thick, dark mood, sounding ominous (like a movie soundtrack) until Bob Sheppard enters on soprano saxophone to brighten the mood. Edwin Livingston's bass skips along and supports the groove in the rhythm section. There is a brief pause of silence, then Livingston takes an impressive bass solo. The title tune transports us to a Latin inspired arrangement. Brian Kilgore's congas are dominant and enchanting.

Every original Slonaker tune is a sparkling gem arranged inside this big band's musical necklace. Every player is excellent and dynamic in their own unique way. Together, they have created an album of great integrity, vibrant energy and beauty.