Shifty Paradigms

Dave Slonaker's Shifty Paradigms finds the composer, arranger, and conductor leading his Los Angeles-based ensemble through a richly detailed program that reflects both his deep roots in big band tradition and his cinematic sensibilities shaped by decades in film scoring. Built largely around Slonaker's original compositions, with one classic standard woven into the set, the album leans toward forging new musical ground. The stellar saxophone section, featuring Bob Sheppard on alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, and flute; Brian Scanlon on alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, and clarinet; Rob Lockart on tenor saxophone and clarinet; Tom Luer on tenor saxophone and clarinet; and Adam Schroeder on baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, and flute, blends seamlessly with a commanding brass unit led by Wayne Bergeron on trumpet and flugelhorn, Dan Fornero on trumpet and flugelhorn, Clay Jenkins on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Ron Stout on trumpet and flugelhorn, alongside trombonists Alex Iles, Charlie Morillas, Ido Meshulam, and Bill Reichenbach on bass trombone and tuba. Anchoring the ensemble, Andy Waddell on guitar, Ed Czach on piano, Edwin Livingston on bass, Peter Erskine on drums, and Brian Kilgore on percussion provide the propulsion, reinforcing Slonaker's knack for writing music with a sense of narrative flow that keeps the listener absorbed from start to finish.