Alec Wilder Concert in Atlanta

[jeffcrom]

I will be producing a concert of Alec Wilder's music in Atlanta on Saturday, February 6. We'll be presenting a wide range of Wilder's music: some of his best pop songs (While We're Young, Blackberry Winter, Moon and Sand, I See It Now, etc.), a couple of his great classical pieces (the Clarinet Sonata and Air for Saxophone), and some instrumental jazz (Jazz Waltz for a Friend and Swing Music).

I'll be playing saxophone; other musicians will include the Atlanta swing quintet Standard Deviation, with vocalist Janna Nelson and Scott Hooker, an incredible pianist. Sandy Wade, who plays with the Columbus (Georgia) Symphony, will play the Clarinet Sonata. We'll be playing both more and less familiar Wilder pieces. For example, the piece called Swing Music that I mentioned above is from Wilder's score to The Sand Castle; I transcribed it from the soundtrack LP, and I strongly suspect that it has never been performed in person.

This is a more conservative musical endeavor than usual for me, but presenting this concert is something I've wanted to do for years. I love Wilder's music and have been planning this for a long time.

The concert will be at 8:00 PM at the First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta (The Old Stone Church) - 470 Candler Park Drive; ten bucks at the door. I'd love to see any Alec Wilder fans in the southeast on Feb. 6.

[Teasing the Korean]

I'm a big fan of Wilder. I'd love to find those early octet or whatever records. Are they on CD?

His song "Where Do You Go" on Sinatra's No One Cares is one of that album's highlights.

[marcello]

I knew Mr. Wilder a little primarily though his great friend, photographer Louis Ouzer.

Here's some photos by Lou, Wilder and Marian McPartland in front of his studio, which was next to the Eastman School of Music:

[AllenLowe]

I love the Octets and the Riverside album - I even included one Wilder on the blues anthology, a near-blues. Brilliant curmudgeon, and his book on American song is indispensable.

[Teasing the Korean]

...his book on American song is indispensable.

Agreed.

[jeffcrom]

I'm a big fan of Wilder. I'd love to find those early octet or whatever records. Are they on CD?

His song "Where Do You Go" on Sinatra's No One Cares is one of that album's highlights.

This CD has seven of the original octet recordings in addition to the six orchestral pieces (with solo instruments) that Sinatra conducts. Hopefully you can find it cheaper than these Amazon vendors if you look around.

[fasstrack]

I will be producing a concert of Alec Wilder's music in Atlanta on Saturday, February 6. We'll be presenting a wide range of Wilder's music: some of his best pop songs (While We're Young, Blackberry Winter, Moon and Sand, I See It Now, etc.), a couple of his great classical pieces (the Clarinet Sonata and Air for Saxophone), and some instrumental jazz (Jazz Waltz for a Friend and Swing Music).

I'll be playing saxophone; other musicians will include the Atlanta swing quintet Standard Deviation, with vocalist Janna Nelson and Scott Hooker, an incredible pianist. Sandy Wade, who plays with the Columbus (Georgia) Symphony, will play the Clarinet Sonata. We'll be playing both more and less familiar Wilder pieces. For example, the piece called Swing Music that I mentioned above is from Wilder's score to The Sand Castle; I transcribed it from the soundtrack LP, and I strongly suspect that it has never been performed in person.

This is a more conservative musical endeavor than usual for me, but presenting this concert is something I've wanted to do for years. I love Wilder's music and have been planning this for a long time.

The concert will be at 8:00 PM at the First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta (The Old Stone Church) - 470 Candler Park Drive; ten bucks at the door. I'd love to see any Alec Wilder fans in the southeast on Feb. 6.

I love Wilder's tunes, his orchestral pieces, and both American Song (though he gets on Gershwin's case too much for 'repeated notes') and the very candid Letters I Never Sent.

I'll tell you a story the late, great Bill Finegan told me about Wilder: I told Bill I went to a Ken Peplowski concert that featured works a lot of writers----a lot of work went into it and I think Peplowski's chops are still on the floor of Merkin Hall. Brave man, he. But the only piece I remembered, and that knocked me out, I said, was by Alec Wilder: Clarinet in Springtime. It was submitted to, and rejected by, Benny Goodman (who Wilder hilariously tweaked as having a 'bad ear' in 'Letters'). I was raving about the piece and Bill said he used to have Wilder's trunk in his home---Wilder, a notorious rambler and lover of trains---kept things with friends in NY. For some reason Bill found this score in there. Wilder evidently forgot about or lost track of it. He called Wilder and asked if he wanted it. Wilder said, yes, please send it. It might have remained in mothballs........

Anyone know if it was ever recorded?

Edited January 9, 2010 by fasstrack

[jeffcrom]

I'll tell you a story the late, great Bill Finegan told me about Wilder: I told Bill I went to a Ken Peplowski concert that featured works a lot of writers----a lot of work went into it and I think Peplowski's chops are still on the floor of Merkin Hall. Brave man, he. But the only piece I remembered, and that knocked me out, I said, was by Alec Wilder: Clarinet in Springtime. It was submitted to, and rejected by, Benny Goodman (who Wilder hilariously tweaked as having a 'bad ear' in 'Letters'). I was raving about the piece and Bill said he used to have Wilder's trunk in his home---Wilder, a notorious rambler and lover of trains---kept things with friends in NY. For some reason Bill found this score in there. Wilder evidently forgot about or lost track of it. He called Wilder and asked if he wanted it. Wilder said, yes, please send it. It might have remained in mothballs........

Anyone know if it was ever recorded?

I just checked my copy of Alec Wilder: a Bio-Bibliography by David Demsey and Ronald Prather. It lists all of Wilder's known pieces and recordings of them; it's pretty thorough up to 1993, when it was published. (Although I've come across a few recordings Demsey and Prather missed.) It lists "Clarinet in Springtime" as an unpublished manuscript written c. 1941 for Benny Goodman, but not recorded as of 1993. I would loved to have heard it.

[Guest Bill Barton]

My best wishes for a successful concert, jeffcrom!

Drat! Wish I could come... It's a bit of a truck from Seattle though.

Count me in as another avid Wilder fan. The series he did on public radio many moons ago on American Popular Song was my introduction to his music and personality.

Sir Roland Hanna's album of his music is gorgeous. Looks like it is available on CD now as well as digital download.

Roland Hanna Plays the Music of Alec Wilder

Another one that never fails to knock me out is Clifford Jordan's version of "I'll Be Around" from The Adventurer.

[paul secor]

My best wishes for a successful concert, jeffcrom!

Drat! Wish I could come... It's a bit of a truck from Seattle though.

Count me in as another avid Wilder fan. The series he did on public radio many moons ago on American Popular Song was my introduction to his music and personality.

Sir Roland Hanna's album of his music is gorgeous. Looks like it is available on CD now as well as digital download.

Roland Hanna Plays the Music of Alec Wilder

Another one that never fails to knock me out is Clifford Jordan's version of "I'll Be Around" from The Adventurer.

I love that Hanna recording too.

Good luck with the concert, Jeff.

[marcello]

There's also this one, that was first issued on Halcyon, McPartlands label:

Marian McPartland Plays The Music Of Alec Wilder

1. Jazz Waltz For A Friend

2. Why?

3. While We're Young

4. Lullaby For A Lady

5. Inner Circle

6. I'll Be Around

7. Trouble Is A Man

8. Homework

9. Where Are the Good Companions?

10. It's So Peaceful In The Country

This set of Wilder standards and new compositions is clearly a dear personal project for McPartland herself. Several of the selections ("Jazz Waltz For A Friend," "Lullaby For A Lady," "Inner Circle") were written expressly for McPartland herself.

[Chas]

I will be producing a concert of Alec Wilder's music in Atlanta on Saturday, February 6.

Will the concert be recorded by any chance ?

I'm a big fan of Wilder. I'd love to find those early octet or whatever records. Are they on CD?

As noted , only a handful of the nearly two-dozen octet tracks are on CD . This is pretty mystifying considering their quality , and the fact that this music is in the public domain in most of the world .

[jeffcrom]

There's also this one, that was first issued on Halcyon, McPartlands label:

Marian McPartland Plays The Music Of Alec Wilder

1. Jazz Waltz For A Friend

2. Why?

3. While We're Young

4. Lullaby For A Lady

5. Inner Circle

6. I'll Be Around

7. Trouble Is A Man

8. Homework

9. Where Are the Good Companions?

10. It's So Peaceful In The Country

This set of Wilder standards and new compositions is clearly a dear personal project for McPartland herself. Several of the selections ("Jazz Waltz For A Friend," "Lullaby For A Lady," "Inner Circle") were written expressly for McPartland herself.

I know this one well. We're playing "Jazz Waltz For a Friend" at the concert. I was unable to find a chart for it, so I transcribed it from the record. It took three days and gave me nightmares, literally - I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the chord progression. The melody, structure and harmonies seem bizarre, but are ultimately logical. The tune is in the key of B flat, but the first four notes of the melody are B natural, A flat, F, and F sharp. (The musicians out there will see how strange that is). Then I had to teach the tune to a blind piano player, which presented another interesting set of challenges. It took about a month for it to start sounding like music.

Thanks to all for the good wishes.

[jeffcrom]

I will be producing a concert of Alec Wilder's music in Atlanta on Saturday, February 6.

Will the concert be recorded by any chance ?

Probably only in very casual fashion - a little digital recorder set up in front of the stage. I thought about hiring one of my recording engineer friends, but I figured that I'll be losing enough money on this concert without that.

[David Gitin]

Kudos for presenting a concert of music by Wilder. The mention of McPartland's album reminds me of the neglected, out of print, one by Bob Brookmeyer "7 x Wilder" (Verve) which was terrific! (I'll guess it's 1960 or 1961).

[jeffcrom]

In case it might pique anyone's interest, here is the final lineup:

Moon and Sand

I’ll Be Around

Jazz Waltz for a Friend

Blackberry Winter

Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

Baggage Room Blues

Intermission

Swing Music (from The Sand Castle)

I See It Now

Air for Saxophone

It’s So Peaceful In the Country

The Winter of My Discontent

While We’re Young

All the Cats Join In

[jeffcrom]

Just returned from the final rehearsal for the Alec Wilder concert, which is one week from tonight. I think we timed the rehearsal schedule just right - the music flowed easily this afternoon, but it still seems fresh. I'm pretty excited about the show.

Edited January 31, 2010 by jeffcrom

[Guest Bill Barton]

Best wishes for a great show, jeffcrom!

Say, by the way, what instrument do you play? You've probably mentioned this somewhere on the board but I missed it if so.

[jeffcrom]

Best wishes for a great show, jeffcrom!

Say, by the way, what instrument do you play? You've probably mentioned this somewhere on the board but I missed it if so.

Alto sax, mostly. I'm also playing bari on a couple of tunes in this concert. I've also been playing more and more clarinet the last couple of years.

Thanks for the good wishes.

[AllenLowe]

anybody record it?

[jeffcrom]

anybody record it?

I'm planning to record it in pretty casual fashion - a stereo digital recorder set up in front of the band.

[jeffcrom]

Since a lot of folks expressed interest in this concert, here's a brief report. The small hall was packed - we had to put out more chairs. Musically, we flubbed a few things slightly, but there were no "fatal" flaws. The most rewarding thing about the concert was the number of people who came up and said, "Thank you for introducing us to Alec Wilder," or some variation thereon.

[Ken Dryden]

Nothing like reading about a concert a few hours after it took place...my loss!

I always enjoy hearing Marian McPartland talking about Alec Wilder and have long loved his music. I doubt anyone has played "I'll Be Around" or "Blackberry Winter" on more occasions.

[paul secor]

Glad to hear that the Wilder concert went well, Jeff. It's probably the kind of thing that doesn't get done much anywhere these days. Congratulations for doing it.