The long overdue self titled recording
by Bemidji drummer Steve Hirsh and
his quartet covers the range from
standards (Days of Wine and Roses,
My One and Only Love), jazz classics
(All Blues, Dolphin Dance), new
arrangements by Twin Cities pianist
Larry McDonough (Nick of Time, Alice in
Wonderland), new compositions (Mode for
Mabes by Eric Alexander, Namekagon by
Larry McDonough), and vocals
(Summertime). Along with Hirsh and
McDonough are Minnesota State University
Mankato Professor and Minnesota Book
Award Recipient (in Poetry for “Coming
Late to Rachmaninoff”) Richard Terrill on
Saxes, and Bemidji State University
Professor of Music Dr. Patrick Riley on
bass. Sit back and enjoy jazz emanating
from all corners of Minnesota and joining
forces in this new group.
CD Release Party:
Tue. Dec. 20, 7-11 pm.,
Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant,
1010 Nicollet Mall,
Minneapolis,
612-332-1010,
Other Shows:
Thu. Feb. 16, 8:30 pm - 12:30 am., Bar Lurcat (the old Loring), 1624 Harmon Place, Minneapolis, (612) 486-5500, http://www.cafelurcat.com.
On the Radio:
Saturday, December 10, 2005, Mostly Jazz with Bill Cottman on KFAI, 90.3 and 106.& FM, 9-11 am., http://www.kfai.org/programs/mostjazz.htm bcottman@worldnet.att.net
Sound Clips:
1, Days of Wine and Roses (Mancini, Mercer) 4:50
2. Mode for Mabes (Eric Alexander) 8:39
3. Nick of Time (Raitt, arr. Larry McDonough) 5:27
4. My One and Only Love (Mellin, Wood) 4:52
5. Summertime (Gershwin) 4:00
6. Namekagon (Larry McDonough)
7. All Blues (Davis) 6:45
8. Alice in Wonderland (Fain & Hilliard, arr. McDonough) (8:58)
9. Dolphin Dance (Hancock) 6:59
Ordering:
$12 plus $2.50 postage
Steve Hirsh
13661 Power Dam Rd
Bemidji 56601
Bios:
Notes from Steve Hirsh:
This thing has just gotten way
out of hand. It started with Steve
applying for a Region 2 Individual
Artist Grant to fund a quick demo
that would help him hustle gigs.
Steve and Larry have known each
other for a long time, but only
recently started playing music
together. Steve and Pat have been
playing together in bars and
restaurants in Bemidji for a couple
of years. Steve first met Dick
through an e-mail exchange after
Steve had read Dick's memoir of
quitting and then resuming jazz
performance, Fake Book. Turned
out, Dick had been playing with
Larry.
Still with us here? Well,
last year Steve got a gig in
Minneapolis and asked Larry to
join him. Larry agreed, and
suggested dragging Dick into it.
Much to everyone's suprise
(and relief) if worked out ok. So
Steve invited Larry and Dick to do
this recording, along with Pat. The
recording was to take place at
Gary Burger's tranquil studio
in the woods north of Bemidji.
So, how to get Larry and Dick
up north? Well, Steve had a
wedding gig that paid decently,
so we planned a weekend around
that. We did the gig, had a
rehearsal the next day, did some
kayaking on Lake Andrusia, and
went into the studio on a sunny
summer Monday morning and
proceeded to crank these tunes
out, mostly in one take. We
thought it came out pretty good.
So now we're a band, and our first
gig is at the Dakota. Like I said,
it's gotten way out of hand.
Some notes on the tunes:
Steve, Larry and Dick played a gig at which Bonnie Raitt
was the headline performer. Larry arranged Bonnie's tune
Nick of Time for the occassion. We got to play it for
Bonnie, and she gave it a thumbs up.
Namekagon is an original of Larry's. Larry also did the
arrangement for Alice in Wonderland.
Mode for Mabes was composed by New York tenor sax
player Eric Anderson, who wrote it for the wonderful
piano player, Harold Mabern. Steve studied with Eric for
week a few summers ago, and learned the tune then.
Eric recorded the tune on his cd Mode for Mabes.
Credits:
Steve Hirsh - drums
Richard Terrill - saxophones
Larry McDonough - piano, vocals
Patrick Riley - bass
Produced by: Steve Hirsh, Gary Burger,
Patrick Riley
Recording Engineer: Gary Burger
Recorded "live" at Gary Burger Studios,
Turtle River, Minnesota, August 1, 2005
Cover art and design: Marlon Davidson
Layout: Mark Anderson
This recording is made possible in part by a Region 2 Arts Council Individual Artist Grant Award, with funding from the McKnight Foundation.
My thanks and gratitude to: Patrick, Larry, and Dick for their generosity, their music, and their friendship; to Gary for capturing it and being so easy to work with; to Eric for going to the drugstore to fax me the chart; and of course, to Patricia, for lunch and everything else.
- Steve Hirsh
Ordering:
$12 plus $2.50 postage
Steve Hirsh
13661 Power Dam Rd
Bemidji 56601
In the Stores:
Electric Fetus in Minneapolis
All Applause (Cheapo) Stores
