“Steal Bryan’s Laptop” serves as an excellent introduction to the quintet with lengthy and passionate solos by Sipiagin, McCaslin and Kikoski, and tight work by the rhythm section that often seems to think as one. Its unusual title refers to hypothetical pranks that Lisik and members of his college faculty fantasized about playing on the representative from Bryan College. “When a particular Memphis college was facing imminent bankruptcy, other colleges and universities were invited to participate in a recruiting fair of sorts to give students other study options once their dying college was closed. I was with a few colleagues representing my school, and we were set up directly across from the lone, male representative of the small religious, Bryan College. It seemed logical to us that Bryan himself was likely manning the recruiting table. Over the course of a long day, in order to pass the time, we came up with jokes to play on “Bryan” including sabotaging his chair in various ways, having him continuously paged to the central office, slipping something into his beverage and … stealing his computer.”

Steal Bryan's Laptop

A Giant Steps contrafact featuring Alex Sipiagin, Donny McCaslin, Dave Kikoski, Boris Kozlov, and Donald Edwards. Recorded at Systems Two in Brooklyn, New York. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/davelisik4

Machaut Man and a Superman Hat (The Music of Dave Lisik) [feat. Alex Sipiagin, Donny McCaslin, Dave Kikoski, Boris Kozlov & Donald Edwards]

Katafuzees

Coming Through Slaughter, The Bolden Legend, is a collection of ten movements for jazz orchestra by composer/trumpeter Dave Lisik. The work was inspired by the novel, a fictitious portrayal of the life of early New Orleans jazz cornet player Buddy Bolden, by Canadian author, Michael Ondaatje. The recording features band members from Bloomington, Indiana; Memphis, Tennessee; and New York City including Tim Hagans, trumpet and flugelhorn (as a modern incarnation of Buddy Bolden); Luis Bonilla, trombone; Donny McCaslin, saxophones; and Matt Wilson, drums.

I. COMING THROUGH SLAUGHTER
“His geography... a mile or so from the streets made marble by jazz.”
Solos: Matt Wilson, Donny McCaslin, Tim Hagans

01 Coming Through Slaughter

Coming Through Slaughter, The Bolden Legend, is a collection of ten movements for jazz orchestra by composer/trumpeter Dave Lisik. The work was inspired by the novel, a fictitious portrayal of the life of early New Orleans jazz cornet player Buddy Bolden, by Canadian author, Michael Ondaatje. The recording features band members from Bloomington, Indiana; Memphis, Tennessee; and New York City including Tim Hagans, trumpet and flugelhorn (as a modern incarnation of Buddy Bolden); Luis Bonilla, trombone; Donny McCaslin, saxophones; and Matt Wilson, drums.

II. CRICKET SOUNDS AND CRICKET MUSIC
“For this is what we are when watched by people bigger than us.”
Solos: Amy Rempel, Donny McCaslin, Matt Wilson

02 Cricket Noises And Cricket Music

Coming Through Slaughter, The Bolden Legend, is a collection of ten movements for jazz orchestra by composer/trumpeter Dave Lisik. The work was inspired by the novel, a fictitious portrayal of the life of early New Orleans jazz cornet player Buddy Bolden, by Canadian author, Michael Ondaatje. The recording features band members from Bloomington, Indiana; Memphis, Tennessee; and New York City including Tim Hagans, trumpet and flugelhorn (as a modern incarnation of Buddy Bolden); Luis Bonilla, trombone; Donny McCaslin, saxophones; and Matt Wilson, drums.

III. THE DRAWINGS OF AUDUBON
“Which seemed to lean over the water, its eyes closed, with thoughts of self-destruction.”
Solo: Tim Hagans

03 The Drawings Of Audubon

Coming Through Slaughter, The Bolden Legend, is a collection of ten movements for jazz orchestra by composer/trumpeter Dave Lisik. The work was inspired by the novel, a fictitious portrayal of the life of early New Orleans jazz cornet player Buddy Bolden, by Canadian author, Michael Ondaatje. The recording features band members from Bloomington, Indiana; Memphis, Tennessee; and New York City including Tim Hagans, trumpet and flugelhorn (as a modern incarnation of Buddy Bolden); Luis Bonilla, trombone; Donny McCaslin, saxophones; and Matt Wilson, drums.

V. AUDITORIUM OF ENEMIES
“The music was his dance”
Solos: Joe Galvin, Luis Bonilla



05 Auditorium Of Enemies

The Curse of the Queen’s Diamond is a new collection of works composed by Dr. David Lisik for a small chamber ensemble of improvising musicians, featuring scholar and performer of traditional New Zealand Māori instruments (taonga pūoro), Dr. Richard Nunns.

The title of the piece is inspired by the curse of the Koh-i-Noor (mountain of light), once the largest known diamond in the world and currently part of the British Crown Jewels. India and Britain dispute the proper ownership of the diamond and a Hindu text from the 1300s describes a curse that will dethrone or harm male monarchs who wear the gem.

03 Echo

Ancient Astronaut Theory is a new work by Dr. David Lisik, composed in seven movements for taonga pūoro, and featuring Dr. Richard Nunns. Their first collaboration together, the critically acclaimed The Curse of the Queen’s Diamond (RAT-J-1005), alerted Dave to the relatively untapped potential of taonga pūoro, of composing specifically for the instruments – and nothing else!  It may seem somewhat surprising that it should take a Canadian to do what many of us have long-contemplated but as yet failed to realise – an album solely composed for and around the vast arsenal of sounds Richard Nunns is capable of producing. Combining loops and re-contextualised phrases with layered overdubs and electronic manipulation, Dave Lisik has concocted the ultimate taonga pūoro orchestra, a beautifully engineered, gorgeously produced tapestry of texture and timbre.

01 The Watchers

A modern jazz group, the Dave Lisik Quintet is a collection of unique and dynamic musical personalities and some of Memphis’ favorite jazz musicians. The group performs challenging, original compositions with a focus on creative, interactive improvisation. Paul Simon’s GRACELAND evolved out of a Keith Jarrett-esque, ECM version of the tune I wrote several years ago for jazz piano trio. This arrangement gives Tom a small amount of space to add some inspired bass clarinet. 

04 Graceland

09 I Left My Shiv At Home

Canadian composer and trumpeter Dr. David Lisik teaches jazz composition, arranging, theory and pedagogy at the New Zealand School of Music, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

Dave Lisik

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