Free download:
https://mepperson.bandcamp.com/track/walk-the-horizon

Walk The Horizon

Beginnings Never End - Goodbyes Never Start

MJ Epperson - upright bass, composer, arranger
Rufus Ferguson - piano
Andrew Saliba - guitar
Ryan Demeniuk - drums
Alex Tobin - audio engineering, mixing

Recorded at Overneath Creative Collective in Kalamazoo.
Many thanks to the WMU Jazz Area for sponsoring this recording session.

Evening Folk (instrumental)

also titled: speaking with a clearing in the woods, conversations in an empty home

MJ Epperson - upright bass, composer, arranger
Ben Schmidt-Schwartz - tenor saxophone
Andrew Saliba - guitar
Ryan Demeniuk - drums
Alex Tobin - audio engineering, mixing

Recorded at Overneath Creative Collective in Kalamazoo.
Many thanks to the WMU Jazz Area for sponsoring this recording session.
MANY thanks to Ben for bringing "speaking with a clearing in the woods" to life!

Talking to Oneself (pt. 2 & 3)

From MJ Epperson's Junior Recital - Feb 10, 2018

MJ Epperson - Contrabass + Songwriting
Meghan Stagl - Vocals
Grayson Nye - Piano
Alex Tobin - Recording + Mixing

Evening Folk (recital)

dedicated to my friends ❤️


performers:

Evgeniya Kozhevnikova - Piano

Sara Morden - Oboe
Victoria Wilhelm - Clarinet
Brittney Eyerly - English Horn
Sami Blosser - Bass Clarinet

Amina Mustafa - Alto Flute
Stephanie Ondracek - Alto Saxophone
Caleb Elzinga - Tenor Saxophone
Lauren Elliott - Baritone Saxophone

Claire Langejans - Trumpet
Yakiv Tsvietinskyi - Flugelhorn
Will Ford - Trombone
Shannon Rouston - Sousaphone


"lullaby03 is the 3rd piece in an ongoing series inspired by traditional lullabies. This series began around the time I was very interested in folk melodies and analyzing what makes them so affective. Lullaby melodies especially are very strong most of the time, as they are meant to be repated over and over without losing interest, like "Rock a Bye Baby" for example.

The initial aim of this piece was to emulate such a melody, and find ways to maintain interest without changing pitch material. Also since "lullaby01" had included a brief chorale section, I wanted to make this piece a chorale for continuity. When constructing the chorale, I tried my best to make each individual line it's own melody with direction. The second half of the chorale not just to add harmonic variation, but boths halves of the individual melodies have a question/answer relationship with each other.

Since the pitch material is unchanging throughout the piece, the largest part which develops is the space and movement. Having each group enter separately was a simple way of adding texture and loudness over time. When all the groups are playing and moving in the room, a wash of timbre swirls around the audience. An attentive listener might try to close their eyes and aurally track where each of the groups are. After this effect happens for a while, several horns slowly leave the room and stop playing, leaving only the brass playing on the stage. Since the first group you heard was the winds, it feels like the chorale made a transformation of timbre over time, gradually evolving from woodwind to brass sound. As a finale, all the groups return to the stage, and for the first time you hear a unified sound coming from one direction instead of the previous swirl of sound. The massive, unidirectional ensemble sound combined with the loudest dynamic marking of the piece clearly marks the climax and the ending, with an added bass 8vb in
case everything else wasn't obvious enough.

To me, the moving of timbre around the audience represents one's thoughts whirling around their head, lying in bed before falling asleep. Something like counting sheep, or replaying an event from earlier in the day. The grand pauses mark slipping into unconciousness. The initial trumpet solo intro I saw as a mother singing the lullaby to her child; the child then thinking or dreaming about the song. The finale marks the grand feeling of eventually falling asleep for good, and waking up to a beautiful sunrise.”

lullaby03

2019 Downbeat Student Music Awards - Best Undergraduate Jazz Arrangement

mj epperson - arrangement, bass
Nicholas Olynciw - piano
Ryan Demeniuk - drums
Negar Afazel - Violin
Jon Barnes - Cello

Recorded at La Luna Studio (Kalamazoo, MI)

Stella by Starlight

Performed by ATLAS TRIO on 19.04.07:

Negar Afazel - Violin
Jon Barnes - Cello
Chris Gray

the graveyard gates (live)

Recorded live at mj epperson's junior recital, 2018 feb 10

mj epperson - composer, bass
Meghan Stagl - piano
Grayson Nye - piano
Ryan Demeniuk - triangle

cross the volcano (live)

mj
wmu composition // bassist // jazz // songwriter // synthesizers // furniture music

https://soundcloud.com/basiccomfort, https://soundcloud.com/lampmanlampman

mj epperson

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