Peter Erskine - Behind Closed Doors, Vol. 1 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The Tony Award-winning play, written by Warren Leight, is set in New York City between the years of 1953 and 1985, and it chronicles the life and lifestyle of a jazz trumpeter, exploring the creative forces which drive a musician and binds him ever closer to his fellow jazzmen while tearing his own family apart. It's a wonderful play, and the cast and crew for this productions are all brilliant. The interesting thing about this production is the use of a newly-recorded score (as opposed to the Inchneedle dropInch scoring solution used in previous productions of the show in New York and elsewhere), and I was very lucky to get the call from director Andy Robinson to write the music. Be-bop lives! Peter Erskine scored the production with a jazz quintet. The WDR Big Band also makes a guest appearance.

A towering cultural figure throughout the second half of the 20th century, Leonard Bernstein mediated between different musical worlds, borrowing freely from jazz, blues and popular music, eventually shaping a InchclassicalInch sound that became his deeply influential signature. From his decades of working alongside Austria's most illustrious musicians, Vienna's JAM Music Lab University was inspired to celebrate his music & legacy. With the addition of drumming great Peter Erskine as a Visiting Artist in 2021 - bringing along his own decades of contributions to blending popular musics at the highest levels - they handed him the task of shaping the ambitious project. With this live recording, Erskine, JAM students and faculty, and pianist/musical director Danny Grissett, honor Bernstein's genius and fulfill JAM's chief mission - inspired by the jazz masters, educate and nurture jazz's next generation - and on this night, Peter Erskine, and Leonard Bernstein, led the charge.

The original compositions on this CD were inspired, in part, by Woody Guthrie and his famous trip to the Pacific Northwest where he wrote his classic Columbia River songs. Most of the songs on the CD were recorded in the 100-year old house where Woody lived back then. Woody's driver and traveling partner at the time was Elmer Buehler. Elmer spent many hours on the road with Woody, driving him around the Northwest to provide inspiration for Woody's songs. This CD includes four recordings of the now 96-year old Elmer Buehler telling stories about his travels with Woody, set to original music by Ken Vigil.