With sincere gratitude‌
I would like to extend a very, very special thank you to my Kickstarter backers:
Thank You
To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for comforting and encouraging me on countless occasions. Thank you for saving my life.
Thank You To my mother for her love and endless patience.
Thank You To my family and friends for their unwavering support.
Thank You To my teachers and mentors for pointing me in the right direction and inspiring me to grow.
Grant Abramson Eric Biondo Vanessa Birmingham Ryan Brahms Lisa M. Ceron-Pepe Pedro Ceron Jack Chase Dave Conrey Todd Coolman Nick Consol Caryl Craig Jon Cross Sarah Cunningham Omar Daniels Alexi David Charles L. Davis II Peter de Tagyos Suzanne Diffine Anthony Ferguson Jacob Garbus Joshua Garrell Christopher Getman Julianne Gics-DeJesus Terry Girard Carol Jackson
Darren Jackson Yvishari Jackson-Mack Michael Jake Willie James Dani Katz Min Lee Ebony Lopez Grace Macek Mary Mack Torey Mack James McElwaine Robert McVeety Dennis Moore Helen Morgan-Tomlinson Doug Munro Farnell Newton David M. Paff Jason Parker Abby Payne Francis Pepe, Jr. Marty Peters Stephen Plekan Katie Rorick Danielle Shapiro Sam Shimon Rinkovsky
James Stiegler Jody Strong Joseph Sucato Wayne Surber Alvin Walker Jon Warcholak Joseph Welter Angela West Robin West Bridgette White Cicely M. White Craig White David P. White, Jr. Deirdre White Donald White Lynn L. White Sara White Tony White Wayne White, Jr. Aaron Williams Lynette Williams Clay Wilson Umar Wilson, Jr.
Thank you for having so much faith in me. You have my eternal gratitude. — David White
D I V DA z z j a
E T I WH
r a s t e c h o r
fl a
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in o p h
t
“My name is David White…
and this is the David White Jazz Orchestra!”
I am deeply humbled and honored by this opportunity to share my music with you. As a composer, most of my work is autobiographical in nature and I’d like to give you some insight into the life stories behind the selections on this album: 1. David Danced Before the Lord With All His Might — Duke Ellington, arr. By David White In the history of music, Duke Ellington is the one musician I most admire and whose spirit I would most like to emulate. David Danced was first performed by Ellington’s orchestra in 1962 as a part of his First Sacred Concert presented at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. The composition depicts a scene from The Book of II Samuel where King David danced joyously to celebrate the recovery of the Ark of the Covenant. Ellington’s score calls for tap dancers and that inspired me to incorporate a certain sense of animation and playfulness into my arrangement. Soloists: Omar Daniels - alto sax Michael Irwin - trumpet Paul Francis - drums 2. Eyes Closed — David White
3. Love in a Blue Time — David White I wrote this piece while reading a book of the same name by Pakistani-British author Hanif Kureishi. Kureishi’s work explores themes of intimacy and isolation in the modern world. My composition is a musical response to his ideas. Soloists: Andrew Gould - alto sax David White - trombone Nick Consol - piano
6. I Have a Bad Feeling About This — David White Right after college, I had the misfortune of working as a public school teacher in The Bronx. I wrote this composition to give voice to the apprehension I felt in that situation. Soloists: Volker Goetze - flugelhorn David White - trombone Stephen Plekan - baritone sax
4. First Light — David White
7. Pandora — David White
I wrote this piece during a very troubled time in my life. During this period, I would often lie awake all night consumed by dark thoughts. This composition represents the sense of relief I would feel upon seeing the first rays of sunlight in the morning.
The unintended consequences of naïveté.
Soloists: Sam Taylor - tenor sax David White - trombone
The physical expression of love.
Soloist: Sam Taylor - tenor sax 8. I’ll See You in Court — David White This composition was inspired by events that are too involved to go into here. Let’s just say there was some…unpleasantness.
5. Secrets — David White Soloists: Nick Consol - piano Sam Dillon - tenor sax
What lies beneath. Soloist: David White - trombone
Soloists: Andrew Gould - alto sax Rick Parker - trombone Nick Consol - piano
9. First Lullaby — David White I wrote this for my darling baby boy a few weeks before he was born. Gabriel, your dad loves you more than anything in the world.
DAVID WHITE JAZZ ORCHESTRA David White - composer, arranger, conductor, solo trombone
Soloist: Volker Goetze - flugelhorn 10. Mister Shepherd’s Blues — David White My Grandad enjoyed giving colorful nicknames to the people he cared about and he rarely referred to anyone by their actual name. When I was a young boy, he dubbed me “Mister Shepherd.” This performance is dedicated to his memory. Soloists: Melissa Gardiner - trombone Sam Dillon - tenor sax Miki Hirose - trumpet
Andrew Gould - lead alto saxophone Omar Daniels - alto saxophone Sam Taylor - tenor saxophone Sam Dillon - tenor saxophone Stephen Plekan - baritone saxophone Miki Hirose - lead trumpet Volker Goetze - trumpet, flugelhorn Alicia Rau - trumpet Michael Irwin - trumpet, flugelhorn Melissa Gardiner - lead trombone Rick Parker - trombone Barry Cooper - trombone Robert Statel - bass trombone Nick Consol - piano Doug Drewes - bass Paul Francis - drums
Recorded January 29, 2011 at Skyline Recording Studios, NYC Mixed January 30, 2011 at The Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, NY Recording and mixing by Aaron Nevezie Photography by Arthur Cohen Graphic design by Sean Doyle Produced by David White