PERSONNEL:
Ed Saindon - Vibes, Piano & Marimba
Dave Liebman - Soprano Sax, Indian Flute
David Clark - Acoustic Bass
Mark Walker - Drums
SELECTIONS:
(Right-click on links & Save Target As to download samples)
The Last Goodbye & Tokyo Nights are full track sound clips. All other tracks are
sample clips.
Musing on the Music
Depth of Emotion is about creating and evoking emotions through music. This music should hopefully take the listener to places filled with a wide range of moods, feelings, and emotions. This is one of the most important gifts of music both from the standpoint of the player and the listener. Besides emotion, inspiration is another catalyst in the process of composition and improvisation.
Inspiration for musicians and composers can come from many sources. It might be a special person, a city or a mountain scene. In the case of “The Last Goodbye,” “Sao Paulo,” and “Alpine Sunset,” all of the above were sources of inspiration.“The Last Goodbye” is in honor of legendary educator Herb Pomeroy who was a special musician and person who recently passed away. I had the privilege to play with Herb for many years in a duo format. He was a huge influence on me and so many other musicians in the jazz community. He will surely be missed, but his music and legacy will live on through everyone who knew and played with him.
“Sao Paulo” was inspired by a trip to Brazil several years ago that I undertook to give some clinics and concerts. It was a great experience and I loved the people, music, and food.
“Alpine Sunset” was written after a trip to Switzerland that my wife Pam and I took. The photo on the cover of this recording was taken from our chalet where we were staying in Interlaken, Switzerland. We traveled by train to the summit of Jungfrau which is the mountain on the right shown in the photo. Needless to say, it was an awe inspiring experience.
“Giorgio’s Theme” was written for Giorgio Pacassoni, the father of Marco Pacassoni, a former student from Italy. Giorgio and the Pacassoni family treated my wife and me to a wonderful trip in Italy several years ago. When we recorded this song, I was playing marimba in an isolated booth and couldn’t see Dave. The rhythm section started the song and all of a sudden I heard this beautiful, wooden Indian flute. It was totally unexpected and no one had any idea that Dave had brought it to the session. It was very effective in helping to create the right mood for the composition.
The “Piano Solo Reflections” are short, musical vignettes simply rendered to evoke a medley of moods for the listener. Being a fan of Astor Piazzolla and his music, I wrote “Piazzolla” in his honor. Piazzolla was a tremendous composer/musician and his powerful music is filled with a great deal of emotion.
“Joyful Sorrow” for me evokes many emotions. In music, it’s interesting how a piece of music can elicit multiple and layered emotions simultaneously. A composition can evoke both sadness and melancholy while at the same time elicit a sense of peacefulness and joy.The entire session was recorded in three hours and had a relaxed feel. In essence, it felt like a musical dialogue among empathetic friends. It was clear from the beginning of the session and throughout, that everyone was stretching, listening and certainly not “playing it safe.” The session was over before we knew it. I hope you enjoy this music as much as we enjoyed playing it.
Ed Saindon
September 2007
Ed Saindon :
Coming from the “four mallet school,” Ed Saindon has developed and continues to refine a pianistic approach to mallet playing which involves a consistent utilization of all four mallets along with a variety of dampening techniques. Saindon has absorbed and transferred the influences from the piano lineage that stretches from Waller and Tatum up to the present. Originally a drummer, Saindon began playing the vibraphone along with piano while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1972-1976.
As a concert artist, Saindon has traveled throughout the U.S., Europe, Brazil, Mexico and Japan. He has played and or recorded with Ken Peplowski, Warren Vache, Kenny Werner, Mick Goodrick, Fred Hersch, Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton, Louie Bellson, Howard Alden, Herb Pomeroy, Dick Johnson, Dave McKenna, Marvin Stamm, Michael Moore and others.
In addition to performing, Saindon’s other passion is music education. He is a Professor at Berklee where he has been teaching since 1976. He is also active in the field of music education as a clinician and author. Saindon is a clinician for Yamaha and Vic Firth giving clinics and residencies on vibraphone, marimba, piano, drums, jazz theory and harmony, composition and improvisation. Berklee Press has published his book Berklee Practice Method: Vibraphone and German publisher Advance Music recently issued his new book Exploration in Rhythm, Volume 1, Rhythmic Phrasing in Improvisation.
In addition to writing books, Saindon has authored many articles on music education, jazz theory and improvisation. He is currently the vibraphone and jazz mallet editor for the International Percussive Arts Society’s magazine Percussive Notes. His articles have appeared in many publications including Downbeat, Percussive Notes, and Percussioner International.
Past CD Review Excerpts:
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“a master of the four mallet technique”
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“a marvelous technician”
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“an astounding solo performance”
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“virtuosic playing”
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“exquisite touch of a world-class musician”
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“elegant, pianistic, four mallet vibist”
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“Ed
Saindon and Kenny Werner complement each other so well that at times it becomes
difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins.”
JazzReview.com
“an
original approach to the vibraphone...Saindon has adapted and developed his
self- styled pianistic approach.”
DownBeat
"Ed
Saindon's piano playing is a blend between Bill Evans and Richie Bierach"
Weekend Jazz (Japan)
“over the
years, Saindon has developed his “piano style” vibraphone technique…a wonderful
tribute to the potential of the vibraphone.”
Percussive Notes
Dave Liebman :
After some time spent with Ten Wheel Drive, one of the early jazz-fusion groups from the 70’s, Dave Liebman secured the saxophone/flute position with the group of legendary Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones. Within two years, Liebman reached the zenith of his apprenticeship period when Miles Davis hired him. These years, 1970-74, were filled with tours, recordings and the incredible experience gained by being on the bandstand with two masters of jazz. At the same time, Liebman began exploring his own music-first in the Open Sky Trio with Bob Moses and then with Richie Beirach in Lookout Farm.
Liebman has performed with Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Eddie Gomez, Pat Metheny, John Abercrombie, John Scofield, and others. He is a Grammy nominee with over 50 recordings as a leader and over 200 recorded original compositions, ranging from orchestral works and string/wind/sax quartets to re-workings of Puccini and Bernstein to world music with Sardinian, Indian, and Asian musicians.
Liebman has written several pedagogical texts and was "teaching" jazz well before the subject was generally recognized. He is also the founder (1989) and present artistic director of the IASJ, the International Association of Schools of Jazz, an organization comprised of international jazz schools from over 40 countries. His teaching activities at universities and in clinic settings have taken him literally around the world, primarily because of his varied musical interests, expertise on several instruments and ability to articulate the intricacies of the jazz language, aesthetic and technique. Liebman himself has received two NEA grants for composition (1980) and performance (1991).
In 1997, Liebman received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the prestigious Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. In 1998, David was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Jazz Solo for the recording of "My Favorite Things" on Thank You, John (Arkadia) and was inducted in 2000 into the Hall of Fame of The International Association of Jazz Educators for his contributions to jazz pedagogy.
Depth of Emotion Reviews:
Music on the Web: Jazz CD Reviews (UK):
"Ed Saindon is indisputably a virtuoso 4 mallet vibe player. Dave Liebman's soprano sax is beautifully in tune, and anyone who has chartered the progress of that intrinsically temperamental instrument must appreciate the skill and artistry on this disc. Always technically splendid, the expressive qualities of the musicians' intentions come at the listener with love and care. If you think the final piano tracks are "fillers", just listen and enjoy without thinking you have been short-changed by the rest of the gang, because these solos are in their own way, little gems. this is a, "listen to a lot" CD, and if your friends have different tastes, you can always play it at a discreet level, but someone will discover how rewarding it is to really get immersed in such stuff." - Critic Adrienne Fox
Percussive Notes (magazine of the Percussive Arts Society):
Depth of Emotion is vibraphonist/marimbist/pianist Ed Saindon's latest recording and it's a musically exciting collection of 14 modern jazz tunes (12 originals and two standards) performed by a cohesive and dynamic ensemble. Many of the tunes are stylistically similar - "broken" straight eight note groove with dark harmonies - and fall into the medium tempo range. There are also several solo piano features by Saindon, and his rhapsodic piano style is often reminiscent of Keith Jarrett's solo work. His piano style nicely contrasts with his vibe/marimba playing, which has a modern harmonic and rhythmic approach.
In addition to Saindon, the recording features the considerable talents of former Miles Davis sideman Dave Liebman (soprano sax/Indian flute), David Clark (bass) and Mark Walker (drums). Saindon sounds great on piano as well as on mallets and Walker contributes great energy and a strong groove.
The recording opens with a great deal of energy featuring the entire ensemble ("The Last Goodbye", a snaky, fluid version of "Green Dolphin Street," and a slinky bossa nova entitled "Giorgio's Theme"), but winds down with several mellow piano ballads. In addition to his performance on the recording, a tribute to the great Argentinean tango master Astor Piazzolla ("Piazzolla") and the waltz "Alpine Sunset" are beautiful tunes that highlight Saindon's strong compositional abilities. - Terry O'Mahoney
Links to Reviews:
ejazznews distritojazz (Spain) VortexJazz (UK)
Depth of Emotion - pick of the week on The Jazz (UK)
The Northern Echo (UK) JazzChicago.Net
Depth of Emotion can be purchased by sending a check or money order (US funds) to Ed Saindon. Please click on Order Form for more details.
Order Form
Depth of Emotion is available for purchase by credit card at the following online retailers:
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Distributors: For quantity discounts, please contact Ed Saindon at: edsaindon@comcast.net or call: 1-978-688-2663