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It has been said that the best place to be is in the moment, neither dwelling on events of the past nor worrying about tomorrow, but experiencing life to the fullest, grasping every possible morsel of life as it happens. Music provides the perfect opportunity for us to stay in this state of consciousness by keeping us engaged in the activities of creating, listening, and feeling. It provides a very personal means of self-expression and involvement in the present. This is the satisfaction that I find in music and in playing the trombone.
I believe that one of the most personal ways to express oneself is by singing. And since I consider the trombone to be an extension of the human voice, this is how I “sing.” I endeavor, therefore, to express the variety of feelings that I experience in the pieces included on this recording: wonder, peacefulness, conflict, exuberance, humor, sadness, joy and love.
I would like to thank the following people:
Eric, for your incredible musicianship.
Mark, for your time, talent, and friendship.
Paul, for your love and support.
My family, for always being there.
This recording is dedicated to Jon Hansen, Professor of Music, Emeritus, at the University of Northern Iowa. Your guidance and objectivity provide me with a sense of balance and perspective, and your friendship is cherished beyond words.
I first met JoDee Davis in 1997 when she came to Northern Illinois University to present a recital where I was then teaching. I remember how much she impressed me at the time with so many facets of her playing - her technical skill, her command of lyrical playing, her clear, ringing tone, and her innate musical sense. She played the trombone as more than a mere brass instrument. Seldom had I heard the instrument sound more human.
Since then it has been my pleasure to work with JoDee on a semi-regular basis in our trombone quartet, Posaunenwerk. I am continually inspired by her artistry, her finesse, and her wealth of musical ideas. Her solo playing, as you will hear, is a joy.
The compositions gathered for this recording represent some of the best works from the trombone literature, as well as some outstanding transcriptions. JoDee gives the listener a colorful, engaging feast of music and talent, and the opportunity, in the words of a poem by Paul Hindemith,
...amid confusion, rush, and noise
to grasp the lasting, calm, and meaningful,
and finding it anew, to hold and treasure it.
The Sonatine (1957) by French composer and teacher Jacques Castérède is among the most challenging and the most beautiful works for trombone and piano. Rhythmic complexity and drive form the foundation of the contrapuntal first and third movements. By contrast, the haunting, song-like second movement offers listeners something of an oasis of serenity and meditation. It is one of the most compelling moments in the trombone literature. The Sonatine is a perfect vehicle for JoDee's singular talents, and the superb, sensitive playing of pianist Eric Charnofsky makes this an outstanding collaboration.
Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750/51) published his Opus 7 collection of twelve concertos in 1715. Albinoni's music was widely admired in his day as well-crafted composition, with great rhythmic energy and pleasant, lilting melodies. Significantly, the great Johann Sebastian Bach used many of Albinoni's melodies as examples in his own teaching. The Concerto in Bb, Op. 7, No. 3, originally scored for solo oboe, strings, and continuo, works extremely well in this recording on alto trombone. The light, bouyant character of the music is aptly conveyed by the sound quality of the alto trombone, and by JoDee's nimble technique. The serene Adagio movement is made all the more beautiful by her subtle phrasing and control.
Clara Schumann (1819-1896) was recognized as a fine composer and pianist from very early in her life. As a concert pianist, she was in a class that included Franz Liszt, Frederic Chopin and Anton Rubinstein. One of her most noteworthy contributions was to devise single-handedly a recital format still used by most of the great concert pianists of today. The role of women in the 1800s, with child-rearing and family responsibilities, left Clara with limited freedom to use her composition talent to the full. Nevertheless, her works were held in high regard by composers such as Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, and of course, her husband Robert Schumann. For the trombonist, Clara Schumann's lieder are a wonderful source of lyrical melodies in the romantic style. The five songs selected on this recording come from Opp. 12, 13 and 23. The second of the group, An einem lichten Morgen, Op. 23, No. 2, stands out as it showcases JoDee's vibrant tone quality. And the sensitivity of phrasing in the final song, O Lust, o Lust, Op. 23, No. 6, is such that her trombone truly becomes a vehicle for singing.
The second piece for alto trombone recorded here is by American composer John Prescott. Prescott, born in 1959, is currently music department head at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. His other works for trombone include Dance Impressions for Trombone and Piano (1980) and Isorhythmic Tocatta (1984) for trombone choir and percussion ensemble. He has received numerous awards for his works, and continues to be an active composer in a number of genres. The Suite for Alto Trombone and Piano (1985) was commissioned by, composed for, and dedicated to Stephen Anderson, who was trombone professor at the University of Kansas at the time of composition. It is truly a virtuoso piece for alto trombone, consisting of five movements in alternating rhythmic and lyrical styles. Prescott has said that this piece was a departure for him, involving work more adventurous harmonically than his previous compositions. Capturing the listener's attention immediately with its biting, angular lines is the opening Fanfare movement for unaccompanied trombone. This leads directly into the accompanied March, followed by a floating Chanson with a surprisingly rhythmic ending, a Pastorale which features unusual muted passages for the alto trombone, and finally, a fast, virtuosic Rondo. Here as before, JoDee's complete command of the sometimes unwieldy alto trombone is on display for listeners' sheer enjoyment.
French composer and pianist Ida Gotkovsky was born in 1933 in Calais. One of a family of musicians, she is the daughter of violinist Jacques Gotkovsky and sister to concert violinist Nell Gotkovsky. Ida Gotkovsky studied at the Paris Conservatory under Messiaen and Nadia Boulanger, among others, and has written concerti for various instruments, including clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, cello, and two violins. She has also composed a large number of chamber works, music for ballet, and one opera. She published her Concerto for Trombone in 1978. Filled with contrasting dramatic and contemplative moments, the Concerto is a fresh, exciting contribution to 20th century trombone literature. JoDee executes its angular themes and broad, lyrical lines deftly and convincingly.
To finish off her debut recording, JoDee has chosen the Arthur Pryor gem, Thoughts of Love. This turn of the 20th century “concert waltz” has been a favorite recital and concert piece since it was first published in 1904. Known for his superb technical prowess on the trombone, Arthur Pryor filled his compositions with notoriously difficult passages. This, coupled with their nostalgic “concert in the park” character and sentimental melodies has over the years made Pryor's pieces real crowd-pleasers. Here once again, the collaboration between JoDee and pianist Eric Charnofsky makes the music come alive with sparkle and panache.
JoDee Davis is professor of trombone at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and second trombone of the Santa Fe Opera. She has served on the faculties of Kent State University, where she was a member of the Kent Brass Quintet, and Eastern Washington University. Formerly principal trombone of the Spokane Symphony, Dr. Davis has also performed with a number of other orchestras including the Akron, Canton and Youngstown Symphony Orchestras in Ohio, and the Spoleto Festival Orchestra. She has presented solo recitals and master classes throughout the United States and has performed and given clinics at International Trombone Festivals, the Eastern Trombone Workshop, the Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic, the Arizona Low Brass Symposium, and the Ohio and Texas Music Educators Conferences. Dr. Davis was a member of the highly acclaimed trombone quartet PRISMA and currently performs with the Chicago-based quartet Posaunenwerk and the Missouri Brass Quintet. She is a clincian for the Selmer Company, Inc.
She received the Doctor of Music degree in Brass Literature and Performance from Indiana University, and the Masters degree in Trombone Performance and Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa. Her principal teachers include Dee Stewart and Jon Hansen. Dr. Davis resides with her husband, jazz trombonist and composer Paul McKee.
Erik Charnofsky, originally from Los Angeles, is a member of the Theory and Accompanying faculties at The Cleveland Institute of Music. He has performed as a collaborative artist throughout the United States, including Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Steinway Hall in New York City, Yale University, and in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Cleveland, Chicago, and Quebec City. He has concertized with members of the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and The Cleveland Orchestra. A graduate of The Juilliard School where he majored in piano accompanying, Mr. Charnofsky also holds degrees in solo piano performance and composition from California State University, Northridge, where he received the Outstanding Bachelors Degree Graduate Award.
Formerly on the faculty in the pre-college division at The Juilliard School, he served as staff accompanist and ear-training fellow in the Juilliard College division. Mr. Charnofsky's performances have been broadcast over WQXR and WNYC in New York, WFMT in Chicago, WCLV in Cleveland, and KPFK, KMZT, and KCSN in Los Angeles, where he worked as a classical radio announcer. Mr. Charnofsky has presented several lecture-recitals on “The Duos with Piano” by the composers Paul Hindemith, Francis Poulenc, and Aaron Copland. He has worked at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara as an Associate Faculty member for six summers.
Producers: Mark Fisher and JoDee Davis
Recording Engineer: Michael Schulze, Superior Recording
Page Turner: Zaiba Sheikh
Recorded June 5, 6 & 7, 2000, Kulas Hall,
The Cleveland Institute of Music
Photography: cover photos by Gary Adams
black & white photo of JoDee Davis by Tony Vinella
photo of Eric Charnofsky by Daniel Milner Photography
Graphic Production and Layout: Susan Azzarello
Sonatine for Trombone and Piano (1957)
Jacques Castérède (b. 1926)
2. Andante sostenuto [4:23]
Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750/51)
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
7. Liebst du um Schönheit, Op. 12, No. 4 [2:32]
8. An einem lichten Morgen, Op. 23, No. 2 [3:15]
9. Die stille Lotosblume, Op. 13, No. 6 [2:53]
10. Warum willst du and're fragen, Op. 12, No. 11 [2:24]
11. O Lust, o Lust, Op. 23, No. 6 [2:08]
Suite for Alto Trombone (1985)
20. Thoughts of Love (Valse de Concert) [6:52]
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