OCTET
(Tracks 1,2,4,5 and Bonus Tracks)

Amadis Dunkel – trombone, arrangements, direction
Rachel Elwell – lead alto saxophone
Lyle Link – alto saxophone
Anthony Nelson – tenor saxophone
Sergio Nuñes –baritone saxophone
Allyn Johnson – piano
Gavin Fallow – double bass
Howard 'Fish' Franklin Jr. – drums

Guest on tracks 1,2,5 bonus tracks:
DeAndre' Shaifer – trumpet

Song Titles / Solo order

1. Freddie Freeloader (Miles Davis, arr. Amadis Dunkel) 8:34
Solos: DeAndre Shaifer, Anthony Nelson, Amadis Dunkel, Allyn Johnson, Howard “Fish” Franklyn Jr.

2. Brazil (Amadis N. Dunkel) 7:24
Solos: DeAndre’ Shaifer, Lyle Link, Amadis Dunkel, Allyn Johnson.

3. Tangerine (John H Mercer/Victor Schertzinger; arr. Amadis N. Dunkel) 3:36
Solos: Amadis Dunkel, Allyn Johnson.

4. Evolution (Amadis N. Dunkel) 7: 27
Solos: Dupor Georges, Anthony Nelson, Amadis Dunkel, Allyn Johnson.

5. Broadway (Wilbur H Bird/Teddy McRae/William Henri Woode; arr. Amadis Dunkel) 5:52
Solos: Amadis Dunkel, Anthony Nelson, DeAndre’ Shaifer, Allyn Johnson, Howard “Fish” Franklyn.

6. Snowflakes (Amadis Dunkel) 7:24
Solos: Amadis Dunkel, Anthony Nelson, Dupor Georges, Allyn Johnson.

7. Freddie Freeloader (Alternate Take) 8:59
Solos same as 1.

8. Brazil (Alternate Take) 8:08
Solos same as 2.

9. Tangerine (Alternate Take) 4:02
Solos: Amadis Dunkel, Allyn Johnson, Gavin Fallow.




Recording info

Monday, August 4, 2003
Ambient Recording Studios
3690 Sellman Road
Beltsville MD 20705
Engineer: Ray Tilkens
Mastering: Ray Tilkens and Amadis Dunkel
Total Time: 62:08

Produced by Amadis Dunkel


JL 301 – AMADIS DUNKEL, Octet and Sextet Recordings

Auszug aus den LINER NOTES:

The Musicians
The most important thing is that these cats are my friends and this is the music my friends make. I was thinking of them as I wrote the music, hoping that they would play it, make it their own, and fill it with life as wonderfully as they have.
The present album is in many ways a ‘family affair’. All of us have come in contact with Calvin Jones at the University of the District of Columbia, where he taught us, “made musicians out of us,” and sparked the “writing bug” in us. We all have sat for hours in his office, the “lion’s den,” working on our music, listening to a Cannonball Adderly CD, making mistakes in our applied classes, having a serious talk with “Dr. Jones,” then again laughing, eating, telling jokes. There sure is no place like the “den.”
Not just my friends, these young cats are the new generation of musicians, keeping the music going, keeping it new. Many of them already have experience playing alongside some of the greatest names in jazz, such as Curtis Fuller, Ray Charles, Clark Terry, Kenny Garrett, Stanley Turrentine, Webster Young, Butch Warren to name but a few. So watch out, there is a whole lot more to come!

The Octet
The Octet consists of a three-piece rhythm section (piano, bass, and drums) and a five-piece horn section (two altos, tenor, trombone, and baritone sax). The trumpet is added to the group either as a soloist (Freddie Freeloader, Broadway) or as a featured instrument (Brazil) and is otherwise not part of the section.
From an arranger’s perspective, this is the perfect size ensemble, because, with five voices, it offers all the harmonic possibilities of a big band, yet is small enough to leave plenty of room for freedom and individuality, two essential ingredients in Jazz.

The Rhythm Section
Listen to this “All DC Rhythm Section!” They are some of the hardest swinging cats around. Just check out they way they feed off of each other! They create the perfect foundation for the horns. As much effort as I put into writing the music for this album, it would not have come to life at all without this foundation.

The Sextet
The Sextet consists of two trombones and one tenor saxophone along with the same rhythm section. Writing for three horns is quite different from the five horns. It requires a much more minimalist approach, harmonically only the essential can be said. However, the nice thing about putting trombones and tenors together is that – though they are individual voices – the sound melts together beautifully. There really is something special about trombone and tenor together, I never quite figured out why, one thing is the range of course, but there is much more to it than that, they just seem to complement each other in the quality of the tone.