Notes
Composer Brian Landrus, Master of Low Reeds, Creates Chamber Jazz Masterpiece with Mirage, a Shimmering Album with his Quintet Kaleidoscope and String Quartet Featuring Guitarist Nir Felder, Bassist Lonnie Plaxico, Drummer Rudy Royston, Pianist/Keyboardist Frank Carlberg, Violinists Mark Feldman, Joyce Hamman, Violist Judith Insell, & Cellist Jody Redhage. Conducted by Grammy Award-nominated Ryan Truesdell "Mr. Landrus, who is 34, stands out here for the poplike angle of his music... this album forgoes highbrow connotation in favor of a vibrant melodic accessibility ...the tenderness in his playing feels as warm and accessible as his writing." - Nate Chinen, New York Times "Music that inspires with an epic nature. Melodies crafted with the precision and beauty of stained glass. Harmonies that invite the listener to just sink into them. One of those albums that, once listened to, gives the sense of having travelled very far distances from your seat by the stereo." - Dave Sumner, Emusic 'A baritone saxophonist of convincing authority, Brian Landrus has a new album, "Mirage" (BlueLand), that features his compositions for a mixed cohort of jazz quintet and strings.' - Nate Chinen, New York Times "There are still players out there blowing the big horn with all the swing and passion of their forbears. One of those cats is Brian Landrus.... Resplendent with beautiful melodies, a small but smartly used string section and Landrus' own unique appealing approach to the low reeds, this one's both an artistic triumph and real listening pleasure" - S. Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews BIO: Over the past decade Brian Landrus has emerged as the most powerful new voice on the baritone saxophone with a series of critically hailed albums exploring an array of grooves, from straight-ahead swing to slinky R&B. But none of his previous releases anticipated the ambitious scope and stunning beauty of Mirage, a singular masterpiece integrating his Kaleidoscope quintet with a string quartet led by violin maestro Mark Feldman. Melodically charged and harmonically venturesome, Landrus' music is marked by sumptuous textures, cascading lines and captivating movement. Mirage is slated for release on June 25, 2013 on BlueLand Records. Landrus, who's recently been touring with Esperanza Spalding, credits Bob Brookmeyer with inspiring him to tackle writing for jazz ensemble and strings. After studying at New England Conservatory with the legendary trombonist/arranger, he forged a close friendship with his former mentor. Upon Brookmeyer's death in 2011, Landrus went back and explored some of his orchestral writing, fueling his determination to capture the music that had been slowly coalescing in his mind. "I always wanted to do something with strings," Landrus says. "After Bob passed I listened to a lot of his music, like a session he did with the Metropole Orchestra. I was in a space where a lot of the music I was developing had a common thread. I wanted to play things where the strings are crucial, where my group and the strings are completely interconnected." Landrus describes his old NEC friend Ryan Truesdell as an indispensable collaborator both in the project's conception and the music's realization in the studio. Creative confidantes ever since they bonded while nervously awaiting their NEC auditions, they both thrived under Brookmeyer's thoughtful guidance. As Landrus started planning the Mirage recording sessions he realized that performing the music as a full ensemble, rather than relying on tracking and overdubs, required a savvy conductor to keep the music flowing, particularly since he often switches instruments mid-tune. "I gave Ryan the music the month before and he studied the hell out of it," says Landrus, who's been voted a DownBeat Baritone Sax Rising Star the past three years. "He took over as conductor in the studio and on a lot of the tunes he handled all the cuing. I trusted him to take the energy to the next level. I told hi
