An American Diary

by Mike Mainieri

Overview

In addition to a few group originals, vibraphonist Mike Mainieri performs some unusual pieces with his quartet (Joe Lovano on tenor, soprano, and alto clarinet; bassist Eddie Gomez; and drummer Peter Erskine) on this CD, including two folk songs and selections by Leonard Bernstein ("Somewhere"), Frank Zappa ("King Kong"), Aaron Copland ("Piano Sonata"), Roger Sessions ("Piano Sonata No. 1"), and Samuel Barber ("Overture to the School for Scandal"). The pianoless quartet (which displays a lot of versatility by Joe Lovano) turns all of the music into creative jazz. The most interesting aspect to this thought-provoking disc is how difficult it is to tell which compositions are taken from classical music and which are new. There is a surprising unity to the potentially difficult material; the performances on the rather moody outing reward repeated listenings. ~ Scott Yanow

Product Details

Release Date:	04/18/1995
Label:	Nyc Music
UPC:	0750507601520
Rank:	149531

Tracks

1. Somewhere
2. King Kong
3. Piano Sonata
4. Piano Sonata No. 1
5. Town Meeting
6. Overture to the School for Scandal
7. Hudson River Valley
8. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
9. Song of My People
10. In the Gloaming
11. Out of the Cage
12. In the Universe of Ives

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mike Mainieri   Primary Artist,Piano,Chimes,Marimba,Xylophone,Vibraphone,Whistle (Instrument)
Joe Lovano   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano),Clarinet (Alto)
Eddie Gomez   Bass
Peter Erskine   Drums,Triangle,Percussion

Technical Credits

Erika Alonso   Design
Frank Zappa   Composer
James Farber   Mixing,Engineer
Leonard Bernstein   Composer
Howard Mandel   Liner Notes
Mike Mainieri   Composer,Producer,Illustrations
Samuel Barber   Composer
Dan Gellert   Assistant Engineer
Stephen Sondheim   Composer
Rich Lamb   Assistant Engineer
Aaron Copland   Composer
Eddie Gomez   Composer
Peter Erskine   Composer
Roger Sessions   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Joe Lovano   Composer