One of the great pleasures of being a musician is playing together with others. Although in-person collaboration poses certain risks at this time, multi-track recording provides a means for ensemble work to continue.
For my first at-home attempt at such an endeavor, I reached out to pianist Julius Tucker, with whom I have enjoyed performing on multiple occasions in the past. Whereas my training is primarily in “classical” music, Julius’s expertise is in jazz. The concept for our remote collaboration was for each of us to step into the other’s musical realm. We worked together on repertoire selection and chose two compositions, “Beau Soir” by the French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and “Dienda” by the American jazz pianist Kenny Kirkland (1955-1998). See below for our recordings as well as some background on each work.
“Beau Soir” by Claude Debussy, transcribed by Jascha Heifetz
“Beau Soir” is a song that dates to 1880. Its title translates as “beautiful evening.” The song’s text is by Paul Bourget, a French poet, novelist, and critic who was prominent in Debussy’s time. The text conveys the fleeting nature of one’s existence, and it calls upon the listener to take full advantage of life’s offerings while young.
We played Jascha Heifetz’s transcription of the work for violin and piano, with a few adjustments. Perhaps most noticeably, Julius plays the final three measures alone. This change enabled me to create a more subtle departure of the flute from the sound world of our performance.
“Dienda” by Kenny Kirkland
Saxophonist Branford Marsalis recorded “Dienda,” a waltz, on the album Royal Garden Blues (1986). Kirkland played with Marsalis in multiple settings, including in The Tonight Show band when Branford was the leader, and with the famed pop star Sting. Sting wrote lyrics to “Dienda” and recorded the composition for the live album …All This Time (2001).
Not unlike the text of “Beau Soir,” the lyrics to “Dienda” concern impermanence. The present slips away, along with the wonders it brings us. While we can look to the future with optimism, there is no guarantee of being able to return to previous experiences.
Special thanks to Julius for mixing the recordings!