The Saxophone Cartel

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The Saxophone Cartel

Caught In The Act

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Purchase the Saxophone Cartel's debut disc, Caught in the Act, from CDBaby, an online distributor of CDs specializing in releases by independent bands and musicians. CD Baby receives our highest recommendation for service, speed, and value!

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Caught in the Act (2005)

David Miller Presents (full length MP3*)
*This is a free, artist approved legal file.
Miller is a jazz and avant trumpeter, as well as impresario of "Jazz Fables" Thursday evening concert series at Bear's Place, the longest ongoing series of its kind in Bloomington. "Caught in the Act" was recorded at WFHB studios, but we chose this live introduction from a February 12, 2004 Bear's gig to create the illusion of a live concert. That night we split a bill with the Ben Himpel Quartet.
Don't Look Back (Himpel) (sample MP3, quintet PDF, sextet PDF)
A rich illustration of Ben's compositional ethos, DLB is melodic with avant twists. This driving work became faster over the months we played it. For the a cappella wind ensemble, it is a compositional challenge to create an interesting, propulsive rhythmic and harmonic foundation in the bass voice without always resorting to walking, 4/4 jazz-like quarter notes. The theme unfolds over through treacherous territory of rhythmic slap-tonguing, meter changes, metric modulation, and noise. Ben was inspired by his listening to fugues, avant garde expressionism, minimalism, and soul. The casually standard chord charges invite creative, adventurous blowing; the rhythms swing but are atypical of the conventional bop/hard bop jazz rhythmic language. Instrumentation is soprano, alto/clarinet, three tenors, bass sax.
Crook (Himpel) (full length MP3*, quintet PDF, sextet PDF)
*This is a free, artist approved legal file.
The "crook" is in reference to the piece's 7/4 meter, and the sensation of the expected eighth beat. While chamber music-like, this piece fuses contemporary jazz and pop with a kind of classical minimalism, and it remains one of Himpel's most memorable compositions. The harmony of Crook relates around several common tones (notes that remain from chord to chord). Interwoven layers of rhythmic activity create a sensation of thrust alternating with stasis. The tenor solos over improvised vocal backgrounds.
Minstrels (free improvisation) (sample MP3)
Cashdollar suggested naming this "Minstrels". Taken from an on-air WFHB broadcast (November 23, 2003), this was a spontaneous improvisation, a practice which became one of the group's hallmarks. In that light, one could imagine the song evoking pastoral images, perhaps of a distant troubadour singing, or a troupe of old-world minstrels spinning heartfelt, melancholy strains.
Passacaglia (Renick) (sample MP3)
Colin's piece was born as an assignment in David Baker's Jazz Composition class at IU. The task was to integrate a constantly repeating ground bass, a part of which must be present at all times as a structural element (as the melody, a bassline, part of the harmony, etc). Colin's Passacaglia draws upon classical, Middle Eastern, reggae, and bossa nova influences. Colin, Michael, and Ariel are featured soloists. This is one of the most physically demanding tunes for the featured baritone soloist, requiring almost continuous playing over nine and a half minutes, controlled and dynamically restrained like a classical work.
Ring Shout (free improvisation) (sample MP3)
A 'ring shout' was a pre-Civil War African-American ritual in which participants gathered in a circle to stomped their feet, dance, and sing together. Individuals entered the middle of the group circle to express their view as soloists. The title is a nod to the whole family of great black music. Our "ring shout" also embraces a quasi Eastern European folk feel, the blues, noise, and generous dissonance. Cash's wonderful "Zornette" moment towards the end of the track. This track was another spontaneous composition.
If I knew (Himpel) (sample MP3, quintet PDF, sextet PDF)
'If I Knew' occupies an un-selfconscious middle ground between jazz and classical music. Ben felt the title suggested a contemplative atmosphere - a need to know life's purpose and meaning. Besides the tuneful original theme and colorful orchestration, the other the two tenor weave a dual improvisation. As a reference point for interpreation, Ben suggested considering J.S. Bach (particularly an organ-like conception) and sensitive group dynamics. The inclusion of the soprano, flute, and bass clarinet leavens the sound a bit.
The Old Man (Himpel) (sample MP3, sextet PDF)
The composer suggests a programmatic, narrative interpretation: "The Old Man and Mr. Smith by Sir Peter Ustinov is a witty and highly enjoyable fable about God (The Old Man) and Satan (Mr. Smith) visiting earth for inspection. I don't feel my piece does justice to the book's ingenious storyline, but the music reminds me of the main character. In particular, it illustrates the appearance and the juvenile thoughts of The Old Man...It starts off with the heavy step of The Old Man with a soulful alto solo (from Josh) on top of it. A collective bari and alto improvisation (by Ben and Matt) takes it from there until the soprano solo enters as a sudden flashback from the childhood of The Old Man. Slowly his mind returns from his daydream..."
Mr. Smith (Himpel) (sample MP3) inspired by Peter Ustinov's novel The Old Man and Mr. Smith
Somewhat 20th century classical in outlook, Ben started by crafting the opening phrase of Mr. Smith as well the material immediately following it. The body of the composition was fleshed out later. Following a distant tenor solo, the group reiterates the opening over accelerando/decelerando passages. Matt and Colin are featured in a subtle dual improvisation, with gradually escalating horn backdrops. Colin's Dolphyesque bass clarinet is particularly rewarding.
Newton's Nightmare (aka Falling Up) [free improvisation] (sample MP3)
Imagine if Sir Isaac Newton woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare in which the laws of gravity were reversed. Gravity suddenly works backwards. Feet, bodies, and objects start suspending skyward. All control seems lost until the breaking point! - the bottom drops out - and everything comes crashing down to earth. This an improvised piece, this piece was less harmonically based than other improvisations of that time, yet it retains a satisfying dramatic arc. (Michael relates:'I can never help laughing when I hear Ben's deafening bari sax entrance - the band explodes into hellacious noise.') This is one of Caught in the Act's chief highlights.
La Cosa Latina (traditional, arr. Cartel) (sample MP3)
This is a traditional salsa song called "Bajo La Luna"; despite researching it, no name could be found, so we simply called it "the latin thing". A dependable crowd favorite, The Latin Thing/La Cosa Latina expands and personalizes the original with a new arrangement: a tango-like groove in the bass, indeterminate harmonies, heated individual solo forays, Ferling etude quotes, and modal group improv. Josh capped the piece off with overdubbed percussion.
Key of J.B. (Cashdollar) (sample MP3)
This is Cash's singular dedication to the late, great, hardest-working-man-in-show-business, James Brown. Key of J.B. is a funky showcase written in a style reminiscent of James Brown's horn section arrangements, and it too originated as a composition assignment in David Baker's class. Solos feature Josh, Michael, and Matt, with support from two baritone saxes, Colin and Ben. Key of JB was a staple of our live performances and is a disc highlight.
Creation (free improvisation)(sample MP3)
After some debate over what to call this, we ended with this theme of life and existence. As a stream of consciousness medley of sorts (an interpretation after the fact), we improvised around and through several folk-like melodies, interjecting an array of acoustic sound sources and found objects: neck straps, music stands, mouthpieces, buzzing into necks, and vocalizations of all types. Matt experimented with a "flutophone" (a saxophone body with a flute headjoint) and a "saxoflute" (a flute with an alto sax neck and mouthpiece on it), but the saxoflute combination is heard here. Creation reflects a more quietly soulful and playfully experimental side of the group at the time, and we left the studio chatter as a bonus. It reflects the gestalt of a group in the present-moment process.

SaxCarTriers: The DB Session (2006)
A spontaneous series of free improvisations in the first-ever encounter between the Saxophone Cartel and DJ Triers. We set up the microphone and started playing with no discussion or preparation. Hilarious, tongue in cheek, energetic, joyful music.

Personnel:
Engineered by Clark Wick and Robert Schoon.
Recorded live in March 2006 at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University.
Produced by DJ Triers and Michael Eaton, for Djeen Bors record label.

1. All Types of Leans
2. Some Leans
3. Tallen Raises
4. Bainen Races
5. Waltz for Mrs. Carry Grabs
6. 500 Facts
7. The Slow Turner Swing Tune
8. Fast Turner
9. Slow Turners
10. Nothing Like Facts like a Fast Turner March
11. Some Types of Lain
12. Characters (Colin Renick)

download artwork (in Word format)

For more information, to download any of the complete works of DJ Triers, or to download other music from Djeen Bors artists, please visit The Beautiful Bereish Wereish homepage.

Allive! (2006)
After some deliberation, we decided to make this album publicly available, free of charge.

Allive! is two separate live performances wedded together to make a single document: ten tracks from May 13, 2006 at Space 101, and two tracks from Saturday, August 13, 2005 on the WFHB radio progam, "Saturday's Child".

The concert at Space 101 was recorded the intention to commercially release it as a live album, and the show earned the distinction of The Ryder Magazine proclaiming it as one the Top 5 2006 music events in Bloomington. The Saturday's Child show turned so well that we subsequently felt several tracks merited inclusion.

All tracks have been mixed and mastered, and are encoded at 256 kbps. Download freely, share, and enjoy. We hope you experience as much enjoyment listening to these songs as we did playing them. This is some of the Cartel at its best.

Live at Space 101, Saturday May 13, 2006
Personnel:
Engineering: Jeffrey Morris
Mastering: Jake Belser, Farm Fresh Studios
With invaluable support and assistance from Alanna Radecki and Amy Locklin

1. Bajo La Luna (arr. Cartel)
2. Broke Blues (Morgan Price)
3. Characters (Colin Renick)
4. free improvisation (Cartel/Baczkowski)
5. Missa Pange Lingua (Josquin Des Prez; arr. Cartel)
6. The Old West (Cartel)
7. Quatois Francois> (Cartel)
8. Return of the Silver Lady (Steve Baczkowski)
9. Sound Progression (Eaton) [*Special note: originally written for only saxophones, this was instead performed vocally and is one of the most unorthodox takes in our catalog.]
10. Walkin' to My Baby
(Aaron Benedict)

Live on "Saturday's Child", Saturday August 13, 2005
Personnel:
Engineering: Jeffrey Morris
Mastering: Jake Belser
Special thanks to Jeffrey Morris, the crew of WFHB, and to the audience for making this a show to remember.

1. Funeral Song for the Death of a Clown (Colin Renick)
2. The Search for the Golden Raintree (Jerry Morris; arr. Eaton)

Caught In The Act

CD Baby order and digital downloads

Caught in the Act (2005)

SaxCarTriers: The DB Session (2006)

Allive! (2006)