PLEASE NOTE NEW SATURDAY TIME and EXTENDED FORMAT

HARMONIC RHYTHM AND SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER BRENT FISCHER

On Saturday May 6th at 10am we’ll continue our exploration of harmonic rhythm, focusing on how jazz players and composers use chord movement…this topic comprises much more than cool chord substitution and complicated altered harmony. Harmonic rhythm defines phrases, form and pacing, and your heightened awareness of the flow of harmony will direct and focus the emotional content of your writing. We will refer to examples from Ellington/Strayhorn and Bob Brookmeyer.

Then after a break I’ll introduce our special guest Brent Fischer. Brent is the son of the late, great composer and pianist Clare Fischer, who was one of our most prolific and innovative jazz composers and performers. Brent is a fantastic composer and multi-instrumentalist in his own right. He collaborated frequently with his dad, but also has developed his own unique musical voice as a composer and performer. Brent will present some Clare’s harmonic and orchestration concepts, and how he’s carrying on his dad’s legacy. This is deep stuff people, so bring your analog or digital notation aids and put on your thinking caps. We will have some handouts, and I will project all scores and examples, and they will be available online for your laptops or tablets. Please see https://www.ellingtonstudygroup.com for more details, and we’ll see you there.

Grammy®-winning producer, composer, arranger and recent Record of the Year nominee Brent Fischer credits his late father, Clare Fischer, for creating a family tradition of writing with a rich harmonic and orchestrational palette that has become the Fischer brand. A multi-instrumentalist (vibes, keys, bass, drums), Brent Fischer moves easily between genres. His arranging credits for pop, R&B and jazz royalty include: D’Angelo, Prince, Michael Jackson, Usher, Al Jarreau, Elvis Costello and The Roots. Brent Fischer directs all the Clare Fischer ensembles and produced the last eight Clare Fischer albums, including: Grammy®-nominated 2011 release ‘Continuum‘, 2012 Grammy®-winning ‘¡Ritmo!‘ (Best Latin Jazz Album) and 2013 Grammy®-winning ‘Music for Strings, Percussion and the Rest’ (Best Instrumental Composition). The new Clare Fischer Latin Jazz Big Band release ‘¡Intenso!’ features Sheila E. and Roberta Gambarini.