Bill Martin Septet: "Over to You" Album Launch

The November edition of the Dunedin Jazz Club features the music of club director Bill Martin, who will be officially launching his album of original compositions, titled “Over to You”. Recorded at Hanover Hall last year, these compositions feature arrangements for a four-part horn section yet still provide ample opportunity for the soloists to express themselves through improvisation. The line-up will feature symphonic horn players Ralph Miller (trumpet) and Nick Cornish (alto saxophone), young guns Isaac Randel (tenor saxophone) and Finn McKinlay (trombone), as well as experienced rhythm players Bill Martin (piano), Andy Lynch (bass) and Carl Woodward (drums).

Described by RNZ concert presenter Nick Tipping as “one of the movers and shakers of Aotearoa Jazz”, Bill Martin has been slowly building a profile as a jazz pianist, Big Band director and arranger of music for small combos in Dunedin. The recordings released as “Over to You” on Bandcamp, Spotify and all other streaming platforms, represent an important moment in his development as a composer and performer. Beginning with the experimental “Sidesteps”, a tune that features a twelve-tone theme, the album includes jazz fusion numbers such as “Change Up” and “Anachronism”, the laid-back groove tune “Sliding”, the haunting minor blues “Albany Street Blues”, as well as a pop infused “More than a Score”, with its alternating time signatures. Described by Nick Tipping as “great compositions”, these tunes are sophisticated yet catchy, containing melodic hooks and memorable chord changes.

For the album launch, the Bill Martin Septet will perform tunes off the album, as well as a host of other new compositions. Among the new tunes will be “Nineteen Seventy-Eight”, a piece that features a 7/4 time signature and complex counterpoint between the different horn lines. The Latin ballad “Trees at Night” will be presented with alternating tenor and trumpet lead melodies. The funk infused “Carl’s Groove” will get its first airing, as well as the bebop tune “Pedestrians” that further develops the theme originally written for “Sidesteps”. Indeed, with all this new material, the septet plans to record the new tunes in the studio with a release planned for 2023.

In addition to the new compositions, the concert should be memorable for the range of improvising talent on stage. Audiences will already be familiar with trumpeter Ralph Miller from his phenomenal rendition of Miles Davis’ “Birth of the Cool” record, as well as Nick Cornish, who directed the DCJO earlier in the year and also performed the alto part for the Davis record. Subbing in for Gwyn Reynolds will be young tenor saxophone player Isaac Randel, who has been lead tenor of the DYJO for two years, a finalist in the New Zealand youth jazz improvisation competition, and a leading voice at the newly established “Cats on the Corner” jam night. Rounding out the horn section will be rising star Finn McKinlay, the trombonist who performed on the “Over to You” album and has impressed local audiences with his own compositions and improvisations in various contexts.

Note: The Dunedin Jazz Club is a licensed venue with a cash bar. Patrons may be asked for identification when purchasing alcohol.

Personnel:

Bill Martin (piano)
Ralph Miller (trumpet)
Nick Cornish (alto)
Isaac Randel (tenor)
Finn McKinlay (trombone)
Andy Lynch (bass)
Carl Woodward (drums)

Timing

7:15 Doors Open
7:45 Set One
8:30 break
8:45 Set Two
9:45 Finish