“With a potent timbre and powerful volume, the saxophone is an instrument that demands respect. Nicki Roman—saxophonist with the award-winning Fuego Quartet—is deftly able to wrest control of the mighty woodwind, making the most of its range and tone. On Ravello Records’ UNQUIET WATERS, Roman takes listeners on a tour of the saxophone’s capabilities, from Leonard Bernstein’s jazzy syncopated rhythms to lyrical wedding marches, to complex works free of barlines. Each piece is different from the last, showcasing not only the breadth and potential of saxophone repertoire, but Roman’s own virtuosity and technique as a performer. Roman is accompanied by longtime collaborator and pianist Casey Dierlam Tse, another herald of new music who plays in lockstep to enrich the saxophone’s tone.”
Dark Currents is the third full-length recording by Splinter Reeds, the West Coast's premier reed quintet featuring Kyle Bruckmann, Bill Kalinkos, Nicki Roman, Jeff Anderle and Dana Jessen. The album opens with Michael Gordon's majestic "Tall Grass," which cascades upward into undulating waves of melody before it spreads out on a moody canvas, surging with tension and emotion. By contrast, Paula Matthussen's "Antenna Studies" combines ambient soundscapes and found sounds; as the musicians quietly tease their instruments with breath control and percussive pad strikes, a somber melodic figure gradually begins to take shape. Taken together, these two 20-minute performances propel the listener forward on an ever-changing journey, by turns hypnotic, ecstatic, surreal and spooky, that tests the pre-conceived boundaries of modern chamber music.
Drawing on their long collaboration as members of Splinter Reeds, the album brings together an unconventional pairing of low reed voices and explores the textural and expressive possibilities of two instruments rarely heard in close dialogue. The three tracks showcase opportunities for both intimate blend and vivid contrast, spanning a striking range of musical language. Anderle arranged both Meredith Monk's iconic Hocket, built on seamless interlocking fragments, and Conradin Kreutzer's Adagio, a showcase of sensitive lyricism. Blitz Circuit, commissioned by the duo from Kevin Day, is a high-energy spectacle of rhythmic drive and virtuosic interplay.
Together, the three works encompass the widest range of classical music, anchored by the shared chemistry of Roman and Anderle's playing.
The Fuego Quartet, featuring saxophonists Nicki Roman, Erik Elmgren, Harrison Clarke, and Gabriel Piqué, makes their Ravello Records debut with the innovative MIGRATION, a collection that demonstrates the versatility and complexity of the saxophone as it migrates through genre boundaries.