Diversions (album)

Last updated
Diversions
Diversons (CSULA album).jpg
Studio album by

California State University, Los Angeles
Jazz Ensemble
Released1987
RecordedSage and Sound Recording
Hollywood, California
Genre Jazz, Big band, instrumental
Length46:12
Label H D C Music Publications
Producer David Caffey, Charles Richard, and Scott Ackerman

California State University, Los Angeles
Jazz Ensemble chronology
We're Back!
(1986)
Diversions
(1987)
Monstrosity!
(1988)
cat. # CSULA 887
Audio sample
"Con Alma"

Diversions [1] is a 1987 album (LP Vinyl) released by the California State University, Los Angeles Jazz Ensemble, it featured the Charles Richard Suite for Jazz Orchestra which was premiered by Dave Edwards [2] earlier that year. This group proved to be one of the finest college jazz orchestras of that era with having placed in the finals of the Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival. [3] The jazz band had numerous student musicians that have made a name for themselves as professionals to include Sharon Hirata, [4] Luis Bonilla, Jack Cooper, Charlie Richard, Eric "Bobo" Correa, Vince Dublino, Alan Parr, and José Arellano.

California State University, Los Angeles university

California State University, Los Angeles is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 129 bachelor's degrees, 112 master's degrees, and four doctoral degrees: a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in special education in collaboration with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a Doctor of Education (Ed.D) in Educational Leadership, a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and a Doctor of Audiology (AuD). It also offers 22 teaching credentials.

Dave Edwards (musician) American musician

Dave Edwards was an American big band-style musician who most notably was the lead alto saxophonist and multireedist for the long running weekly television series, The Lawrence Welk Show from 1968 through 1979.

Luis Bonilla American musician

Luis Bonilla is an American, Grammy Award-winning jazz trombonist of Costa Rican descent. He is a performer, producer, composer, and music educator who has performed and recorded internationally.

Contents

Background

In 1984 and 1985 the California State University, Los Angeles Music Department and CSULA Associated Students decided to fund LP recordings of the jazz ensemble to better serve as a teaching tool for student music, jazz groups. Diversions is the third of six albums to come from CSULA during the 1980s featuring the award winning CSULA #1 Jazz Ensemble. [5] The LP contains tracks from the #1 CSULA Jazz Ensemble to include compositions of four students and from the director (professor David Caffey). The group was fortunate enough to have the assistance or both George Stone on piano for the recording and world-class saxophonist Dave Edwards who premiered Charlie Richard's work earlier that academic year.

George Stone is a musician and educator. He had composed and arranged music for instrumental and vocal ensembles, with the bulk of his material for the big band format.

The qualities of the LP that set it apart from numerous university jazz records of that era is the fact it was entirely written and composed by the students and faculty of CSULA at such a high level; also this being the third LP in a row CSULA had done this. [6] There has been a consistent tradition of musicians coming from the CSULA program who have worked with major musical acts, on major studio and movie projects, and hold positions in higher education in music. The roster on this album is self-evident as to the diversity and level of student musicians CSULA developed at that time and has for many years dating far back to musicians (graduates) such as Lennie Niehaus and Gabe Baltazar.

Leonard Niehaus is an American alto saxophonist, arranger, and composer on the West Coast jazz scene. He has played with the Stan Kenton big band, and various other jazz bands on the West Coast of the U.S. Niehaus has arranged and composed for motion pictures, including several produced by Clint Eastwood.

Gabriel Ruiz Hiroshi "Gabe" Baltazar, Jr. is an Asian-American jazz alto saxophonist and woodwind doubler.

Track listing

All tracks written by various artists listed.

No.TitleLength
1."Diversions (David Caffey) [7] "8:17
2."Ballad For Now (Scott Ackerman)"5:18
3."Vaya! Trombones (José Arellano)"8:31
4."Suite For Jazz Orchestra: Waltz, Ballad, Latin (Charles Richard)"19:03
5."Con Alma (Dizzy Gillespie, arr. Jack Cooper)"4:11
Total length:46:12

Recording Sessions

Personnel

Musicians

Jack Cooper (American musician) American composer, arranger, orchestrator, multireedist, and music educator.

Jack Cooper is an American composer, arranger, orchestrator, multireedist, and music educator. He has written music for and performed or recorded by internationally known pop, jazz, and classical artists including Aaron Neville, Marc Secara, Jiggs Whigham, the Berlin Jazz Orchestra, Lenny Pickett, Joyce Cobb, Bernie Dresel's BBB, Donald Brown, Young Voices Brandenburg, the New Zealand Jazz Orchestra, Jimi Tunnell, Christian McBride, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors, the Dallas Winds, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

Eric "Bobo" Correa is a percussionist and a member of the bands Beastie Boys, then Cypress Hill and Ritmo Machine. He performed and recorded with the Beastie Boys through the 1990s.

Production

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References

  1. All Music Guide, Diversions
  2. Auburn University public university in Auburn, Alabama, United States

    Auburn University is a public research and Land-grant university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 23,000 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,260 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest university in Alabama. It is one of the state's two public flagship universities. The University is classified as an RI: Doctoral Research - Very High Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

  3. WE'RE BACK! liner notes, Cal State L.A. Jazz Ensemble LP. 1986
  4. Sharon Hirata featured on tenor with the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, 2008
  5. 1982 Playboy Jazz Festival winner (Playboy Jazz Festival Volume I, OCLC   16737109), 1986 finals of the Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival, 1988 combo winner of the Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival, special invited performances at the 1987 MENC Convention in Seattle and the 1989 IAJE Convention in San Diego
  6. WE'RE BACK! liner notes, Cal State L.A. Jazz Ensemble LP. 1986.
  7. Diversions, UNC Jazz Press, Listing and Sound file