Modern Drama (album)

Modern Drama
Modern Drama
Studio album by Jane Ira Bloom
Released	1987
Recorded	February 9–13, 1987
Studio	RCA Studio A (New York City)
Genre	Jazz
Length	44:25
Label	Columbia Records
Producer	Jane Ira Bloom
Jane Ira Bloom chronology

Last updated May 19, 2025

Modern Drama is a studio album by American jazz saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom.^[1] The album was released in 1987 by Columbia label. This is her fourth full-size release and the first one by the major label. Koch Jazz re-released the album in 1996. The album contains nine compositions written by Bloom.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]

Bill Shoemaker of JazzTimes stated "Modern Drama, originally issued on Columbia in ’87, was a pivotal recording for Jane Ira Bloom, as it debuted her use of live electronics to augment her sumptuous soprano saxophone sound... Her writing is strong, particularly on ballads like the poignant “More Than Sinatra,” and her playing is assured."^[3] AllMusic's Scott Yanow wrote, " In addition to her soprano and a bit of alto, Bloom makes creative use of live electronics. Key among her sidemen on these nine originals is keyboardist Fred Hersch. The music is explorative yet generally melodic and worth searching for."^[2] A reviewer of Audio noted, "This was obviously the right album for soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom to make."^[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jane Ira Bloom.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Overstars"	5:42
2.	"Cagney"	5:50
3.	"More Than Sinatra"	4:40
4.	"NFL"	4:31
5.	"Modern Drama"	5:09
6.	"Strange and Completely"	4:23
7.	"Varo"	5:24
8.	"The Race (For Shirley Muldowney)"	5:00
9.	"Rapture of the Flat"	3:41
Total length:		44:25

Personnel

Jane Ira Bloom – soprano saxophone & live electronics, alto saxophone
Fred Hersch – piano, Hammond B3 organ
Ratzo Harris – bass, electric bass
Tom Rainey – drums
David Friedman – vibes, marimba, percussion
Isidro Bobadilla – percussion
Andy Seligson – tuba (track 4)

References

↑ Gourse, Leslie (1996). Madame Jazz: Contemporary Women Instrumentalists. Oxford University Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-19-535555-0 . Retrieved July 22, 2020.
1 2 Yanow, Scott. "Modern Drama - Jane Ira Bloom | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved July 22, 2020.
↑ Shoemaker, Bill (June 1, 1997). "Jane Ira Bloom: Modern Drama". JazzTimes . Retrieved July 22, 2020.
↑ "Music". Audio. 72 (1–11). Radio Magazine: 317. 1988. Retrieved July 22, 2020.

External links

Official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Gourse, Leslie (1996). Madame Jazz: Contemporary Women Instrumentalists. Oxford University Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-19-535555-0 . Retrieved July 22, 2020.

[AM-2] 1 2 Yanow, Scott. "Modern Drama - Jane Ira Bloom | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved July 22, 2020.

[3] Shoemaker, Bill (June 1, 1997). "Jane Ira Bloom: Modern Drama". JazzTimes . Retrieved July 22, 2020.

[4] "Music". Audio. 72 (1–11). Radio Magazine: 317. 1988. Retrieved July 22, 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Jane Ira Bloom
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.
Albums	Mighty Lights (1982) As One (with Fred Hersch, 1984) Modern Drama (1987) Slalom (1988) Art and Aviation (1992) The Nearness (1995) The Red Quartets (1992) Sometimes the Magic (2000) Chasing Paint (2002) Like Silver, Like Song (2004) Mental Weather (2007) Wingwalker (2010) Sixteen Sunsets (2013) Early Americans (2015) Wild Lines: Improvising Emily Dickinson (2017)