Jazz and strings? An old question that comes to mind now three decades later. Back then, in the mid-1980s, we was absorbed by hilarious neo-avant-garde, free jazz, fusion or high-voltage hardbopper aesthetics —without prejudice to hard, very hard rock or broad-spectrum classical leanings—, with a certain and pronounced feeling of betrayal towards the foundations of tradition and the disturbing sensation of leaving aside something of vital importance, that I was missing out on fundamental works of that vast universe that is music, all music.
This kind of jazz with beautiful depth and subtle delicacy is the music that nests in the album Clifford Brown with Strings (EmArcy, 1955) and to which this second session of the artistic residency jazz with strings is dedicated.
The original recording included Brown’s regular members —Richie Powell (piano) George Morrow (double bass) Max Roach (drums) and the addition of guitarist Barry Galbraith— as well as a string section made up of 6 violins, two violas and a cello, with arrangements and direction by the great Neal Hefti, responsible among other works for Count Basie’s historic Mr Atomic.
In this case, the session is led by the great Spanish trumpeter David Pastor in the role of quasi-Brownie star soloist with a jazz rhythm section made up of students from the jazz courses, an eleven-member string section—7 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos—under the accurate baton of Duccio Bertini, responsible for having made the only transcription available on the lined paper of this music.