Mr.
Chair, based in Madison and winner of the 2021 Wisconsin Area Music
Industry Award for Best Jazz Artist, Chair brings a truly unique
performance to every stage they play on. Mr. Chair looks like a jazz
combo, enchants like a string quartet and electrifies like a rock band,
delighting listeners with their fresh and authentic sound. As classically trained musicians well versed in jazz, electronica, prog rock, world music and beyond, Mr. Chair a contemporary fusion ensemble for music lovers of all backgrounds. Their sound palette is diverse and is used to tell stories in cinematic, surreal, romantic, funky and whimsical styles.
Their projects are as diverse as their sound. They have twice been commissioned by UW Geoscientist Dr. Stephen Meyers to write music inspired by scientific concepts and perform it in his undergraduate college, Geoscience 101. They are teaming up with former UW First-Wave Scholar, activist and singer Dequadray James White to write an orchestral hip-hop album.
A project started in 2016 has resulted in a 50-minute reimagining of Stravinsky's masterpiece ballet, Pulcinella. Local performances and collaborations include breweries, dancers, live drawings, spoken word artists, singers and more.
As comfortable as teachers, the members of Mr. Chair taught masterclasses to students from high school to university on the topics of performance, composition, style, arranging, orchestration, interpretation and the creative process. Arrangements of their music include string quartet, string orchestra, additional brass/winds and symphony orchestra. They have presented this music with KASA Quartet, the Caroga Lake Music Festival and members of the Akron Symphony Orchestra.
The music on this “independent” album therefore plays with fusion, prog rock, jazz and classical elements. Buzz Kemper is a guest on 'Fuchsia', and on 'Elegy' as well as on the second version of 'Fuchsia' it will be Eddie Barbash.
Sorry, not my taste in jazz!
Tracks:
March
Fuchsia
Better Days
Elegy
Abandoned Cities
Appellation Spring
Britten’s Written Rhythm
Fuchsia
Uncanny Valley
Credits:
Ben Ferris: bass
José Guzmán: guitar
Mark Hetzler: trombone
Mike Koszewski (co-chef-ski): drums
Jason Kutz (toots like tootsie pop): keyboards
Eddie Barbash: alto saxophone
Buzz Kemper: spoken word