BRASSY

Fredrick Lange, trumpet player and retired director of bands at Davis High School, formed BRASSY! in 2013 with Larry Hudson, trumpet; Matthew Wallace, French horn; Don Willems, trombone; and tuba player Isaac Smith. The group has performed at dozens of venues in the greater Sacramento region. For hundreds of years brass instrumental ensembles have been providing entertainment, supporting ceremonies, and events of every type, performing music ranging from popular tunes to dance music, traditional pieces, and liturgical works. BRASSY! is proud to help continue this tradition and be part of the continued progress of the art and joy of brass music.

A featured work on the program will be the premiere of “Ekphrastic Dances,” written for the group by tuba player Isaac Smith. The word “ekphrasis,” which is simply “art about other art,” gave Smith complete freedom from which he could draw his inspiration. The four movements are based on 20th-century paintings “Dynamism of a Cyclist” by Boccioni; “Dance” by Dali; “Umbrella Blue” by Debra Hurd; and “Broadway Boogie Woogie” by Mondrian. They are assembled into a dance suite with each movement having its own character and themes and no overarching connectivity between them other than their common genesis. They are all imbued with a jazzy flavor. The most significant style of music to be developed in the early 20th century was jazz. The syncopated rhythms and dance motions of jazz connect well with the time period and vivid colors of the chosen art.