SHAWN MAXWELL

FRENETIC DOMAIN

Chicainque.com

Shawn Maxwell, alto & soprano saxophones/clarinet/composer/arranger; Chika Indue, alto saxophone; Mark Nelson, Fender Rhodes/piano/Wurlitzer; Michael Barton, electric & upright bass; Greg Essig, drums; Nils Higdon, percussion.

Shawn Maxwell has released a dozen albums under his own name.  “Frenetic Domain” is different from all the others.  It is his only jazz-classical hybrid music. Two things helped inspire this music. The first was the Vandoren Company, a venerable reed and mouthpiece manufacturer.  They sponsor fifty artists, from all genres, to visit schools and colleges to share expertise and performance tips that support their products and inspire students of all ages. Yes, Maxwell uses their products. The second component became the insertion of Chika Inoue, a female, classical saxophonist, into this project.

“At heart, I am still the classical clarinetist I was since fourth grade,” Shawn Maxwell admits.

Maxwell had in mind combining classical European music with American jazz (sometimes referred to as America’s only classical music).

“I thought about some of the classical clarinet showcases I’d played and decided to compose some pieces with sections that had to be played as written, while still leaving room for a good amount of improvisation,” Maxwell explains in his liner notes.

That’s how this hybrid project came about. He opens with “Cats Are Gods,” composed by Maxwell, who has written and arranged all the songs on this album.  It’s a very beautiful ballad that immediately brings peace and tranquility to my listening room. About a third of the way through, drummer Gregg Essig slaps his sticks into the piece with gusto, double-timing the music. Mark Nelson, on electric piano, offers his bright solo. Then the spotlight is entirely devoted to the mad drumming of Essig, who shows off his percussion magnificence.

This is followed by a tune Maxwell calls, “The Last 10 Kilometers.”  This could be the composition to best express Maxwell’s musical intent. He lets loose on his clarinet with wails, growls and improvisation. This is a piece situated in the middle ground between jazz and classical music. The piano part drips over the arrangement like a leaky faucet.  It’s quite intriguing to use the piano in this sort of way. The notes tinkle repetitively beneath the soloists. Chika Inoue’s alto saxophone plays the written score, note for note and beautifully. She sweetly harmonizes with the clarinet.

The song “Frenetic Random Activity Period” exhibits mood changes and a shifting of energy from Maxwell’s other original compositions.  This is followed by “Profound Thoughts at 3AM” that is a song leaning heavily towards chamber music. The drummer and bassist sit this one out.

Here is an unusual concept album, that glows with the golden light of peace, tranquility, European classical orchestration and improvised jazz.  Each composition rises like a new sun, a new day, a new way to express the full range of Shawn Maxwell’s life and music.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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