David Sanford Big Band featuring Hugh Ragin
“To call the (David Sanford’s) Pittsburgh Collective a big band is a bit like calling the New York Philharmonic an opera outfit…A new kind of fusion is going on in [their] music, but also, perhaps, a new kind of analysis, in which the origins of jazz – the fusion music of a century ago – are being creatively explored.” – Paul Griffiths, Miller Theater program notes, October 2007
Along with presenting original works written expressly for the ensemble, the group performs big band literature that draws heavily on classical idioms (Stravinsky), classical works (Tomkins, Mahler) and popular music (Nick Cave, Sia), as well as jazz standards (Gillespie, Mingus, Elvin Jones).
photo credit: American Academy in Rome, NYC