Blues, Ballads and Beyond

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Blues, Ballads and Beyond is the tenth classical/new music studio album from trombonist Mark Hetzler on the Summit Records label.^[1] It was critically acclaimed by Classical Musical Sentinel, "He can shape, flex, caress, torture, stress, accent and animate notes on the fly and bring anything he plays to life. All the pieces on this new CD were well chosen to showcase his command of the instrument, and the range of styles he easily slips into is impressive"^[2] Numerous prominent performing artists and composers are featured on the recording to include Michael Colgrass, Enrique Crespo, Daniel Schnyder, Robert Suderburg, John Stevens, and Jack Cooper.

Background

Blues, Ballads and Beyond features jazz and commercially influenced music by contemporary classical composers. The list of composers for the recording is diverse and to include Michael Colgrass, Enrique Crespo, Daniel Schnyder, Robert Suderburg, John Stevens, and Jack Cooper. American Record Guide is quoted to say Mark Hetzler is “..one of the world’s great trombone players” and the recording helps to demonstrate his prowess on the instrument. Much like his past recordings with Summit Records, this recording has a wide range of musical influences and was completed in numerous recording sessions throughout 2011-2013.

Track listing

All tracks are written by noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mystic With A Credit Card"	Michael Colgrass	7:15
2.	"Javier's Dialog"	Dennis Llinás	6:37
3.	"Improvisation No. 1"	Enrique Crespo	6:25
4.	"Sonata for Trombone and Piano, Mov. I - Blues"	Daniel Schnyder	6:20
5.	"Sonata for Trombone and Piano, Mov. II - An American Ballad"		4:18
6.	"Sonata for Trombone and Piano, Mov. III - Below Surface"		1:39
7.	"Night Set for Trombone and Piano: Mov I. Cry, Man"	Robert Suderburg	3:09
8.	"Night Set for Trombone and Piano: Mov II. It's Been A Long, Long Time"		6:46
9.	"Night Set for Trombone and Piano: Mov III. Brother Devil"		5:42
10.	"Doolallynastics"	Brian Lynn	8:45
11.	"Melancholy Mood"	John Stevens	7:38
12.	"Sonata: Mov. I Mambo"	Jack Cooper	3:06
13.	"Sonata: Mov. II Solo"		4:48
14.	"Sonata: Mov. III Naningo"		6:23

Recording Sessions

Throughout 2013/2014

all tracks recorded at Mills Concert Hall, the University of Wisconsin–Madison

Personnel

Musicians

Trombone: Mark Hetzler
Percussion: Anthony Di Sanza
Marimba: Sean Kleve
Vibraphone: Brett Walter
Vibraphone: Joseph Murfin
Piano/keyboards: Vincent Fuh
Piano: Marthe Fischer
Narration: Buss Kemper
Bass: Nick Moran
Drums (set): Todd Hammes
Congas: Yorel Lashley

Production

Producer, conductor, engineer: Mark Hetzler
Digital Mastering: Bob Katz at Digital Domain
Liner Notes: Michael Colgrass, Dennis Llinás, Mark Hetzler, Daniel Schnyder, Robert Suderburg, Brian Lynn, John Stevens, Jack Cooper
Cover art and design: Daniel Traynor
Photography: Katrin Talbot

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Classical Music Sentinel	Highly favorable^[2]

"Mind boggling is how well he plays the trombone...Unbelievable! Remarkable playing. What being a true musician is all about."

Jean-Yves Duperron - Classical Music Sentinel^[2]

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format
Canada^[3]	November 6, 2015	Summit Records	CD, digital download
United Kingdom
United States^[4]
Japan^[5]	November 10, 2015
Europe (Germany)^[6]	November 19, 2015

References

^ Blues, Ballads and Beyond, Summit Records
^ ^a ^b ^c Duperron, Jean-Yves. Classical Music Sentinel. December 2015
^ "Blues, Ballads and Beyond (2015)". Amazon.com (Canada). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "Blues, Ballads and Beyond". Amazon.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "Blues, Ballads and Beyond (2015)". Amazon.com (Japan).
^ "Blues, Ballads and Beyond (2015)". Amazon.com (German). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

External links

[1] Blues, Ballads and Beyond, Summit Records

[CLASSICALSENT-2] Duperron, Jean-Yves. Classical Music Sentinel. December 2015

[3] "Blues, Ballads and Beyond (2015)". Amazon.com (Canada). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[4] "Blues, Ballads and Beyond". Amazon.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[5] "Blues, Ballads and Beyond (2015)". Amazon.com (Japan).

[6] "Blues, Ballads and Beyond (2015)". Amazon.com (German). {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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