Projects

Four Across

"The best new jazz quartet that I've heard in recent years," says KBCS Seattle's Bud Young of Four Across . Based in New York, the quartet is made up of long-time friends and collaborators Josh Deutsch (trumpet), Carmen Staaf (piano), Matt Aronoff (bass) and Brian Adler (drums). With five tours and a critically acclaimed debut record under their belt, Four Across brings an original take to the jazz conversation, incorporating influences from Thelonious Monk and Danilo Perez to stand-up comics, street food, meandering conversations and bicycle sounds. Band members have performed in Europe, Asia and South America, and received awards from Downbeat and the Kennedy Center. Four Across has performed across the United States, including appearances at the Earshot Jazz Festival and the Outpost Summer Concert series.

Additional Press for Four Across:

"Four Across" represents what I love most about jazz! This ensemble has vision for the present and future while truly honoring the past. Strong composition along with great solos and inventive interplay makes Four Across a repeat play on my ipod. Five Stars all the way!"
- Ray Vega, New York trumpeter and bandleader

"Four Across is the best new jazz quartet that I've heard in recent years...about to rank among the premier contemporary jazz groups...fresh, young, and talented."
- Bud Young, KBCS FM, Bud's Jazz Records and Tapes, Seattle, WA

The Ligeti Project

The Ligeti Project is a set of 12 pieces for Jazz Septet. Sketches for these pieces were started in the summer of 2008, and it was completed and premiered in 2009.

Here are the program notes from the premiere:

One of my favorite musicians in any genre is the late Hungarian composer György Ligeti, in particular his music for solo piano. If you haven't heard his Piano Etudes , I highly recommend checking out a recording - they're fantastic pieces of music, and they seem to me to defy genre. In doing some research on Ligeti and his Piano Etudes , I ended up reading quite a bit about his much earlier set of solo piano pieces, Musica Ricercata . It is a set of 11 pieces, the first of which is restricted to 2 notes, and each subsequent movement adds another pitch, so that the final movement uses all twelve pitches. (The second movement has gained a wide audience due to its repeated appearances in Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut"). Fascinatingly, Ligeti wrote this while completely isolated from developments in Western Europe, so the final movement of Musica Ricercata is a twelve-tone piece in no way influenced by the Second Viennese School of Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern.

What I set out to do with this set of pieces was to use the same pitch restrictions that Ligeti did, while incorporating various influences, some from jazz, some from 20 th Century classical music. Also, I decided to make it an even 12 movements, using only one pitch for the first, and working all the way up to twelve pitches in the final movement. This set of pieces was written for a jazz septet comprised of some of my favorite improvisers and musicians. One challenge of writing chamber music for great improvisers is knowing how much to notate and how much to leave up to the performers. Each piece in this set plays with the balance between notated and improvised music. With my pitch material being restricted, I was forced to write with added weight on other musical aspects - orchestration, rhythm, dynamics, shape, form. With the exception of one movement, you won't hear music specifically derived from Ligeti's compositions, but rather an assortment of stylistic influences under the umbrella of Ligeti's compositional construct.

György Ligeti passed away just three years ago, and I'd like to dedicate this piece to his memory. Whether or not it's a direct homage, I'd like to think that Ligeti would have enjoyed hearing this music.

Nico Soffiato / Josh Deutsch Duo

Guitarist Nicollo Soffiato and trumpeter Josh Deutsch have been playing together in a duo setting since 2006, when they met in Boston. After a long process of workshopping unusual compositions and arrangements, specifically suited to the ensemble, the duo recorded and mastered a set of 5 pieces, which can be heard here. The duo is currently rehearsing brand new music - watch for performances and recordings in early 2010...

The Poisonous Birds

The Poisonous Birds have emerged as one of Eugene's most exciting jazz groups. Led by trumpeter Josh Deutsch , the quintet plays a mixture of original compositions and arrangements by all of the members of the band, bringing in inspiration from diverse sources ranging from reggae to hip hop to electronica, all juxtaposed over a core of hard-driving modern jazz. Multi-saxophonist Hashem Assadullahi brings a unique blend of energy and lyricism, while keyboardist Jeff Lovell adds burning solos and accompaniment. The quintet is built around the solid groove foundation of Eugene natives Dorian McIntyre-Crow on bass and Kevin Congleton on drums. The Poisonous Birds have performed at many of Eugene's top venues, and its members have toured as far as Europe and Japan, as well as throughout the United States. The group's first CD, "Live @ Jo Federigo's," was released in the spring of 2008.

Josh Deutsch (Oregon) Quartet

The Josh Deutsch Quartet is made up of some of Oregon's leading jazz musicians. Guitarist and composer Justin Morell made a name for himself in the Los Angeles and San Francisco jazz scenes before moving to Oregon to pursue a doctorate in composition. Bassist Josh Tower, originally from Massachussetts, has established himself as one of the most sought after bass players in central Oregon, and drummer Jason Palmer is one of the leading performers and educators on drumset throughout the northwest. The group focuses on original compositions by both Deutsch and Morell, and has performed around the Northwest.