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Jim Self, Flying Circus: Music for Brass Quintet

June 27, 2019 IM

In Flying Circus, tubist Jim Self of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) compiles the many quintets he has composed from 1996-2016.

For these recordings, he enlisted two of the most prominent ensembles and tubists playing today in LA: Crown City Brass Quintet, with Norm Pearson, and the Modern Brass Quintet, with Doug Tornquist, both of Local 47.

Drawing on jazz, swing, and dance music, Self’s compositions are generally tonal/modal/bi-tonal with strategic dissonances. Rhythmic elements are the driving force, with accents of lush textures. On this CD, he provides a sample of his range: From the fanfare of “Antiphonal Brass Quintets,” to the buoyant quality of “Polka.com,” and the structure of “HoopLA,” which leads with a Latin setup, followed by intricate grooves, a waltz, solos, and duets.