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For more than two decades, CalArts students have written, performed and recorded mostly original jazz and world music compositions at the world-famous Capitol Studios in Hollywood. Friday marked the anticipated release of the 21st edition of the CalArts Jazz CD.
With the support of the studio and EMI Music, students and the CalArts jazz faculty–including Mel Powell Chair of the Jazz Studies Program David Roitstein, Paul Novros, Larry Koonse, Darek Oles and Joe LaBarbera–used the spring semester to select then hone the best songs for the annual compilation. It was Roitstein who established the CalArts Jazz CD project in 1990, and since then has produced all of the CDs.
No. 21 features 11 tracks, and all but two were composed by CalArts students. The compositions range from traditional jazz stylings to more world-influenced tunes, including James Brandon Lewis’s (Music MFA 10) “I Remember South Africa” and Timothy Carr’s (BFA Music 11) “What Flew for Awhile,” an “Icelandic jazz waltz” that features the lyrics and vocals of Kristín Póra Haraldsdóttir (Music MFA 11).
The video posted above gives a glimpse into the Capitol recording sessions, and we’ve also included an audio clip of Steve Blum’s (Music MFA 10) “The Tough Get Going.” The entire album will be posted on the CalArts Jazz CD archive later this week.
**This year’s CD cover by Graphic Design students Lorin Brown (Art BFA 10) and Monica Yi (Art BFA 10).
Earlier 24700 post: 20 Years of Jazz with Capitol/EMI