Tyzik Joyride: The Music of Jeff Tyzik – The Eastman Wind Ensemble

Under the direction of Mark Scatterday, America’s Leading wind ensemble explodes with a powerful display of musicianship on impressive, diverse compositions from Grammy winner (Eastman Grad) Jeff Tyzik – Featuring the next generation gifted soprano sax player and Eastman graduate Alexa Tarantino and legendary trombonist and 1972 Eastman Grad, Jim Pugh, this project is incredibly well done!

GENRE: Jazz/Classical (crossover)/Wind Ensemble/Symphonic/Latin
COMPOSER: Jeff Tyzik

Jazz Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble featuring standout, Alexa Tarantino: Tyzik decided to turn the Eastman Wind Ensemble into a large “Jazz Wind Ensemble” led by the incredible Tarantino!

SYMPHONIES: full of melody set against rich harmonies and exciting rhythms.

Concerto for Trombone and Wind Ensemble featuring the legendary, Jim Pugh: The concerto has many Latin and Afro-Cuban influences, Pugh nails the ‘call and response’, where the trombone makes a statement and the orchestra answers it, and vice-versa.

THREE LATIN DANCES for Wind Ensemble: In this short suite (recorded Live at Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre), Tyzik used three different popular Latin dance forms: Danzón, Cha Cha and Malambo…the percussion section is very busy.

Jim Pugh is a distinguished trombonist, composer, and educator. The inspiring virtuosity and wonderful versatility he has demonstrated during his career has caused Jim to be often honored as the “musician’s musician”.

In the words of Wynton Marsalis, Alexa Tarantino is a “one-woman wrecking crew, […] an indomitable force for expression, education, and absolute excellence.” Alexa was nominated as a Rising Star Alto Saxophonist by Downbeat Magazines CriticsPoll and was named one of the Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019 by JazzTimes CriticsPoll.

GRAMMY Award winner Jeff Tyzik, one of America’s most innovative and sought after pops conductors began his association with the Eastman Wind Ensemble under the direction of Donald Hunsberger at the Eastman School of Music in 1970. Tyzik considers his time in the EWE as one of the most important influences in his long career in music.

The Eastman Wind Ensemble is America’s leading wind ensemble. As only the fourth conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Mark Scatterday joined a prestigious line of conductors in the past sixty-plus years of the famed ensemble.