Wind And Sand by Scott Yanow Throughout his career, Bruce Lofgren has been a distinctive guitarist, an important bandleader in the Los Angeles area, and a very original arranger-composer. Gypsy Moon is his fourth recording as the leader of his own orchestra, and it features his arrangements of nine of his originals plus two very different versions of standards. Bruce Lofgren has written music almost from the time he first played guitar at the age of 12. While originally interested in playing rock and roll like Chuck Berry, his first teacher (Don Alexander) introduced him to the great jazz players. “My ear developed quickly and I real- ized that I had the ability to see the form of a song pretty quickly. Writing and arranging music always interested me.” By the age of 16, he was organizing his own group, The Vegas. While in college he led The Barons Blues Band for two years. Although he wanted to be a music major at the University of Washington, since the school did not recognize the guitar as a legitimate instrument in the 1960s, Bruce became an English Literature major while studying music on the side and playing gigs every weekend. He contributed over 40 arrange- ments for a ten-piece band, the Pacific Northwest Territory Band. After college, Bruce moved to Los Angeles, traveled with the show band Brother Love, and played and arranged for Ray Anthony. He studied orchestration for a year with Dr. Albert Harris (who had him listen to Ravel and Stravinsky), wrote for pop singers, gained some notoriety for his arrangement of “Three Day Suckers” for Buddy Rich, and toured with Airto and Flora Purim. In 1973 he formed the Bruce Lofgren Jazz Orchestra which has since become an institution in Los Angeles. It evolved over time into a very individual group comprised of three trumpets, trombone, bass trom- bone, two French horns, four woodwinds and a six-piece rhythm section. For Wind and Sand, Bruce added guitarist Carl Verheyen who had been a member of the group in the 1980s. Wind and Sand begins with Lofgren’s transformation of Bronislaw Kaper’s “Invitation”. It utilizes African rhythms played by percussion- ist Brian Kilgore and drummer Bob Leatherbarrow, a passionate and rockish guitar solo from Carl Verheyen, and a bit of tenor from Glen Berger. “I usually only arrange other artist’s compositions when I feel they can be done differently than they have in the past. Our version of ‘Invitation’ is basically in 6/4 time, but also adds a variety of other accents and superimposed times.” Next is “Bop Talk,” the first of three originals that feature the lyrics of Ed Leimbacher and the vocals of Karen Mitchell. “Ed is a published writer, reviewer, poet, blogger, and a very talented lyricist. He and I were both English majors at the University of Washington, and we have collaborated on quite a few songs through the years. Karen Mitchell is bassist Red Mitchell’s niece. She is a delightful singer with great pitch and really good stage presence who I have worked with during the past two years.” “Bop Talk” was originally an instrumental before Bruce sent the music to Leimbacher and asked him to add references to jazz icons. The result is a good-humored and swinging piece that refers to nine jazz greats and nine songs from the classic bebop era. “Café Rio” has an extended form, a strong countermelody and a Brazilian flavor with a nod towards Bruce Lofgren’s early interest in Tito Puente’s band and Latin music of the 1950s. Charlie Ferguson’s keyboard solo is a strong asset to the performance. “Far Far Away” is a very personal piece for the composer, one written for his grandfather who he called “Far Far” (the Swedish name for grandfather). “"He emigrated from Sweden at the turn of the century when he was 18, with his older brother, carving out a living as a carpenter and shipwright near Seattle in the (at the time) heavily-forested Kingston area on Puget Sound. When I was young we visited him often and he and I were close. He would take me for long walks in the country. When I was 10 or 11, he gave away his dog and returned to Sweden, which I thought was an extended visit. But after a year, news came to us he had passed away, which floored me. When I wrote this piece, it re- minded me of my walks with Grandpa, and then having him disappear from my life.” The music is nostalgic, warm and evokes a sense of longing. Glen Berger, who has several memorable solos throughout the set on several reed instruments, takes a superb spot on soprano during “Far Far Away” that perfectly fits the mood of the piece. The cinematic “Wind and Sand” is an atmospheric piece again featuring Glen Berger – this time on clarinet. “It conjures up the image of being in the desert and watching the wind play with the sand, giving one the feeling of perman- ence and change over time.” “Find A Place,” about a sensuous affair in Brazil, serves as a perfect showcase for Karen Mitchell’s warm voice, wide range and easy swing style. “Magic Shoes” alternates between being a Latin piece and straight ahead, going back and forth in a manner similar to Horace Silver’s “Nica’s Dream” while still sounding like a Bruce Lofgren original. Ron King has a fiery trumpet solo that perfectly fits the colorful arrangement as does the playing of the percussionists. Bruce’s inspiration for “Days Of August” comes from his salad days growing up in Seattle. “The months of August and September are so beautiful there. During that period, Seattle has all of the greenery yet is warm with long, late sunsets.” In addition to its catchy melody (which is worthy of being a movie theme), the jazz waltz includes a concise alto solo by Glen Garrett and plenty of picturesque ensembles. “Gypsy Moon” is a spirited piece influenced by European folk music. After the strong melody, Carl Verheyen takes a bluesy guitar solo that gets quite heated. Bruce Lofgren’s tasteful revival of the Beatles’ “Michelle” turns the song into a jazz waltz that is completely reharmonized while keeping its melody intact. The baroque counterpoint in the piece’s development section is a highlight as is Glen Garrett’s alto solo. Wind and Sand concludes with “Sheet Music”, a witty exploration of sly double-entendres featuring Karen Mitchell. “Karen’s performance is pretty amazing because she changes from being this innocent person at the begin- ning of the song to one who is aggressive and much more experienced.” Bruce Lofgren works with his trio several times a month, is part of many recording projects with other artists, and hopes to write for films in the future. His orchestra is one of his main musical loves. It is very easy to understand why after hearing the memorable music of Wind and Sand, its finest recording to date.