Discordia
Jeremy Rose and the Earshift Orchestra
“This extraordinary album deserves as many accolades as possible… …Rose’s music is anything but standard (…) a compelling vision as to how the big band of the future will sound…. Many dense soundscapes here are full of majesty, and out of those soundscapes emerge some of the most individual voices in Australian jazz…”
Eric Myers, The Australian
Rose works with compositions and arrangements that allow the pieces to breathe - he uses the big band for punctuation and dramatic impact, juxtaposing more intimate moments against the full-fledged orchestral power of all the players.”
Christian Genzel, All Music, US
Jeremy Rose is a composer and arranger who successfully comments on the world around him (with his), tough, fierce and deeply personal music.”
Tor Hammerø, Nettavisen, Norway.
Out 1 March on Earshift Music
(EAR082) www.earshift.com
Proper Music Group UK, Bertus Europe and MGM worldwide including US
Featuring Jeremy Rose (compositions, soprano saxophone and bass clarinet), Chloe Kim (drums), 17-piece Earshift Orchestra
ARIA award-winning saxophonist-composer Jeremy Rose and his Earshift Orchestra release, Discordia, an enthralling reflection on contemporary life through sophisticated large ensemble composition. Described as “a creative force with which to reckon” (All About Jazz) and “a pivotal figure” (NYC Jazz Record), Rose demonstrates his commitment to tackling complex themes through immersive and at times wild symphonic writing, showcasing his ingenuity and ability to push the boundaries of the traditional big band format. Rose is celebrating 15 years of his label Earshift Music, described as Australia’s most significant outlet for jazz-related music” (SMH).
“Rose has become a pivotal figure, not just for his expert playing and composing, but because his Earshift Music is the country’s premier jazz label.” NYC Jazz Record
Deriving its name from the Latin term 'Vera Discordia,' meaning "discordant truths," the album illuminates the paradoxes of our information era. It explores the dangerous implications of misinformation, exacerbated by the burgeoning capabilities of AI technology, as well as the relentless human pursuit of truth.
"I've witnessed first-hand the division that can arise when personal realities diverge drastically from the truth," says Jeremy Rose, "With 'Discordia,' I aim to shed light on this issue and the potential dangers of a society increasingly steeped in falsehoods." The album thus serves as a musical commentary on our times, embracing a somber tone, while simultaneously nurturing slivers of hope.
Continuing their fruitful collaboration from "Disruption!," the prodigious drummer Chloe Kim returns to contribute her virtuosic skills to the project. The Earshift Orchestra features some of Sydney’s most creative and talented emerging artists, including brothers Tom Avgenicos (trumpet) and Michael Avgenicos (saxophone), bassist Jacques Emery, pianist Novak Manojlovic, guitarist Hilary Geddes and trombonist James Macaulay. Rose is also featured on soprano saxophone and bass clarinet on two tracks.
The album is accompanied with full studio videos available on Rose’s website via youtube.
“his mastery in all aspects of his artistry makes him a creative force with which to reckon.” ALL ABOUT JAZZ
Jeremy Rose is an ARIA award-winning saxophonist, composer, and band leader. He has released over twenty albums with his various projects and is widely known for his work with The Vampires. He has had notable collaborations with the members of The Necks, and has worked with guitarists Lionel Loueke and Kurt Rosenwinkel. His ensemble, The Earshift Orchestra, renowned for its dynamic performances and exploration of complex themes, has earned critical acclaim for its innovative contributions to large ensemble composition. The groups’ debut album, Iron in the Blood (2016, ABCJazz) was an adaptation of Robert Hughes’ book The Fatal Shore, featured at the 2020 Sydney Festival. Disruption! The Voice of Drums (2022, Earshift Music) was a thrilling tribute to the timeless, visceral and disruptive power of the drum, featuring drum virtuosi Simon Barker and Chloe Kim. The album received international critical acclaim and won the 2022 APRA/AMCOS Art Music Award for Jazz/Improvised Music Performance of the Year.
TESSIE OVERMEYER, alto sax, HINANO FUJISAKI, alto sax, MICHAEL AVGENICOS, tenor sax, LACHLAN HAMILTON, tenor sax, NICK BOWD, baritone sax
JAMES POWERS, THOMAS AVGENICOS, SIMON FERENCI, ELLEN KIRKWOOD, trumpets
JAMES MACAULAY, JACOB PARKS, CAILEY MEI SOON, NICK BARNARD, tromboneS
HILARY GEDDES, guitar
NOVAK MANOJLOVIC, keyboard
JACQUES EMERY, bass
CHLOE KIM, drums
JEREMY ROSE, conductor, soprano saxophone (track 6) and bass clarinet (track 3 and 8)
Recorded at 301 STUDIOS, Sydney, January 12, 2023
Recording engineers: BOB SCOTT & JACK GARZONIO, Mixed and mastered by BOB SCOTT,
Videography by: EDMUND RENEW, SPENCER AUSTAD & LUFTI HADY
Video producing, editing and grading: EDMUND RENEW
Discordia was recorded on Gadigal land of the Eora nation.
This project was made possible through the support of Create NSW.
About the Music
1. Vera Discordia (part 1)
This piece sets the thematic stage for the album, introducing the concept of conflicting truths in our modern information age. With Rose's intricate compositions, the track weaves a complex tapestry of sound, reflecting the chaotic nature of discordant realities colliding.
2. Vera Discordia (part 2)
Continuing the narrative from part 1, this track delves deeper into the theme of discordia, utilizing the big band's dynamic range to explore the nuances of misinformation and truth. The interplay between the Avgenicos’ trumpet and Macaulay’s trombone adds a poignant layer to the conversation on societal divides.
3. Floating Just Beyond Reach
This composition captures the elusive nature of truth in a world saturated with information. The track's floating melodies and ethereal harmonies evoke a sense of something always just out of grasp, mirroring our relentless pursuit of understanding in a complex world. This piece was created using a digital graphic score.
4. Loudspeaker
A bold and assertive piece, "Loudspeaker" represents the overpowering nature of information in the digital age. The big band's powerful brass and driving rhythms create an overwhelming sonic landscape, symbolizing the bombardment of data we face daily.
5. The Illusion of Perfection
This track is a reflective commentary on the unattainable ideal of perfection in the modern world. The subtle interplay of instruments, combined with moments of dissonance, underscores the tension between reality and the often unachievable standards set by society.
6. Just for Laughs
An ironic, yet lighter and more whimsical track, "Just for Laughs" provides a momentary respite from the album's heavier themes. The playful arrangement and spirited rhythms evoke a sense of joy and levity, reminding listeners of the importance of humor even in serious times. The track features Rose on an extended soprano saxophone solo.
7. Bring Back the Nineties
Bring Back the Nineties Nostalgic yet forward-looking, this track musically reminisces about a simpler time before the information explosion. It blends elements of 90s pop music with contemporary sounds, creating a fusion that acknowledges the past while staying rooted in the present.
8. Unverified Persona
Focusing on the theme of identity in the digital age, this track explores the concept of anonymity and the multiple facades people present online. The music symbolises the fluid and often ambiguous nature of online personas and features Rose’s bass clarinet.
9. Echo Chamber
The album closes with a reflection on the echo chambers created by our selective consumption of information. The composition uses repetitive motifs and a crescendo of harmonies to illustrate how repeated ideas can reinforce themselves, isolating us from differing perspectives.
Artistic statement from Jeremy Rose
In a time characterized by unending streams of information, where the barrier between fact and fiction becomes increasingly blurred, Discordia emerges as a timely narrative. A testament to our times, the album presents an exploration, navigating the intricate labyrinths of misinformation and the consequent human discord.
Along with the illustrious 17-piece Earshift Orchestra, we tread this path, unearthing the nuanced interplay of our contemporary milieu. Our past endeavors, such as Iron in the Blood and Disruption! The Voice of Drums, epitomized the melding of jazz music’s sophistication with contemporary stories. Discordia continues this notion, marking one of our boldest compositional endeavors.
Discordia, inspired by the term 'Vera Discordia' or "discordant truths", is a poignant testament. In an era riddled with paradoxes, where artificial intelligence amplifies the cacophony of misinformation, the tracks in this album seek to chronicle the ensuing human quest and divergence. But amid the tumult, it's also a paean to our enduring pursuit of truth: at times apocalyptic, yet sprinkled with vestiges of hope.
Being at the nexus of these convolutions, witnessing the rifts stemming from divergent truths, I felt a pressing urge to encapsulate our times' dynamics through music. It's a mosaic of reflections—highlighting the looming shadows of a society veering towards fallacies, yet interspersed with rays of clarity.
Complementing this journey, Chloe Kim’s drums provide rhythmic fervor. However, Discordia would be incomplete without the outstanding contributions of our ensemble: Thomas Avgenicos's fiery trumpet improvisations; Novak Manojlovic's introspective ruminations on the piano; and Hilary Geddes’s ethereal guitar sounds, weaving an other-worldly sonic tapestry.
As you delve deep into Discordia’s symphonic embrace, let it transcend auditory satisfaction. May it prompt reflection, foster discernment, and champion harmony in an age of Discordia.
- Jeremy Rose
Reviews for Discordia
“The writing is consistently ear-catching, even when it takes the form of a tone poem like “Floating Just Beyond Reach”, with its shimmering pads of horns and burbling sections that invite you to see things with your heart.”
Will Layman, Pop Matters, Best New Jazz Winter 2024 https://www.popmatters.com/best-new-jazz-winter-2024
“This extraordinary album deserves as many accolades as possible… …Rose’s music is anything but standard (…) a compelling vision as to how the big band of the future will sound…. Many dense soundscapes here are full of majesty, and out of those soundscapes emerge some of the most individual voices in Australian jazz…”
Eric Myers, The Australian
Rose works with compositions and arrangements that allow the pieces to breathe - he uses the big band for punctuation and dramatic impact, juxtaposing more intimate moments against the full-fledged orchestral power of all the players.”
Christian Genzel, All Music, US
Jeremy Rose is a big band composer and arranger who successfully comments on the world around him (with his), tough, fierce and deeply personal music.”
Tor Hammerø, Nettavisen, Norway.
Despite having a large brass and wind arsenal at his disposal, Rose uses his orchestra judiciously, preferencing smaller units of sound, nuanced rhythms, percussive embellishments, extended improvisations. It makes for an exciting mix: patterns of swirling colours, bold strident themes, choppy rhythmic devices, interspersed with passages of quietude, and haunting beauty. Discordia, born of rupture and hope, speaks tellingly to our times.
Des Cowley, Rhythms Magazine
“…the piece juxtaposing hustling drums and horns with the sort of quiet reveries that Teo Macero threw into Miles Davis’s immortal Right Off on Jack Johnson. …(Rose) epitomises the constant information onslaught, but even when Rose uses his horns belligerently, he incorporates subtleties and surprise…. Superbly recorded, Discordia shows that inventive composers continue to find ways for orthodox big bands to escape tiresome conventions. Really, the sky’s the limit – as it is in contemporary interpretations of the concept of truth!
John Shand, The Music Trust
https://musictrust.com.au/loudmouth/discordia-by-jeremy-rose-the-earshift-orchestra/
"Discordia" is a commanding work. This is music that feels "alive", even in the studio, with an original approach to the "traditional" Big Band sound. Listen closely; you might hear tinges of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and the work of Bob Brookmeyer and Jim McNeely. No fake news here –– Jeremy Rose & the Earshift Orchestra is a force to be reckoned with.
Richard Kamins, Step Tempest
https://steptempest.blogspot.com/2024/02/large-ensembles-2024-pt-1.html
“If you like some of the early work of Darcy James Argue's Secret Society (say like 'Zeno' on 2009's Infernal Machines) then you will probably find a good deal to appreciate here from composer, soprano saxophonist and bass clarinettist Jeremy Rose…”
https://www.marlbank.net/posts/jeremy-rose-and-the-earshift-orchestra-discordia-earshift-1-2
This project is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.