The Johnny Griffith Quintet
Johnny Griffith • Alto/Tenor Saxophones
Jeremy Pelt • Trumpet
Adrean Farrugia• Piano
Jon Maharaj• Bass
Ethan Ardelli • Drums
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Track notes
The Zissou Predicament – An explosive hard-bop inspired tune, named for Johnny’s favor ite movie, the life aquatic. Steve Zissou: “I’m going to find it and I’m going to destroy it. I don’t know how yet. Possibly with dynamite.”
Princess Aura Goes to Phyrgia a contemporary jazz composition named for Flash Gordon. Ming the Merciless’ daughter Aura, tries to convince Flash to join her on her secret pleasure moon –Phrygia. This song is inspired by that moon and explores the third mode of the major scale…Phrygian.
Syrah, a dedication to one of Johnny’s true loves –an open bottle on the back porch.
The Kuleshascope is named for Canadian Art Music composer Gary Kulesha. Uses twelve tone composition techniques…but sounds like Anton Webern met Black Sabbath and then went to a jazz club.
Mile Walk a brooding slow dark tune featuring Jeremy Pelt sounding very much like Miles Davis.
Cinders take its name from a trip to the ballet to see Prokofiev’s Cinderella. The tune takes it’s harmonic concepts from the Russian master composer , yet is very reminiscent of Kenny Wheeler’s style.
That Night Under The Bench, named for a time Johnny spent homeless in NYC. Afraid to sleep at night, he was sleep deprived and began to have delusions. The angular sax/bass introduction joined by the contrapuntal trumpet and piano melodies were written during that rough time he spent trying to stay awake…under a bench.
Credits
Released by G-B Records – gbrecords.ca
Recorded live to tape at Noble Street Studios toronto- August 15-16th 2014
produced by Jeremy Pelt & Johnny Griffith
Engineered, Mixed & Mastered by Stew Crookes – stewcrookes.com
Assistant engineer – Alex Krotz
all compositions by johnny griffith
original artwork by Martha Barron Griffith – marthagriffith.com
This album was made possible
thanks to the support of the FACTOR.