Navona Records is proud to announce the re-release of David Tanner's 1988 album The Eloquent Saxophone. Tanner is no Stranger to Navona; his compositions and arrangements can be heard on two other Navona releases: Of Birds and Lemons (2012) and Dashing (2016). This was his first album, featuring him as a performer. It includes two unaccompanied pieces and two sax quartets recorded by multi-tracking, as well as a rich variety of works with accompaniment admirably rendered by pianist Marc Widner. The music ranges from Schumann to a stylized blues by Gene DiNovi. Tanner's musical language is enriched by classical training and a career encompassing rock'n'roll and jazz as well as symphony. Reviewer Denis Armstrong wrote in Music Magazine, "Not long into this recording, one begins to marvel at the sheer joy David Tanner's playing conveys... a dense and rich recording... at times elegant and elegiac, other times ribald and visceral. But the one constant is the joy and clarity of expression." The first track sets the tone: "Serenade comique" is a brief, frantic sax quartet composition that evokes Parisian traffic or perhaps a flock of birds. "La Blues," the other quartet selection, evokes the melancholy of New York in the depth of night. "It is a treat for the listener to hear this feat of multi-tracking done so well," said reviewer Joseph Viola in Saxophone Journal. Each track is in contrast to the one before it; each represents something different and interesting. To quote Music Magazine again, "The Eloquent Saxophone [is] a thoroughly eccentric, invigorating and generous treat."

Tracklist:

Petit Quatuor: III. Sérénade Comique (Arr. For Saxophone & Piano)
Sonatine Sportive, Op. 63: I. Lutte
Sonatine Sportive, Op. 63: II. Mi Temps
Sonatine Sportive, Op. 63: III. Course
La Blues
Tableaux De Provence: I. Farandoulo Di Chatouno
Tableaux De Provence: II. Cansoun Per Ma Mio
Tableaux De Provence: III. La Boumiano
Tableaux De Provence: IV. Dis Alyscamps L'amo Souspire
Tableaux De Provence: V. Lou Cabridan
Syrinx, L. 129 (Arr. For Saxophone)
3 Romanzen, Op. 94: No. 1 In A Minor (Arr. For Saxophone & Piano)
Caprice En Forme De Valse
15 Études, Op. 188: No. 8, Pour Les Notes En Staccato Et Le Mélange De Legato Et Staccato
Nola
Music For Saxophone & Piano: I. Fast
Music For Saxophone & Piano: II. Slow
Music For Saxophone & Piano: III. Moderato
Music For Saxophone & Piano: IV. Fast

UPC: 896931004589
Label: Navona
Release Date: 5.11.18
Format: CD

Debussy / Tanner / Widner - Eloquent Saxophone (CD)