Real Standard Time

PRISM Saxophone Quartet

innova 515

Real Standard Time features music composed by PRISM Quartet members Tim Ries and Matt Levy. Tim and Matt share a common musical bond, incorporating compositional techniques into their jazz writing that are typically associated with classical music. The result is a refreshing mix of improvisation, driving rhythms, counterpoint, changing meters, and rich harmonic voicings, all within a thoughtful architectural scheme that charts fresh musical territory by blurring stylistic boundaries.

Like the early composers of classical music who were also accomplished performers, Tim and Matt have the built-in advantage of writing for their own ensemble, in this case, the PRISM Quartet. This position allows them to exploit the individual musical personalities of the players in an intimate, subtle manner, fully exploring PRISM’s artistry.

Since 1984, PRISM has been regarded as among the nation’s most versatile quartets, “exciting and virtuosic” (New York Times) and “able to move effortlessly between styles” (Philadelphia Inquirer). Perhaps no other instrument better symbolizes jazz than the saxophone, yet it is an instrument with strong, albeit little known roots in classical music. Real Standard Time brings these two genres together to offer an enviable range of moods.

PRISM QUARTET

Intriguing programs of great beauty and breadth have distinguished the PRISM Quartet as one of America’s foremost ensembles. Winners of the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, PRISM has performed in Alice Tully Hall with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and on National Public Radio, and has toured Latin America under the auspices of the United States Information Agency. PRISM’s orchestral engagements culminated in a newly commissioned saxophone quartet concerto by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom, premiered with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

PRISM presents its own contemporary music concert series in both New York City and Philadelphia. Three annual concerts in each city feature the Quartet in performances of exciting new works which highlight the group’s versatility, many of which have been composed specifically for the ensemble. PRISM also maintains a multifaceted residency program in Philadelphia in collaboration with Settlement Music School, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Kardon Institute of the Arts for People with Disabilities.

The PRISM Quartet performs exclusively on Selmer saxophones.

PRISM Quartet

Tim Ries, soprano saxophone

Michael Whitcombe, alto saxophone

Matt Levy, tenor saxophone

Taimur Sullivan, baritone saxophone

with:

Ben Monder, guitar

Bob Ward, guitar

Larry Goldings, organ

Franck Amsallem, piano

Tony Scherr, bass

Johannes Weidenmuller, bass

John Riley, drums

Eric Halverson, drums

Matt Wilson, drums

Three

Your Gentle Heart

St. Michel

Real Standard Time

Irregular Regularity

Brown Eyes

Mission Implausible

Her August Touch

Blues for Mae

Hart’s Beat

Three

Promos and enquiries:

American Composers Forum

innova Recordings

332 Minnesota Street, E-145

St. Paul, MN 55101-1300

tel: 651•228•1407 x24

fax: 651•291•7978

e-mail: [email protected]

Phone, POs, and mail orders: 1 (888) 749-9998

Web orders: www.cdemusic.org

or www.amazon.com

info—www.composersforum.org

• • •

MAY 2000 RELEASE

Contact: Wendy Montgomery

Distributed by: Bayside, Forced Exposure, Wayside, Anomalous, Impetus, Metamkine, Verge, Lieberman, RecRecLaden, Elmo

• • •
1. Three 5:07

Matt Levy

2. Your Gentle Heart 11:16

Tim Ries

3. St. Michel 8:39

Tim Ries

Real Standard Time

Matt Levy

4. Passage 8:00

5. i remember... 1:26

6. Planet X 4:00

7. Irregular Regularity 8:53

Tim Ries

8. Brown Eyes 0:51

Matt Levy

9. Mission Implausible 6:38

Matt Levy

10. Her August Touch 3:45

Matt Levy

11. Blues for Mae 5:01

Matt Levy

12. Hart’s Beat 7:39

Tim Ries

13. Three (reprise) 1:30

Matt Levy

Total Playing Time: 73:25