Notes:
Born and bred in Indianapolis, innovative composer-arranger Frank Glover may be one of Indiana’s best-kept secrets. On his 2005 tour de force, the classically-influenced Politico (reissued in 2009 on Owl Studios), Glover established himself as an accomplished clarinetist-composer with a penchant for long-form pieces that strike an organic balance between improvisation and formal structure. On Abacus, he expands on his large canvas vision with a stunning program of chamber jazz that alternately reflects the influence of classical renegade Igor Stravinsky and Bela Bartok, tango renegade Astor Piazzolla, prolific Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu and forward-thinking jazz master Wayne Shorter as well as renowned film score composers Bernard Hermann and Alfred Newman.
Performing primarily on soprano saxophone this time (he plays clarinet on one track), Glover and his working quartet of keyboardist Zach Lapidus, bassist Jack Helsley and drummer Dave Scalia join together with a full complement of strings, woodwinds, brass and mallet percussion to present a potent program of sophisticated, meaningful music in three movements. “I think there’s a giant gap between improvisation and contemporary classical composition,” says the 46-year-old composer. “We don’t even have the words to describe music that falls in that gap. It’s not classical composition, it’s just music.”
A self-described “movie freak,” Glover points to all the great film composers as having influenced his musical vision in some way. “I love the movies, so I’ve heard tons of movie scores, good and bad. I've also listened to a lot of Bach, Takemitsu, Wayne Shorter and Piazzolla. Writing is all about courage to me. The courage to write what you really want to hear.”
A National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Performance Award recipient, Glover has released five recordings as a leader, beginning with 1991’s Mosaic. With the release of Abacus, jazz fans on a wide scale will come to understand what Indianapolis jazz fans have known all along, that Frank Glover is indeed a cultural treasure deserving of wider recognition. -Bill Milkowski
Artist Roster:
Frank Glover: Soprano Saxophone and Clarinet
Zach Lapidus: Piano and Keyboards
Jack Helsley: Bass
Dave Scalia: Drums and Percussion
Chamber Orchestra
Track Listing:
1. Two Shades of Green
2. Lost Sumino
3. Abacus
4. Domino
5. Ballerina
6. Lighthouse
7. Modern Times
8. Salamanca
9. Robot
Reviews:
Indianapolis-based clarinetist and soprano saxophonist Frank Glover's musical concept on Abacus is not necessarily involved in counting, or painting by numbers. This is a combination of orchestral sounds paired with soloist Glover and his quartet that goes beyond what would normally be heard in this format. ... Glover's woodwinds are very much within a peaceful mood, while the accompanying orchestral charts have great depth and substance, although they don't shout for approval. It's a grand statement without being grandiose or even remotely pompous, heartfelt to the bone, and a beautiful new music statement straight from the Midwestern heartland. Michael G. Nastos (All Music Guide)
The new master of clarinet, Frank Glover, issued the astonishing Politico not long ago, so it was with a leap of expectation that I found Abacus in my mail box the other day, far sooner than I would've dared to hope and very happily so. "Wow!", thought I, "kinda like getting a second refund check from the IRS!". Wasting no time slipping the disc into my player, anticipation melted into bliss as an unexpected neoclassically-wrought masterpiece flowed from the speakers. ... Pastels and fogs abound, hidden illumination efflorescing shadowy vistas and looping culverts, but there are also equally dark city nightscapes every so often glinting with blare and explosions of eventide hues. Perhaps surprisingly, perhaps not, there's a kindredness to trumpeter Tomasz Stanko's later work circa Balladyna, From the Green Hill, Soul of Things, and other ECM gems. Don't expect a repetition of the clarinetist's Politico, you're not going to get it. What you will receive, though, is a foretoken of what I have no doubt will be one of the most important voices in American music 'ere long. Thus, expectation meeting reality, there's just one word for Abacus: exquisite. - Mark S. Tucker (F.A.M.E.)
