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The Wizards of the Saxophone Meet the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound: Creating a 21st-Century Jazz Vocabulary

Warriors of the Wonderful Sound

Recipient

Grant Year 2009

Grant Amount $50,000

Status Completed

Updated May 30, 2023

Warriors of the Wonderful Sound (WWS) presented The Wizards of the Saxophone Meet the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound: Creating a 21st-Century Jazz Vocabulary as part of Montgomery County Community College's Lively Arts Series. WWS commissioned composer/alto saxophonists Rudresh Mahanthappa and Steve Coleman to write major works for Pew Fellow Bobby Zankel and the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, the Philadelphia-based 15-member big band. Mahanthappa and Coleman have each extended the jazz lexicon with distinct approaches to composition: Coleman through advanced systems of rhythmic structure and pitch organization, and Mahanthappa by integrating elements of Indian music with progressive jazz. For the performance of Coleman's work, WWS was joined in concert by the composer's ensemble, Five Elements. The project also included panel discussions with the composers and open rehearsals.

Recipient

Warriors of the Wonderful Sound

In 2001, saxophonist and Pew Fellow Bobby Zankel founded the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound (WWS), a big band to perform his compositions and arrangements. The members of the ensemble have recorded alongside such masters as Cecil Taylor, Odean Pope, Steve Coleman, Johnny Coles, Mike Brecker, Ravi Coltrane, and Uri Caine. With Center support, WWS commissioned and premiered an evening-length composition entitled SoundPath from 2010 NEA Jazz Master Muhal Richard Abrams, co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.

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