VISIONS JAZZ ENSEMBLE – SAM BUTLER & GARRETT FASIG

ACROSS THE FIELD

Patois Records

Sam Butler, trumpet/arranger; Garrett Fasig, tenor saxophone/arranger; Francis Bassett-Dilley, drums; Jacob Smith, bass; Dan Ventura, piano; Nick Recktenwald, trumpet; Jeff Parker, trombone/bass trumpet. SPECIAL GUEST: Wycliffe Gordon, trombone.

Francis Bassett-Dilley on drums dominates this first arrangement right from the start.  Sam Butler and Garrett Fasig are composers, arrangers and educators based in Indianapolis, as is this band of musicians. These two stalwart players of the Indianapolis, Indiana mid-west jazz scene are joined by IU graduates on this recording, with special guest Wycliffe Gordon on trombone.

Garrett Fasig is also an arranger, composer and educator who has written and recorded music with the Brent Wallarab Jazz Ensemble, the John Raymond Ensemble, the Plummer Jazz Quintet and Greg Ward’s Large Ensemble.  Butler too has performed with a variety of ensembles including the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, with Sean Dobbins and the Modern Jazz Messengers. He was the winner of the 2023 International Trumpet Guild Jazz Solo Competition.

Their first tune (Tiger Ray) was originally recorded in 1917, by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.  These two 21^st century arrangers took inspiration from Louisiana State University, incorporating a twist of modern harmony to their arrangement. The trumpet solo is smokin’ hot!  Also, the bassist (Jacob Smith) shines on his instrument.

When you see the phrase ‘college fight songs’ you probably think about a halftime football show. Sam Butler and Garrett Fasig thought it would be a challenge to gather a group of popular college fight songs and turn them into hip, jazzily arranged songs with a modern edge.  Working in conjunction with The Timeless Music Project (who presents live music performances around Indianapolis), Butler and Fasig came to the attention of Brent Wallarab, an Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at Indiana University.  He is a strong supporter of Butler and Fasig’s talent. Of course, he encouraged their project.

Butler and Fasig each chose six songs to arrange for this recording. Their original show premiering these college fight songs happened a year ago, October of 2023, at the SILO Club in Indianapolis.  The show was an absolute hit! Consequently, the Entertainment Foundation suggested they record an album of the music.  That’s how this production came to be.

Some of these songs were composed over a hundred years ago.  Most are based on marches that influenced early New Orleans Street music. That makes them very close to the origins of early jazz.

Every old ‘fight song’ is beautifully arranged with modern jazz propelling the compositions into the twenty-first century. This is an unusual and awesome project, uniquely special because it shows how jazz can transform tunes we know and love to works of unforgettable art. Sam Butler and Garrett Fasig should take a big prideful bow.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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