Recordings
notreble.com review
Another review in from the bass player website No Treble. Check it out here.
Recordings
emusic review
Got a nice little mention from emusic.com reviewer/writer Dave Sumner, reprinted here: “Justin Morell, Dectet: Subjects and Complements: A gorgeous recording that behaves with a third-stream elegance. A jazz album that likes to shoot the breeze about classical music. And though it’s a sizable group on the bandstand, the numbers Read more…
Recordings
CD review from Pittsburgh Tribune
This review just posted on the Pittsburgh Tribune website. Reprint here: Justin Morell Dectet (Sonic Frenzy) From a set of five fugues to familiar-feeling pieces that coast along in classic big-band fashion, the Justin Morell Dectet offers a clever look at large-ensemble music on “Subjects and Complements.” Besides providing all Read more…
Videos
LORAC
The latest installment of youtube videos from the Subjects and Complements recording sessions: LORAC. This excerpt starts with the opening of the piece and plays up to the start of the solo section (which, on the CD, features John Daversa and Phil O’Connor). I have two more extended excerpts, both Read more…
Recordings
Subjects and Complements reviews
Reviews are beginning to post for the upcoming Subjects and Complements. Here’s one review from the online magazine Midwest Record. More to come.
Academics
Compound thematic structure in CeeLo Green’s “Only You”
I heard this newer song by CeeLo Green the other day and thought, here’s a perfect example of compound thematic/phrase structure. I’m talking about the chorus, which begins around 0:47 in the video here: Caplin (see Classical Form by William Caplin, Oxford University Press) calls this kind of theme a Read more…
Academics
Rhythmic diminution in Taylor Swift’s “Trouble”
It isn’t often that one can look to top-40 pop music for a clear cut example of rhythmic motive diminution, but this is exactly what happens in the song “I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift. Here’s a link to the official video, if you can hang on long Read more…
Videos
Excerpts from Subjects and Complements
I’ve posted a video of excerpts of four tracks from the upcoming Subjects and Complements CD. I’m still looking for the best way to release this music, so as of now the best I can say is that I hope the CD will be out by late-2013. The four tracks Read more…
Videos
Fugue in E
A video from the recording session for my upcoming CD, “Dectet”, which should be available late 2012. Check out the wonderful solos by Alan Ferber and Leonard Thompson. The rest of the band includes Bob Sheppard, Phil O’Connor, Ben Wendel, John Daversa, George Thatcher, Mark Ferber, and Damian Erskine.
Program notes
Program Notes for “Four Songs”
The four texts in this cycle are excerpts from a very long six-volume poem by Lucretius (ca. 99- 55 BCE) in which he describes the details of Epicurean philosophy. In simple terms, this is a philosophy of the physical world, one in which all things are made up of tiny Read more…