Released 1963 Extension
(1963) So Danço Samba
(1964) Label Pacific Jazz | Producer Richard Bock Release date 1963 Genre Jazz | |
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Recorded 1963 at Pacific Jazz Studios Artists Clare Fischer, Clare Fischer Orchestra Clare Fischer albums Thesaurus, Songs for Rainy Day Lovers, Easy Livin', ONE ‑ to get ready: FOUR, The State of His Art | ||
Extension is the third album by composer/arranger/keyboardist Clare Fischer, and his first for big band, recorded and released in 1963 on the Pacific Jazz label, reissued on CD (together with the 1967 LP, Songs for Rainy Day Lovers) in 2002 as America the Beautiful, and, under its original name, in 2012.
Contents
Reception
Reviewing the 2012 CD reissue for All About Jazz, Troy Collins calls Extension Fischer's "masterpiece," representing "a majestic culmination of his concepts, drawing upon myriad influences, including rich Ellingtonian voicings, the angular harmonic intervals of bebop, and bold modernist innovations proffered by classical composers such as Béla Bartók and Dmitri Shostakovich." Expanding on this notion, Collins continues:
Counter to the norms of the time, these meticulously scored big-band charts are light on extended improvisation—but intentionally so—as Fischer considered the relationship between composition and arrangement equally important. Maintaining thematic control as primary soloist, Fischer proves to be a concise, yet original interpreter, demonstrated by his adroit pianism on the impressionistic tone poem "Quiet Dawn." His kaleidoscopic Hammond organ work, revealed elsewhere on the record, is equally colorful.
Alternating with the leader for the spotlight is tenor saxophonist Jerry Coker... Together Fischer and Coker accentuate the date's prismatic colors and variegated moods, which are by turns charmingly old fashioned, like the breezy "Ornithardy," or subversively modern, such as the jaunty "Igor," dedicated to Stravinsky. As part of the same continuum that includes Gil Evans, Stan Kenton and Gary McFarland, Fischer reveals a distinctive and unique compositional style. Accessible and sophisticated, Extension is a welcome reissue that will entertain and engage curious listeners on multiple levels.
Track listing
All compositions by Clare Fischer.
- "Ornithardy" - 3:29
- "Quiet Dawn" - 4:36
- "Bittersweet" - 3:43
- "Igor" - 3:23
- "Extension" - 6:32
- "Solette" - 1:08
- "Passacaglia" - 3:16
- "Canto Africano" - 3:54
Ornithardy, Extension, Soloette / Passacaglia
Quiet Dawn, Bittersweet, Igor, Canto Africano
Songs
1Ornitardy3:29
2Quiet Down4:36
3Bittersweet3:43