SHADOW OF A SOUL, the newest release by
composer DAVID BLOOM and arranger CLIFF COLNOT,
is a celebration of Bloom’s spirituality and love of lyricism. This
is Bloom’s and Colnot’s fourth album together and follows Contender
(2017), Until We Meet Again (2007), and Duende
(2004). Chicagojazz.com said, “Overall, Contender is
a highly engaging and charming work that reflects not only Bloom
and Colnot’s immense talents, but also its creators’ superb and
brilliant synergy.”
This
new release comprises 15 original compositions by Bloom with 13
lush arrangements by Colnot, as well as two arranged by both Bloom
and Colnot, in a variety of styles for a variety of ensembles, from
jazz combos with unique instrumentation to orchestras with large
string sections.
“SHADOW
OF A SOUL
is about my reverence of the soul, by which I mean a person’s
individuality, imagination, and passion that we have when we're
born... and then what we do with it,” says Bloom. “I admire players
who can really burn on their instrument, but I’m more interested in
musicians who find beauty in their music. That’s why Wayne Shorter
is a big influence on me. He writes simple melodies with super hip
chords that add beautiful colors and textures. It’s what Cliff and
I work towards.”
With
his teaching activities curtailed during the pandemic lockdown,
Bloom found time to compose over 30 tunes, 15 of which appear on
this album. The compositions vary in style, instrumentation, and
length, with a couple that are only 30 seconds long, which he calls
palate cleansers.
Bloom
opens the album with “Mischievous Mark Colby,” which he wrote for a
student who died the previous year. The song features a stellar
soprano sax solo by DAVE LIEBMAN, who is also heard on the
haunting, introspective title track “Shadow of a Soul,” which also
features Bloom on the alto flute.
Bloom
and Colnot cover the gamut of musical styles. From “Eddie P,” a
tribute to salsa great Eddie Palmieri featuring a 24-piece
arrangement, to the minor blues “True Bloo” with solos by STEVEN
DUNCAN on the trombone and DAVID BUGHER on the vibes, to
“No Reruns” with ROB PARTON setting the bright, optimistic
groove on the flugelhorn, the music on SHADOW OF A SOUL
is both lyrical and innovative. That is exactly what you would
expect from a composer with a painter’s eye and an arranger steeped
in classical harmonies but with an international outlook.
As
Bloom explains, “over the last fifty years, I have met a few people
who had an unusual level of spirituality, imagination, hipness,
heart and individuality. Each one radiated an aura that was
impossible to ignore. These people had what I have always called a
“shadow of a soul.”
“The
Way I See It,” features Bloom on alto flute, with solos by Parton
and Cohan. It was written to celebrate Bloom’s view of the world
and his sense of beauty and imagination. “Fatal Honey” was written
to celebrate the fleeting quality of sweetness and the danger that
often accompanies it.
A
guitarist and flautist, Bloom’s talents and interests are not limited
to music. He is also a painter of abstract canvases (visit www.davidbloomfineart.com), a prolific writer who
pens essays and articles about of music and creativity, and an
educator whose esteemed Chicago institution, Bloom School of Jazz,
has been churning out professional, top-notch musicians for 47
years. He has also published eight books of music instruction and a
book called What is Soul, in which he culled insights and
perspectives from interviews with over thirty creative
professionals.
Born
and raised in Chicago, education is practically in Bloom’s DNA. His
father was a renowned professor of education, and his mother was a
schoolteacher. He has taught several thousand students over the
years and was named Jazz Educator of the Year by the Jazz Institute
of Chicago in 2017.
Bloom
began studying folk guitar when he was eight years old and started
listening to jazz when he was just 11. He relates, “The first jazz
album I heard was Herbie Mann Live at the Village Gate. I
was blown away and completely seduced by it, and my dad started
buying me jazz records.” When he was 17, he heard Buddy Guy in
concert and decided he wanted to play the blues, so he called Buddy
for guitar lessons. Buddy said he didn’t teach, but Bloom somehow
convinced him to take him on as a student, and he wound up studying
with him every week for a year. Although he loved the blues, Bloom
wanted to learn jazz, so he studied with Reggie Boyd, a guitarist
who played on many classic Chess recordings. Bloom eventually
continued his studies at Berklee College of Music for two years.
Although
Bloom played and toured with several bands, he decided back in 1981
to focus his energy on teaching, writing, and painting. SHADOW
OF A SOUL marks Bloom’s return to performing, playing the
alto flute on two compositions.
Bloom
met Colnot when he came to study at The Bloom School of Music in
1977. Then Bloom and Colnot lost touch over the years but became
friends when they met again 11 years later at a Passover seder
where they discovered they shared similar ideas about music and
life in general.
Colnot
is a distinguished conductor with an international reputation. His
many accomplishments include serving as an assistant conductor for
Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Workshops for young musicians
from Israel, Egypt, Syria and other Middle Eastern countries,
conducting the International Contemporary Ensemble, and serving as
the principal conductor for both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s
contemporary MusicNOW ensemble for two decades and the Civic
Orchestra of Chicago for more than 22 years.
# # #
SHADOW OF A SOUL will be released on December
2, 2022 and will be available everywhere.
WATCH:
“Shadow
of a Soul“: Youtube.com/watch?v=amJLbLBw17c
“For
Eddie P.“: Youtube.com/watch?v=vhpvWHIPMLc
ONLINE:
Davidbloomworks.com
Wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bloom_(musician)
Facebook.com/david.bloom.942
Facebook.com/BloomSchoolofJazz
DAVID
BLOOM VISUAL ARTIST:
Davidbloomfineart.com
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