"Tone Deaf Little Weasel" Released - A Remotely Recorded International Ensemble

The premier performance of my latest composition, Tone Deaf Little Weasel, was indefinitely postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic quarantine and subsequent cancellation of the 2020 BMI Jazz Composers Workshop Annual Recital.

Although the cancellation was a disappointment, it provided an opportunity for me to recruit some of my favorite musicians from the United States, Canada, and Germany to remotely record this performance. Each of the musicians on this project have had a significant impact on my musical journey, and there are no words to adequately express my gratitude for their generous participation in this project.

While producing this recording, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that, in addition to being an accomplished saxophonist and composer/arranger, my friend Paul White is also a talented audio engineer. Paul spent countless hours synchronizing, balancing and fine-tuning each of the 17 individual recordings to create the final mix.

Rounding out the production team is singer/songwriter, instrumentalist, band leader, audio engineer, film editor, and my son, Matthew Iwanusa. (Do I sound like the proud father?) He, too, spent many hours mastering the final mix and synchronizing the individual video recordings with the final audio mix.

I am extremely grateful for the commitment and talents that everyone brought to this project. It would not have happened without them!

So until we have an opportunity to perform Tone Deaf Little Weasel (and my other compositions) before a live audience, please listen to it here. If you enjoy this performance, I hope you will make a contribution to support the musicians who made it possible!

Thanks for listening!


Chuck Iwanusa & the Quarantine Jazz Orchestra

Saxophones

Marc Phaneuf, soprano saxophone (New York City)
Ben Kono, soprano saxophone (New York City)
Quinsin Nachoff, tenor saxophone (New York City)
Paul White, tenor saxophone (Washington, DC)
Alden Banta, baritone saxophone (New York City)

Trumpets

John Lake (New York City)
Alexander Brown (Toronto)
Dave Smith (New York City)
Jesse Malone (Toronto)

Trombones

Alan Ferber (St. Louis, MO)
Dr. Paul Brewer (Grand Rapids, MI)
Michael Rorby (New York City)
Max Seigel (New York City)

Rhythm Section

Reg Schwager, guitar (Toronto)
Billy Test, piano (Cologne, Germany)
Evan Gregor, bass (New York City)
Curtis Nowosad, drums (New York City)

Production

Paul White - Audio Mix
Matthew Iwanusa - Audio Mastering & Video Editing
Chuck Iwanusa - Composer & Producer

Tone Deaf Little Weasel, (Copyright © 2020 Chuck Iwanusa, All Rights Reserved)

 

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