Mr. Sun will perform “Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite” Dec. 11 at the Foundry Theater in Yellow Springs. Tickets are on sale now.
The quartet is a string band supergroup made up of renowned fiddler Darol Anger, mandolin virtuoso and vocalist Joe K. Walsh, guitarist Grant Gordy, and bassist Aidan O’Donnell.
Seizing inspiration from Ellington’s brilliant, sly and urbane reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky, Mr. Sun reinvents this wildly multifaceted work through the lens of the American string band, an innovative musical form calling on myriad styles. And while the roots of bluegrass seem to be based in tradition, even Bill Monroe, the progenitor of the genre, did something no one had heard before.
On the new recording, “Mr. Sun Plays Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite,” the pieces range from close interpretations of Billy Strayhorn’s original charts to intense sonic explorations based on the spirit of the material and the atmosphere of the room. All the ingredients are there; Mr. Sun experiments on a case-by-case basis.
The group strikes a balance between improvising and staying true to the original compositions, both live and in the studio.
“The great thing about this band is we all really like improvising. That’s a big part of the overall aesthetic of the group,” said Grant Gordy. “Even when we’re being the rhythm section in the moment, even that has a really improvisational component to it. We’re always trying to keep our ears open and have the whole thing be flexible all the time.”
Improvisation doesn’t just mean when or how a solo will happen. It’s also a question of dynamics, volume and emotions during the music. The members respond and push moments forward. As Darol Anger has said, music is the only conversation you can have where everybody can talk at the same time.
On the “Nutcracker Suite” recording, Mr. Sun generally played original improvised solos, though some crucial musical statements were left intact and transcribed directly. Many of Strayhorn’s horn voicings were preserved in bowed strings, with multi-mandolin parts adding a punchy edge.
There is one new additional piece, drawn directly from Tchaikovsky’s ballet, setting three themes from Act One’s snow scene in Dawg music format: an acoustic genre created by mandolinist David Grisman, which blends bluegrass with jazz, folk and world music influences.
“The Russian Dance” is now full-on bluegrass with banjo guest Alison Brown, staying true to Strayhorn’s noir phrasing and background lines of the original.
Dobro and lap steel player Jerry Douglas also reinterpreted an iconic trombone solo on “Dance of the Floreadores,” now retitled “(don’t) Walk on the Flowers.”
This will be the third time the band has toured “Nutcracker Suite.” As Mr. Sun tours nationally, recreating the sounds of the album, the core quartet is sometimes joined by additional regional string players to recreate an orchestral sound.
“Most of the gigs have ended up just being the quartet, and that’s been its own unique challenge, just to figure out how to play all this music as a quartet,” Gordy said. “But discovering these wonderful voices on the instrument in all these different places has been really nice.”
String instruments harmonize differently than horns do; the timbres and dynamics are incomparable. Mandolins and fiddles cannot do what trumpets and saxophones can, but they make up for that with their percussive aspects.
“You can really draw on the strengths of those instruments you’re working with,” Gordy said. “It’s not the same thing as a horn section, but a lot of the spirit is there.”
Mr. Sun isn’t Ellington, just as Ellington wasn’t Tchaikovsky — and that’s exactly the point. Each generation offers a new take on the melodies so woven into our cultural consciousness.
Brandon Berry covers the music and arts scene in Dayton and Southwest Ohio. Reach him at branberry100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Mr. Sun Plays Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite
When: 7 p.m. Dec. 11
Where: Foundry Theater, 920 Corry St., Yellow Springs
Cost: $25
Tickets: antiochcollege.edu
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