Aero Quartet Aero Quartet

• Alexander Glazunov (1865 - 1936): Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109:
• 1 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109: I. Allegro 06:45
• 2 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109: II. Canzona variée: Theme 01:27
• 3 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109: II. Canzona variée: Variation I 01:18
• 4 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109: II. Canzona variée: Variation II 01:11
• 5 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109: II. Canzona variée: Variation III - À la Schumann 02:52
• 6 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109: II. Canzona variée: Variation IV - À la Chopin 02:02
• 7 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109: II. Canzona variée: Variation V - Scherzo 01:51
• 8 Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet, Op. 109: III. Finale 06:02
• Carlos Simon (b. 1986): An Elegy: A Cry from the Grave:
• 9 Simon: An Elegy: A Cry from the Grave 04:37
• Guillermo Lago (b. 1960): Ciudades:
• 10 Lago: Ciudades: II. Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 04:06
• 11 Lago: Ciudades: VI. Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) 03:49
• Arturo Márquez (b. 1950): Danzón No. 5, “Portales de Madrugada”:
• 12 Márquez: Danzón No. 5, “Portales de Madrugada” 04:54
• Paquito D’Rivera (b. 1948): Wapango:
• 13 D’Rivera: Wapango 02:15
• Ed Calle (b. 1959): The Iberia Suite:
• 14 Calle: The Iberia Suite: I. Midnight Rumba 04:36
• 15 Calle: The Iberia Suite: II. Siesta 03:57
• 16 Calle: The Iberia Suite: III. Pamplona 04:14
• John Coltrane (1926 - 1967): Dear Lord:
• 17 Coltrane: Dear Lord 04:27
• Total Runtime 01:00:23

Info for Aero Quartet

The Aero Saxophone Quartet brings its trademark versatility and variety to their debut album, which embraces music from Glazunov to John Coltrane. Praised by Augusta Read Thomas for their ‘nuanced, colourful, and artfully sculpted’ performances, the award-winning Aero Quartet was formed in 2020 and has quickly established a reputation for wide-ranging programmes.

This album spans classical and jazz, profound and light-hearted. Alongside Glazunov’s richly innovative music, we hear the evocative Danzón no.5 (Portales de Madrugada) by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, the playful Wapango by Cuban-American legend Paquito D’Rivera, and Ed Calle’s sultry Iberia Suite. There are thought-provoking works from Carlos Simon, whose Elegy (A Cry from the Grave) pays powerful tribute to Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Michael Brown, and from Guillermo Lago, whose Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) is dedicated to his many friends there. The release culminates in Coltrane’s Dear Lord, a mellow yet joyful affirmation of life.

Western-classical music represents the core of our activity as an ensemble. Representing this on the album are Alexander Glazunov’s Quatuor and Carlos Simon’s Elegy. Glazunov’s composition is a magnum opus for the saxophone quartet. He elegantly showcases the beauty of the instrument by utilizing many classical forms and referencing the many great composers of his time. Elegy poignantly responds to tragedies of injustice and cruelty inflicted upon marginalized peoples. We feel Carlos Simon’s work is important and needs to be heard; we are grateful to have had the chance to document our interpretation of this beautiful piece.

Guillermo Lago’s Ciudades depicts his take on various sounds and musical styles from cities across the globe. Sarajevo echoes the despair and calamity surrounding the events of the Bosnian war in the mid 90’s with a haunting melody atop drones and ostinati. Addis Ababa evokes the vibrant energy of Ethiopia’s capital city through the use of extended techniques and the use of a traditional five-tone “kiñit” to create acrobatic melodies. These movements of Ciudades have a strong personal connection to our group, as they were some of the first works we played together when we formed in 2020. We would like to dedicate our recording of Sarajevo to producer and friend Trish Malin, who was one of our lovely hosts during our album recording sessions in Easton, Maryland. After hearing us play it in rehearsal, she expressed to us how powerful the piece was and instantly fell in love with it.

Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No.5, subtitled Portales de Madrugada, has become one of our most well-received selections. Elegant and graceful in style, Márquez captures the essence of the Cuban dance style in this original composition for saxophone quartet. Danzón No.5 is one of nine danzónes Márquez composed for various instrumentations – most famously No.2 for orchestra – connecting the saxophone to a wider classical tradition.

Paquito D’Rivera is a major figure in the latin jazz genre, known as a great clarinetist, saxophonist, and composer Among his many works is a saxophone quartet entitled Wapango. This is a short jazz-tinged tune based in the Mexican Huapango, twisting and turning through different registers of the saxophone in a quick waltz. This piece acts as a perfect segue to the final major work of the album, The Iberia Suite by jazz saxophonist Ed Calle. This three-movement set takes listeners through a cascade of latin jazz moods, featuring solos by our baritone saxophonist Brian Kachur, and this album’s guest artist Arun Luthra.

Our collaboration with Arun first began in December of 2021 on a guest artist recital at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. From the first notes of our rehearsal, we knew he was a special musician and person. Aero could not be more grateful for Arun’s musical friendship and we are incredibly excited to have him be a part of our debut album. Arun’s tenor saxophone improvisations on The Iberia Suite add an extra layer of unique artistry to the piece and our record as a whole. Coltrane’s Dear Lord arranged by Dave Liebman is a sort of encore or epilogue to the tracklist, and even more heavily features Arun, now on soprano saxophone. This sensitive, reflective track is a final nod to the genres, styles, and friendships that make the album special.

Aero Quartet

Aero Quartet
Praised by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Grammy-winning composer Augusta Read Thomas for their “nuanced, colorful, and artfully sculpted” interpretations, the Aero Quartet was formed in Ann Arbor, MI in 2020. Aero Quartet is recognized for their versatile and varied performances, which feature traditional and contemporary works for saxophones, along with arrangements spanning centuries of musical tradition. The quartet received the Gold Medal at the 2021 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, along with top prizes at the NOLA Chamber Fest, Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition, and Briggs Chamber Music Competitions.

Aero has appeared on chamber music series including the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Chesapeake Music, Valparaiso Concert Association, and the Dame Myra Hess Concerts broadcast on WFMT Chicago. The quartet has also given masterclasses at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and will visit the University of Missouri–Kansas City and the University of Kansas in 2023. Aero also heavily values educational outreach, having performed for students at many middle schools and high schools across the Midwest and East Coast. In the coming year, the ensemble will reach public school music programs in Kansas City, MO, as well as those in Talbot County, MD with support from the Talbot County Arts Council.

In 2021, Aero completed a residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute in Boscawen, NH, where they prepared for performances in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Maryland. Much of this repertoire forms the foundation of their debut album recording made in the historic Prager Auditorium in Easton, MD, recorded and mastered by Abbey Road Studios recording engineer Jonathan Allen. Along with featured artist and jazz saxophonist Arun Luthra, Aero Quartet is excited to share the music of Carlos Simon, Arturo Márquez, Alexander Glazunov, and others on the UK-based label Orchid Classics in the summer of 2023.

Booklet for Aero Quartet