Shifty Paradigms Dave Slonaker Big Band

• 1 Dash Cam 06:49
• 2 Bye Bye Blues 06:54
• 3 Comin' Home 09:07
• 4 Blue Windows 06:56
• 5 Shifty Paradigms 07:59
• 6 3rd and Four 09:46
• 7 Cathedrals 07:51
• 8 Roundabout 06:57
• Total Runtime 01:02:19

Info for Shifty Paradigms

It was Dave Slonaker's fascination with the sounds of big bands in his early teens that led him to Pittsburgh's Carnegie Library to research the nuts & bolts of how it was created. An orchestrator, arranger, and composer for film & TV over decades now, it's with his 15-year-old Grammy nominated ensemble—comprised of LA's finest jazz and studio musicians—where he explores the paradigm shifts within his own writing and aesthetic as time goes on. With this third album for Origin, his exploration of orchestration, harmony and rhythm is as expansive and vivid as ever, as band members including Peter Erskine, Bob Sheppard, Clay Jenkins and Bill Reichenbach lend world-renowned musicality to whatever twists and turns he conjures up—always celebrating the big band legacy while joining the other visionary composers in charting the path forward.

"His charts are modern, invigorating, full of variety, and clearly an inspiration for his sidemen." (Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene)

"..exemplifying the best of contemporary big-band jazz...fresh and sparkling, with more than enough dynamism and ingenuity to capture a listener's interest and hold it..." (AllAboutJazz)

Dave Slonaker Big Band:
Bob Sheppard, alto & soprano saxophone, flute
Brian Scanlon, alto & soprano saxophone, flute
Rob Lockart, tenor saxophone, clarinet
Tom Luer, tenor saxophone, clarinet
Adam Schroeder, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
Alex Iles, trombone
Charlie Morillas, trombone
Ido Meshulam, trombone
Bill Reichenbach, bass trombone, bass trumpet
Wayne Bergeron, trumpet, flugelhorn
Dan Fornero, trumpet, flugelhorn
Clay Jenkins, trumpet, flugelhorn
Ron Stout, trumpet, flugelhorn
Ed Czach, piano
Edwin Livingston, double bass (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6-8), electric bass (tracks 3, 5)
Peter Erskine, drums
Andy Waddell, guitar
Brian Kilgore, percussion (tracks 4, 5, 8)

Recorded June 10-11, 2025 by Rich Breen at Studio D, The Village, Los Angeles, CA
Recorded by Rich Breen
Mixed and mastered by Rich Breen at Dogmatic Sound, Burbank, CA
Produced by Dave Slonaker

Dave Slonaker
is a film and TV orchestrator, arranger, and composer and leader of the Dave Slonaker Big Band. His album, Intrada, featuring his compositions and arrangements, received a 2013 GRAMMY® nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.

In his work as a film and TV orchestrator, arranger, and composer, he has orchestrated and arranged for many Hollywood composers including John Addison, David Bell, Steve Bramson, Bruce Broughton, Danny Elfman, Joel McNeely, Alan Silvestri, Larry Rosenthal, and many others. Film credits include orchestration for many popular films including Oz the Great and Powerful, Alice in Wonderland, Spider-Man, Air Force One. He has also orchestrated, arranged, and composed music for TV and animation including Jag, Murder, She Wrote, and the Tiny Toons Adventures cartoon series.

Equally at home as a jazz composer and arranger, Dave’s compositions and arrangements have been performed by Clark Terry, the Woody Herman and Count Basie Orchestras, as well as many other soloists and bands. Before moving to Hollywood, Dave was composer-in-residence at the Strasenburgh Planetarium of the Rochester Museum and Science Center, composing electronic soundtracks in an eclectic blend of music genres for worldwide distribution.

Dave grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Handed down a trombone by his father, he studied trombone and piano as a youth. Curious about classical, jazz, and popular styles of music, he was determined to study both classical and jazz composition and performance. He earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in Trombone and Composition at Indiana University, had advanced graduate study in composition at the University of Pennsylvania, and received a Masters Degree from the Eastman School of Music. His teachers include Rayburn Wright, Manny Album, David Baker, Bill Dobbins, John Eaton, and George Crumb.

Believing that passing the craft of composing and arranging to a new generation is important, Dave has taught or given master classes at USC, the Eastman School of Music, the ASCAP Television & Film Scoring Workshop, the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC), and the Los Angeles Ravel Orchestral Study Group.

This album contains no booklet.