The Sages of Future Soul featuring Stefan Christian Hinkle (trumpet soloist), 2023
Year: 1914-1917/1919/2023 Duration: I. Prelude - 3:30 II. Menuet - 5:00 III. Rigaudon - 4:00 Difficulty: Advanced
Originally composed as a suite for solo piano between 1914 and 1917. Four of the six movements of the suite were transcribed for reduced orchestra by the composer in 1919. The piece is a homage to Baroque composer and keyboardist François Couperin, with the term "tombeau" meaning a piece written as a memorial.
A full jazz ensemble arrangement featuring trumpet soloist was arranged for the Sages of Future Soul in 2023. Performed and recorded by The Sages of Future Soul Live at Clementine Cafe in Harrisonburg, VA in August 2023.
Program Notes
The beauty and agility of Maurice Ravel’s compositions continue to spellbind generation after generation of music lovers, and he is with out a doubt one of the greatest arrangers of orchestral music ever. Of all his most revered works, Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin stands out as one of his must timeless and innovative compositions. Originating as a six movement piano suite, Ravel then arranged four movements from his composition for a reduced orchestra orchestration. The orchestral version of the work was completed in 1919, and has since become a standard in the orchestral repertoire. Le Tombeau de Couperin now exists in big band format, with three of the movements arranged for the extended jazz ensemble instrumentation of the Sages of Future Soul, a contemporary big band that performs arrangements of modern jazz and soul standards. The jazz ensemble version features a variety of the instruments throughout the ensemble but the trumpet leads the melodic line in every movement. The chart calls for the group to swing within the jazz ensemble version, as an ultimate homage to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s definitive arrangements of Peter Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. Jeremy Levy’s reimagining of Gustav Holst’s The Planet Suite for jazz ensemble is also a huge inspiration behind this arrangement of Ravel’s music. The drum set player should be expected to utilize brushes for most of the piece, but sticks can be used if volume is an issue. It has been an arranger’s dream of mine to bring the music of Ravel to the big band format, and I hope all lovers of both big band and orchestral music will be find some semblance of affinity to the Sages of Future Soul version of Le Tombeau de Couperin by Maurice Ravel.
Shawn W. Davern 