Songbook Volume 1, Bus Stop Serenade by Brian Lynch

Milwaukee expat trumpeter releases new album and conducts workshops at the Jazz Institute.

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Songbook Volume 1, Bus Stop Serenade is the first in a series of songbooks of original compositions recorded by Brian Lynch, multi-Grammy award-winning jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator and one of Milwaukee’s own. Best stated by Lynch, the songbooks seek to “… reclaim for myself the many original tunes that I’ve recorded on other labels through the years.” Configured in a classic quintet format under his own label, Hollistic MusicWorks, Volume 1 features compositions recorded between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s.

Recorded in a single day, Volume 1 travels smoothly like a road trip with no closures or reroutes. The vibe is intense and together. Lynch, on trumpet and flugelhorn, is joined by Jim Snidero on alto saxophone, Orrin Evans on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass and Donald Edwards on drums.

To describe the selected compositions, three adjectives will suffice: alluring, pristine and inventive. Individually, they stand on their own merits, and collectively they flow like conversations shared by old friends, who “picked up where they left off 20 years ago,” as if to say, “Do you remember the time, when …?” But like the retelling of any good stories, Volume 1 reinterprets with a few new twists and embellishments. How well do these stories travel together? Take for example the sequence between “On the Dot,” “Bus Stop Serenade” and “Clairevoyance.” Originally released on different albums, their seamless transitions make you wonder if their destiny on Volume 1 wasn’t telepathic; the same is true for all songs.

Working with limited recording time, pieces were given two takes (the exception being “Keep Your Circle Small” with only one). Lynch was pleased with all takes and choosing to record one version over the other did not come easily for him. However, he had a solution. Simply include them all. And to our advantage, this unabridged package gives us a rare opportunity to more or less, virtually attend the entire recording session. And it grooves.

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Lynch is on a roll and promises Volume 2 will be coming around the corner very soon.

Brian Lynch will conduct a workshop at Milwaukee Jazz Institute and perform at bar centro on Thursday, Feb. 10. For more, visit milwaukeejazzinstitute.org/jazz-concerts-events.