Bill Horvitz Expanded Band
 

Photo: Robert Holt 2009

Band Personnel | Audio Samples

THE BILL HORVITZ EXPANDED BAND

The Bill Horvitz Expanded Band is a 17-piece conducted ensemble that plays original works drawing on jazz, funk, folk, and new-music. The band includes a stellar line up of some of the Bay Area's (and beyond) finest musicians. The compositions are highly composed and arranged and also contain sections of conducted improvisation, at which point conductor Omid Zoufonoun spontaneously brings instruments in and out to create solos and small groups and then return to the scored arrangement. Omid is a highly skilled conductor and musician and brings a strongly intuitive and musical sense of improvisation to the ensemble.

THE LONG WALK is Sonoma County musician/composer Bill Horvitz’s moving and inspiring tribute to his late brother Philip, an inspired writer, director, actor, dancer, and choreographer. Explains Horvitz, “Philip was a man who deeply loved many kinds of music. He was generous and kind, playful and curious, dramatic and impassioned. He had the largest group of extremely close friends of anyone I've ever known.” Composed after Philip passed away suddenly of heart failure on March 30, 2005, The Long Walk incorporates the same characteristics—playfulness, curiosity, generosity of spirit—that defined Philip during his short but extraordinary life.

“About a year after Philip died,” says Horvitz, “I began hearing the beginnings of new compositions that felt in some way related to him. I spent the next many months composing the music and imagining the group of players I would like to have perform. As I wrote, I realized that I wanted a fairly large ensemble that included instruments from jazz as well as some more often found in chamber groups. The resulting pieces are a mix of folk, jazz, funk, and new-music works that have come out of the enormous range of emotions I've felt since Philip’s death, and though they are not ‘his music,’ they have been influenced by him nonetheless. “

Many of the pieces that comprise The Long Walk have been performed in the Bay Area and in New York City to extremely enthusiastic audiences. The program has a universal appeal, beautifully illustrating how the loss of someone very close can be turned into a work of healing, acceptance, and love.

The Long Walk is presented at The Glaser Center as part of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation’s ongoing Arts & Culture Ministry to Sonoma County.

The audio samples are mp3s from a live recording on November 14th, 2009 at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa. The recording is 2-mic stereo and there has been no editing or post production. We're going to record these pieces for CD release in 2011, but wanted the songs to be available for your listening pleasure, so here they are.

Engineer: Darryl Webb, Banquet Sound Studios.

2009 Performances:

"The Long Walk"

in memory of Philip Horvitz

Friday, November 13th 2009 8 PM

Community Music Center

544 Capp St.
San Francisco
$10 adults/$5 students, seniors, art pass (all ages) (415) 647-6015
http://www.sfcmc.org/site/index.php?id=10

Saturday, November 14th 8PM
The Glaser Center
547 Mendocino Avenue
Santa Rosa
Sliding Scale admission (all ages) (707) 568-5381
http://www.glasercenter.com

THE EXPANDED BAND 2007:

Omid Zoufonoun conductor

Kyle Bruckman oboe/English horn
Marty Erhlich clarinets

Steve Adams sax/flute

Dave Sewelson baritone sax
Sara Schoenbeck bassoon
Russ Johnson trumpet
Darren Johnston trumpet
Vincent Chancey French horn
Marcus Rojas tuba
Jason Hwang violin
Katie Harlow cello

Ken Filiano bass
Wayne Horvitz piano
Harris Eisenstadt drums

Joseph Sabella drums

Robin Holcomb vocals

Robin Eschner vocals

Brian Thorstenson spoken word
Bill Horvitz guitar, vocals, composer

2007 Performance:

"The Long Walk"

in memory of Philip Horvitz

Sunday, May 6th 8PM

Roulette
30 Greene Street NYC