Mark Anderman’s impressive new release “Confluence” has something for everyone, from Wes Montgomery inspired stylings, to jazz-rock barn burners and gorgeous ballads. An album of all original compositions, Mark’s virtuosity on both acoustic and electric guitars is amply supported by an impressive supportive cast, including the master saxophonist and flautist Bennett Friedman. Creative instrumentation, delightful melodies and sophisticated arrangements all combine to make this one of the most intriguing releases of 2020.
Larry Slater (Sonoma County’s JazzMD, host of KRCB’s Jazz Connections)

Mark Anderman – Guitars, piano, and MIDI arrangements
Bennett Friedman – Flute on How Lucky We Are, tenor sax on Blindsided
Sara Williams – English horn and oboe on Lost for a Moment
Laura Haupt – Violin on Thursday Rain
Rudolf Budginas – Piano solo on Thursday Rain
Cory Antipa – Cello solo on Lost for a Moment

Composed and produced by Mark Alun Anderman © 2018 TMRW Media (BMI)
Thursday Rain was composed in remembrance of the victims, survivors, and heroes of the Sonoma County fires of October 2017
Recorded at TMRW Studios (Santa Rosa, CA) and at Santa Rosa Junior College
Engineered, edited, and mixed by Mark Anderman, Rudolf Budginas, and Barry Blum
Mastered by Jake Stillman at Stillman Sound
Cover photo by Roger C. Anderman
Creative direction from Kathy DeWeese
©2019 TMRW Media #T1010

Available on: iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play, Pandora, YouTube, and most other music services.

CD copies available at The Next Record Store 1899 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
or by contacting webmaster@tmrwmusic.com

Album Notes

Confluence is when divergent streams or tributaries flow together into one river, and eventually to the sea. From the outset, I imagined an album that would unite my many musical interests and directions, celebrating my diversity both as a composer and as a guitarist. Although classified as a jazz album due to the cyclical chord progressions and the prominent use of improvisation, I would not want it to be pigeonholed into one category. My traditional jazz, funk/rock, and fusion influences are all present, as well as pieces for orchestra and solo guitar that draw upon my classical background. Confluence is also about joining in collaboration, and I am deeply grateful to the many individuals who lent their creative talents to this project. Special thanks and love to everyone involved. — Mark Anderman 4/25/19

Phoenix (Rising)

The powerful riff that opens Confluence symbolizes the beating of the mythical Phoenix’s wings as it rises from its own ashes and takes to the sky. The tune features four separate guitar tracks (each with a different tone setting) to evoke the image of the mighty Firebird.The first draft of this tune was called Phoenix and composed at midnight on New Years Day, 2014, soon after my divorce. I saw the flight of the reincarnated Firebird as a metaphor for moving forward with my life.

When I later decided to adapt the tune for Confluence, my work was interrupted by the devastating wildfires that hit Sonoma County in October, 2017 (when thousands of homes and businesses burned over a 2-week period). The phrase “From the Ashes We Will Rise” was soon added to the official Santa Rosa welcome sign, and I subsequently rebranded this tune as Phoenix (Rising) to reflect the double meaning that the music now held for me.

Seven in Six

Seven in Six is both an experiment in odd time and a tribute to the great jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Wes wrote a famous tune called Four on Six in the key of G minor based on the chord changes to Gershwin’s Summertime. My Seven In Six is a modal tune based on sliding Dorian modes, but also in G minor.

In tribute to Wes, I followed his signature practice of developing the guitar solo from single notes, into octaves, and finally into full chords. The “seven” refers to the actual time signature of 7/4, while the “six” refers to the six hypermetric macrobeats formed in each measure with two different irregular groupings of eighth notes (3+2+3+2+2+2, and 2+2+3+3+2+2). The pattern shifts every fourth bar, in the manner of odd-meter classics such as Dave Brubeck’s Blue Rondo a la Turk and Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. The inspiration to set the tune with a Latin beat came at the last minute during the recording process, and provided a further injection of rhythmic vigor into the piece.

Lost for a Moment

Lost for a Moment is about reverie — how we can become pleasantly lost in a beautiful daydream and lose touch with our immediate circumstances, just for a moment.

The soft chords from the guitars induce the dream, followed by an ethereal melody on English horn. The cello solo trades phrases full of longing with the oboe which build until that bittersweet moment that one awakens — and must face daily life once again. I am grateful to Sara Williams (English horn and oboe) and Cory Antipa (cello solo) whose masterful playing brought this daydream to life.

The initial sketch for this piece dates all the way back to 2004, but it was not fully realized until I began work on Confluence. This gives the title yet another meaning: it was sketched out and “lost” in a binder for over a decade before it truly came to life. The idea of two guitars in different tunings playing on different parts of the chord in a stereo split comes from my love of old Genesis albums like Foxtrot and Selling England by the Pound. The initial plan was for an improvised guitar solo in the middle, but instead I opted for a dialog between the oboe and cello. Careful listening will again reveal my fondness for polyrhythms: the oboe and cello duet is carefully scored in triplets, sixteenth notes, and supertriplets to avoid getting “lost” in the consistent eighth-note guitar accompaniment.

No Right on Red

Essentially a “cruising” song, No Right On Red was inspired by my years of driving on Los Angeles freeways in my teens and 20s. Imagine taking a drive down the coast just to get out and clear your head — only to wind up stuck in traffic! The initial idea for this tune came to me very easily but took a long time to work out and polish. The tense rock interludes (almost heavy metal) reflect the frustrations of city driving, and are perhaps the most aggressive moments on the entire album. For the guitar theme and solos I went for a soaring, melodic quality with light distortion recalling the styles of Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton, and Carlos Santana. This song also has lyrics (not sung here) which helped me to shape the mood of the piece, but I am uncertain if I will ever release them!

Thursday Rain

Thursday Rain was composed in remembrance of the victims, survivors, and heroes of the Sonoma County wildfires of October 2017. Named after the long-awaited rainfall on Thursday 10/19/2017 which ultimately extinguished the fires, Thursday Rain is about hope arising from despair, and about the community rising up to help every individual.

The piece is in 5/4 time, beginning in an irregular eighth-note pattern of 2+3+2+3. The percussion and piano symbolize the crackling flames that begin softly and build to a roar. Tense cluster chords in the key of F minor (F for FIRE) introduce a plaintive melody first on guitar, then joined by violin. Laura Haupt’s soulful violin playing perfectly captures a sense of sorrow and loss, but not hopelessness. A bridge section brings new determination, progressing through the modes of E-flat Dorian and F# Dorian, but ultimately returning to F minor, as the fires are not out yet.

To symbolize the relief of the Thursday Rain, the music drops down to the sound of a single raindrop, then to a light patter, and then slowly builds . . . The dark F-minor clusters give way to rising, hopeful chords as the flames begin to die out. The metric pattern shifts from the tense 2+3+2+3 to the more familiar and comforting 3+3+2+2. Rudolf Budginas takes up the rising chordal motif on acoustic piano, all building to the triumphant return of the guitar and violin, now sounding a song of elation and hope in the key of A-flat major. The piece comes to a close with a brief, solitary prayer from the piano. The fires are out, we will remember, and we will rebuild. SONOMA STRONG

How Lucky We Are

This piece is an unabashed love song to my dearest Kathy. I chose 3/4 time, as it seems that when jazz musicians write for those they love they often write waltzes.

Almost every detail of this piece is symbolic: The title is drawn from the line “how lucky we are to be alive right now!” from Hamilton, Kathy’s and my favorite musical. The piece is in the “Key of K” (B major) especially for Kathy (K is the 11th letter of the alphabet, and B=11 in musical set theory). The bluesy, nostalgic feel of the piece is a reflection of Kathy’s fondness for show tunes, classic standards, and barbershop. It is the only piece on the album to use a swing beat and walking bass lines (two staples of older jazz that I was otherwise trying to avoid for Confluence) which fit perfectly into the classic style of this tune.

Bennett Friedman’s flute work here is an absolute gem. I had Bennett in mind from when I first envisioned this piece, and cannot imagine it without his beautiful playing.

Blindsided

Every now and then, something just hits you that you were not expecting. This can be a bad thing, but it can also cause a sudden shift in perspective, and cause you to rethink your actions and choices in life.

This tune is straightforward funk-rock. The initial working title was “Whump!” for the definitive bass hit “on the one” à la George Clinton and the other masters of funk. Bennett Friedman’s sax playing here is smooth and funky, a perfect foil for my rock-infused guitar solos. This hard-driving tune pulls no punches to “blindside” the listener with an irresistible groove.

Almost Home

I wanted to end the album with a personal reflection, and hence a solo guitar piece. Almost Home is about the anticipation of completing a long journey, and that special feeling when we arrive at the place we call home, wherever that may be. I felt drawn to the idea (especially after the October 2017 fires) of reflecting on what is truly “home” for myself, for my family, and for everyone.

This piece recieved its public debut at the SRJC Remembrance concert on October 20, 2018 (which also featured the full orchestra versions of Lost for a Moment and Thursday Rain) and served as the close of the show.

Photo Credits: Confluence album cover by Roger C. Anderman. Santa Rosa sign, guitar, Laura Haupt, Rudolf Budginas, and Bennett Friedman by Mark Alun Anderman. Sara Williams by Guy Porter. Los Angeles freeway by Jamie McInall. Mark and Kathy, Mark Anderman by Kathy DeWeese.