Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly of Shadows

About

Composer and saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf brings together haunting cinematic textures and melody-driven themes in his latest vision for jazz orchestra, the 20-piece “Assembly of Shadows.” Le Boeuf’s music is rooted in the jazz tradition and overlaps into the modern classical realm drawing on various additional influences from Aaron Copland to Bjork. Le Boeuf has worked with a range of collaborators including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, JACK Quartet, Knower, and his own twin brother Pascal, with whom he co-leads the Grammy-nominated ensemble, Le Boeuf Brothers. The 20-member jazz orchestra, featuring some of New York’s finest improvising musicians, will be celebrating their debut album release at Roulette. Aside from being the name of the project, “Assembly of Shadows” is a 30-minute suite in 5 movements by Le Boeuf. It follows the story of a child who runs away into a nearby forest, gets lost, and falls asleep. When she wakes, all the shadows of the trees come alive and dance with her. Some are kind, some are aggressive, but they all teach her something about herself. They guide her home as the moon sets and she wakes up in her own bed. She is left wondering if it was all a dream. In addition to his original music, Le Boeuf’s Assembly of Shadows will perform arrangements of works by Ornette Coleman and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon.

Remy Le Boeuf – Composer, Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Flute, Alto Flute
Greg Robbins – Conductor
Ben Kono – Tenor Sax, Clarinet
Vito Chiavuzzo – Flute, Alto Sax
John Lowery – Tenor Sax, Clarinet
Andrew Gutauskas – Bari Sax, Bass Clarinet
John Lake – Trumpet
Tony Glausi – Trumpet
Nadje Noordhuis – Trumpet
Matt Holman – Trumpet
Mike Fahie – Trombone
Sara Jacovino – Trombone
Isaac Kaplan – Trombone
Jennifer Wharton – Bass Trombone
Alex Goodman – Guitar
Martha Kato – Piano
Matt Aronoff – Bass
Peter Kronreif – Drums
TBA – Vibes/Percussion

Assembly of Shadows is a 20-piece jazz orchestra led by composer and saxophonist, Remy Le Boeuf. A native of Santa Cruz, CA, Le Boeuf is known for his integration of jazz, classical, and contemporary music genres. He has worked with a range of collaborators including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, JACK Quartet, Knower, Linda Oh, as well as his own twin brother, Pascal, with whom he co-leads the Grammy-nominated ensemble, Le Boeuf Brothers. Le Boeuf often employs literary elements to fuel his compositions as in is his recent collaboration with Le Boeuf Brothers + JACK Quartet entitled imaginist (2016). Past projects include House Without A Door (2009) “an impressively self-assured new album, which reaches for the gleaming cosmopolitanism of our present era” (New York Times); In Praise of Shadows (2011), which “deftly blends elements of electronica with touches of indie rock and sophisticated jazz writing on this genre-defying project” (JazzTimes); and Remixed an “open-minded and masterfully crafted precursor of things to come” (All About Jazz) featuring remix collaborations with David Binney, Knower, Tim Lefebvre, and others.

Saxophonist and composer, Remy Le Boeuf envisions his approach to composition and improvisation as never veering far from the roots of language. Known for his unique blend of modern jazz, contemporary classical music, and indie-rock styles, Le Boeuf has worked with a range of collaborators including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, JACK Quartet, Knower, Linda Oh, and his own twin brother Pascal, with whom he co-leads the Grammy-nominated ensemble, Le Boeuf Brothers. After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music in 2009, Le Boeuf has gone on to receive commissions and awards from SFJAZZ, Chamber Music America, The Jerome Foundation, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Copland House, Copland Fund, National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, American Composers Forum, New York Youth Symphony, Keio University, BMI, and the ASCAP Foundation. Le Boeuf’s latest release, Light as a Word (2019), is an unfettered artistic vision of profound musical empathy—a series of sonic dialogues in which a fantastic band digs deeper and deeper into its technical and emotional chemistry. Released May 2019 on the Outside in Music label, the album features many of Le Boeuf’s long-time collaborators including Walter Smith III, Aaron Parks, Charles Altura, Matt Brewer, and Peter Kronreif. (I am happy to provide individual bios for all 20 members of my ensemble, but it will take me some more time.)