Scott Marshall: tenor and soprano saxophones
Kevin Turcotte: trumpet and flugelhorn
Mike Downes: acoustic bass
Terry Clarke: drums

The Solitude Suite is saxophonist and composer Scott Marshall’s sixth album of original music. Written for a unique chord-less configuration – and performed by Canadian jazz icons Kevin Turcotte, Mike Downes, Terry Clarke, and Marshall himself –  The Solitude Suite proves once again that Marshall is one of Canada’s most astute and creative jazz composers.

The first half of this suite was composed during the Covid-19 pandemic (a literal solitude.) The later half of the suite was composed as the world emerged and struggled with the ‘new normal’ (the figurative solitude.) In jazz music, chordal instruments typically cover the music’s inner harmonies. They take care of the middle ground, holding the song together – they play the “butter notes,” as Miles Davis used to call them. The Solitude Suite however, has no chordal instruments: the harmony is revealed by the interweaving lines of the trumpet, saxophone, and bass. The suite was inspired by the solitudes that seem to exist in our modern world: solitudes created by smart phones, social media algorithms, and divisive political discourse. It often feels like society is losing its middle ground, its common knowledge… in other words, we can’t always hear the  “butter notes.”

This suite is both a reflection on these solitudes and a musical call for more beauty, hope, and optimism in the world.

scottdouglasmarshall.com

Release Date: Friday, March 22nd 2024