Charleton leads his eighteen-piece big band on ten tracks featuring his original compositions and new interpretations of standards including “Stardust,” by Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” Marvin Fisher’s “When Sunny Gets Blue,” Vincent Youmans’ “ Tea for Two,” and “Everything I’ve Got,” by Rogers & Hart
Charleton, a Senior Chief Musician, who was the Head of Academics at the Naval School of Music, where he taught arranging, and is a graduate of the University of North Texas, burst on the scene with his 2013 debut CD, Brain Chatter. His long-awaited follow-up, A Fresh Perspective, showcases his extraordinary gifts as an inventive and engaging composer, and an imaginative arranger. His featured soloists on this date from southeastern Virginia are trumpeter Kerry Moffit, trombonist John Lloyd, Richard Garcia on alto and soprano sax, and tenor saxophonist Keith Philbrick, all supported by a quicksilver rhythm section with pianist Bart Kuebler, bassist Ryan Persaud, guitarist Wes Wagner, drummer Bob Habib and the leader’s wife, Emily Charleton on vocals. With his encyclopedic knowledge of the big band idiom - from Basie to Kenton and beyond - Charleton’s four original compositions: the swinging, Basie-bounced, “1 West 67th Street,” the breezy “Sunday Morning,” the bluesy “Party on Park,” and the title track, syncopated in 6/4 time, show that he can write songs that dance and trance with the best of them.
Charleton’s takes on standards are equally impressive, as evidenced by his Latin interpretation of “When Sunny Gets Blue,” two ballad renderings of “Tea for Two’’ and “Stardust,” the waltzy, “Blue Skies,” and a rousing reading of “Everything I’ve Got,” both laced with Emily Charleton’s vivid vocals.“El Otono,” a samba grooved selection, is composed by pianist/composer (and University of North Texas alum) Stefan Karlsson.
Charleton’s love of the big band tradition is a lifelong affair. Born in 1975, he grew up in Kentucky, Illinois and Texas, started playing the saxophone in the fifth grade, and was influenced by Charlie Parker and Cannonball Adderley. He was introduced to jazz in high school, played in a local blues band, and started writing his own compositions at fifteen. He earned his BM in 1999 and his MM in 2001 in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, joined the Navy that same year, and played in, composed for, and led Navy bands on five continents. A Fresh Perspective showcases Ian Charleton’s service to his country, and to the swing.
1. 1 West 67th Street (c/a Ian Charleton) 6:18
2. Sunday Morning (c/a Ian Charleton) 8:15
3. A Fresh Perspective (c/a Ian Charleton) 9:06
4. Everything I’ve Got (Rogers/Hart Arr. Ian Charleton) 2:31
5. Stardust (Hoagy Carmichael. Arr. Ian Charleton) 5:52
6. El Otoño (Stefan Karlsson Arr. Ian Charleton) 4:41
7. Blue Skies (Irving Berlin Arr. Ian Charleton) 4:27
8. Tea For Two (Vincent Youmans Arr. Ian Charleton) 3:05
9. When Sunny Gets Blue (Marvin Fisher Arr. Ian Charleton) 7:37
10. Party on Park (c/a Ian Charleton) 8:12
