Review


Jan Freidlin
Dive into the "Sweet Music":
Trombone, piano

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2020
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and solo part

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

Russian composer Jan Freidlin has written a number of works for solo trombone including several for Nitzan Haroz, principal trombonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. His newest trombone compositions, published by Cherry Classics, include Dive into the “Sweet Music.” The review copy did not contain any program notes, so what exactly is meant by “Sweet Music” is not clear. The Cherry Classics website identifies the piece as a way for young players to learn the "shuffle rock” style.

The 53-measure composition takes the form of a long crescendo, and its 12/8 meter and slow tempo, marked "Slow Rock" with dotted quarter note = 54, help define the work's style. Certainly, the piece has the backbeat feel common to shuffle rock, but the lyrical solo part and chromatic, lush piano writing infuse it with an easy, swung, bluesy character, but not the metrical layout or chord progressions of the blues. The range of the piece, from F to a1, presents no exceptional demands on the soloist, and the addition of tasteful glissandi and a good feel for the laid-back style will help the piece come alive. Dive into the “Sweet Music” is an attractive composition, easy on the lips and on the ears—it certainly is “sweet” in that it is pleasing in all respects. In a “gig economy” where it behooves players to be conversant in a variety of styles, Jan Freidlin has given us a nice vehicle for expressing a sweet side of trombone playing.

 

Reviewer: Douglas Yeo
Review Published June 23, 2023