I've Got the World on a String

About

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra and the festival join forces for an electrifying evening where classical strings meet big band swing. Hosted and directed by Richard Gillis, this dynamic collaboration features new works alongside classics like Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, showcasing the extraordinary artistry of cellists Matthias Bartolomey, Zander Howard-Scott, Samuel Nadurak, and Raphael Weinroth-Browne in this rich musical fusion.

Pre-Concert Event

Cello Chat: A Conversation with A Festival Artist

6:30-7:15 PM - Desautels Choral Arts Room

Join festival host Andrea Ratuski for a glimpse behind the scenes with WJO conductor Richard Gillis and cellist Zander Howard-Scott. Hear captivating stories and experience the passion that drives world-class musicians. This rare opportunity offers music lovers unprecedented access to the minds and hearts of these two artists—expect revelations, laughter, and perhaps a musical surprise or two.

Artists

Matthias Bartolomey, cello

Richard Gillis, WJO conductor

Zander Howard-Scott, cello

Samuel Nadurak, cello

Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra (WJO)

Raphael Weinroth-Browne, cello

Program

Edvard Grieg arr. D. Ellington & B. Strayhorn - Anitra's Dance

Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra

Jeff Presslaff - Peripatesis

Zander Howard-Scott cello

Jocelyn Gould – In a Daydream

Samuel Nadurak cello

George Gershwin arr. J. Presslaff, N. Cade - Rhapsody in Blue

Matthias Bartolomey cello

Juan Tizol arr. J. Presslaff - Caravan

Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra

Martin Luther arr. B. Thoroddsen & R. Gillis - From Heaven to Earth

Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra

Intermission

Raphael Weinroth-Browne – Suite for Cello & Jazz Orchestra

Speed of Light arr. G. Crowe

Pyre arr. R Gillis

Ophidian arr. R. Gill

Raphael Weinroth-Browne cello

Harold Arlen arr. R. Gill - I’ve Got the World on a String

Matthias Bartolomey cello, Zander Howard-Scott cello, Samuel Nadurak cello, Raphael Weinroth-Browne cello

George Gershwin arr. M. Jones - I Got Rhythm

Raphael Weinroth-Browne cello, Zander Howard-Scott cello, Samuel Nadurak cello, Matthias Bartolomey cello, Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra

Program Notes

The use of strings in the jazz large ensemble tradition is not a recent development. The infamous Paul Whiteman Orchestra, which recorded Rhapsody in Blue in 1924, included strings as part of its instrumentation. While Whiteman was popularly known as the “King of Jazz” at the time, his orchestra embodied jazz more so by name rather than in practice.

Jazz musicians playing and recording with strings dates as far back as the 1920s, with famous recordings by Artie Shaw (1936), Charlie Parker (1950), Clifford Brown (1955), Ben Webster (1955), Stan Getz (1962), among others. In the 1940s, string sections also began to appear in the ensembles of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Stan Kenton. Of course, there have been many great violin soloists such as Stéphane Grappelli, Ray Nance, and Didier Lockwood, and there have also been lesser-known jazz cellists (bassist Oscar Pettiford’s use of the cello is perhaps the best known). The concept of featuring cello with a jazz orchestra—combining classical and jazz forms and approaches—is more recent, with David Baker’s Concerto for Cello and Jazz Band considered amongst the first. In 2010, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra premiered a piece written for cellist Yuri Hooker. This work was conceived and composed by Jeff Presslaff, who we are happy to have with us for this performance.

When Paul Marleyn proposed this collaboration in the Spring of 2024, we knew we had to say yes—despite the limited existing repertoire, which meant we’d need to write and arrange most of the program ourselves. Through our talented pool of WJO writers (Greg Crowe, Brady Gill, Monica Jones, Niall Cade, Jocelyn Gould, Jeff Presslaff and Richard Gillis) we have put together a unique and varied program:

• Juno award-winning composer Jocelyn Gould was commissioned to write something specifically for this concert  

• Brady Gill, Greg Crowe and Richard Gillis created a suite of pieces written by Raphael Weinroth-Browne

• Niall Cade, assisted by Matthias Bartolomey, created a solo part for the original Rhapsody in Blue, 

• Monica Jones & Brady Gill wrote arrangements of jazz standards featuring all four cellists (that has to be a first!),

• Jeff Presslaff’s writing skills will be on display in three of the pieces at today’s concert.

The WJO has included a few additional pieces in this concert to further explore the intersection of classical and jazz traditions. We'll open with Anitra’s Dance by Edvard Grieg, arranged by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, followed by From Heaven to Earth by Martin Luther, collaboratively arranged by guitarist Bjorn Thoroddsen (also a string player) and myself. With Jeff Presslaff in the building, we thought it fitting to include his brilliant arrangement of Caravan.