Unicycle Man

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		Buffalo Dance	5:08	Play
2		Thea	6:06	Play
3		Tango For An Elegant Man	6:05	Play
4		Unicycle Man	5:48	Play
5		Ouray	6:18	Play
6		Conundrum	7:42	Play
7		Take A Moment	5:34	Play
8		There Is No Greater Love	6:33	Play
9		Hometown	5:01	Play

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Description

Ted Piltzecker - vibraphone
Bob Mintzer - saxophone
James Williams - piano
Harvie Swartz - bass
Dave Meade- drums
Joe Passaro - percussion

"A lyrical, thoughtful, relaxing meeting of mutually appreciative improvisers whose time is timeless."
Nat Hentoff

"Great tunes and great playing by a truly all-star line-up. This made my afternoon." Gary Burton

"Unicycle Man gives us all a chance to hear ... as we should .. the great playing and composing talent of Ted Piltzecker. Well done, Ted."
George Shearing

"Ted Piltzecker is an 'original' - one of my favorite composers."
Chuck Mangione

Buffalo Dance This title might conjure up images of a scene in the Western Plains. Actually it reflers to a time when I was in college and used to travel from Rochester to Buffalo to play gigs with a wonderful Latin band. Everybody in the room danced all the time - I loved it!

Thea This song was written one day after my daughter's birth on a cross-town bus while returning from the hospital. During the session we recorded it as a sweet little waltz, just as intended. When the band went into the booth to listen to the take, I noticed that James Williams was still at the piano, and still "messing" with the tune. James is from the South, and has a deep-rooted gospel background. When I heard what he was doing I thought 'yeah' and forgot about the waltz idea. We immediately went back in and recorded this version.

Tango for an Elegant Man Originally written for big band and four cellos, this is a pianoless quartet version. It is a way of saying thank you to a friend whom I respect a great deal.

Unicycle Man Balancing is a series of corrections. When the adjustments become subtle enough, one stays upright and the illusion of equilibrium is achieved. It is a interesting place to be - a pleasant blend of danger and control. Of course, riding that ultimate fine line is an impossibility. I've been been riding a unicycle for almost thirty years, and the activity remains metaphorical for so many things in my life.

Ouray Chief Ouray, the great leader of the Ute Indians, was caught in a sad compromise between concern for his tribe and the dissolution of their culture.

Conundrum A conundrum is a puzzle - a perplexing situation. It is a also the name of a natural hot spring at an altitude of 10,000 feet nestled way back in the Rocky Mountains. (It's puzzling to me why I don't spend more time in these places) This song is a conundrum

Take a Moment Some say, "stop and smell the roses." Others, "breathe deeply and consciously." This is how I say it.

There is No Greater Love Straight ahead! Harvie thought it would be a good idea to warm up with a standard. I agreed.

Hometown This can be a good place to be from - for some, a sense of community.

T.P.


Vibraphonist/composer, Ted Piltzecker tours nationally and internationally with his jazz quartet and duo, as well as with the famed George Shearing Quintet. He has recorded three albums as a leader. His debut album, Destinations, climbed to number eight in national jazz airplay, and his second release, Unicycle Man on the Equilibrium label (featuring Bob Mintzer, Harvie Swartz, James Williams, and Dave Meade) remained on the Gavin Jazz Chart for months. The Victory Music Review calls it "a thoughtful recording filled with tasteful flair, the product of confident mature musicians who are committed to the ensemble." Jazz writer and critic, Nat Hentoff praised the album as "a lyrical, thoughtful, relaxing meeting of mutually appreciative improvisers whose time is timeless." His most recent recording, Standing Alone on Equilibrium is a collection of standards and ballads for solo vibraphone. Ted can also be heard on a George Shearing Quintet album featuring John Pizzeralli which will be released in April, 2002 by Telarc.

The National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (Fellowship 2000) have awarded grants to Ted in both performance and composition. His works have been aired on National Public Radio's "Performance Today" and the Canadian Broadcasting Company's "Arts National."

Ted is a professor of music at Purchase Conservatory, State University of New York. He has held faculty positions at the University of Michigan, William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, and the Manhattan School of Music. His educational activities are endorsed by Selmer Industries and he is a popular clinician in universities across the country. For eight years, Ted directed the jazz program at the Aspen Music Festival where he regularly performed with many of the great names in jazz. (Jimmy Heath, Joe Williams, Clark Terry, Mel Torme, Ernie Watts, Hubert Laws, Slide Hampton, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and many more)

Ted has performed in New York area concerts and clubs with guitarists Gene Burtoncini and Vic Juris, bassists Andy McKee and Todd Coolman, drummers Lewis Nash, Andrew Cyrille, and Clarence Penn, pianists Jim McNeeley, John Hicks, Bill Charlap, and Harold Danko, and with saxophonists Chris Potter and Steve Wilson. He appears as a featured soloist in percussion festivals around the world, from Hannover's Deutsches Percussion Symposium and London's Percussive Arts Society (UK) to Brazil's Ritmos da Terra. His appearances with orchestras, including the Tucson Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Regina Symphony Orchestras have variously spotlighted Ted as a performer, composer, and conductor. European engagements as a jazz headliner include the esteemed UMO Jazz Orchestra in Helsinki (guest soloist/composer) and several tours of German clubs and concert halls. His performance experience also encompasses world and ethnic music, ranging from the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble of Tokyo to the Chinese ensemble Spirit of Nature.

Ted is a graduate of the Eastman and Manhattan Schools of Music. He is also a licensed pilot and unicyclist.

Additional information is available at: www.tedvibes.com