Portraits

Artist: John McKenna Quartet
Release Date: October 2, 2020
Catalog Number: EUR0434

TRACKLIST:

01) Erin Christine (9:25)
02) Labyrinth (6:40)
03) Song For Paul (8:05)
04) Hangar 45 (5:41)
05) Quest (7:42)
06) Night Runner (8:52)
07) Aluminum (5:32)
08) Rascal (5:49)
09) Ghost (2:37)

All compositions by John McKenna (John McKenna Music, BMI)

PERSONNEL:

John McKenna - tenor saxophone

Bruce Barth - piano

Anthony Santor - bass

Victor Lewis - drums

RECORDING INFO:

Produced by John McKenna

Recorded & Mixed by James Farber

Assistant engineer: Owen Mulholland

Recorded at Sear Sound, NYC - June 6th, 2017

Mastering by Jim DeMain at Yes Master Studios, Nashville, TN

ALBUM NOTES:

This album is called Portraits because many of the songs are inspired by people I love. We did one rehearsal in NYC the day before the recording. Most of the songs were recorded in one take and in one room together...natural. These portraits in sound would not have come to life as they did without the fantastic rhythm section that’s on this recording. A huge thank you & my love to Anthony, Bruce and Victor for their incredible playing, uncompromising musicianship & giving of themselves on this recording. Thanks also to the renowned recording engineer James Farber for capturing our sounds and the craft & care he brought to this session. 

Erin Christine is a bossa nova written for my wife & inspired by her elegance, beauty and soulfulness. When we met in NYC in 1999, Erin was a producer and writer of a live TV news show.  Seeing her put together a daily live show at a major network was amazing to me and she made it look easy. Her sharp intellect, big heart and rare beauty still stop me in my tracks! I’m so thankful she’s in this world. Erin also plays classical guitar with so much feeling...I love to listen to her play. Thinking of her this song pretty much wrote itself.   

Song For Paul is a ballad for my dear friend, pianist Paul Tillotson, who passed away a few years ago. After graduating from the William Paterson College jazz studies program in 1989, we began our musical careers in NYC where for years we’d get together to play each others compositions.  We played gigs, biked around Central Park and had ski adventures. I really miss Paul, his music and his great sense of humor (kaw! kaw!) This one’s for you Pauli.   

Rascal is a blues in 7/4 that I wrote for my son Aidan when he was younger. Now in his teens Aidan has grown into a creative and intelligent young man, one I’m so proud of. He plays the alto saxophone, is a fast runner and still has that rascalness that I love! I feel so fortunate and happy to be Aidan’s Dad.   

Hangar 45 is a straight ahead swinger (with some odd phrasing & harmonic twists!) It’s a portrait of my Dad and his love of flying, deep thinking and jazz. An aeronautical and mechanical engineer, he was building a plane when I wrote this. Seeing my Dad’s enthusiasm and joy working on the aircraft strongly influenced this tune.   

Quest is a song in 3/4 dedicated to my Mom. Its light, lyrical melody & vibe reminds me of her and how she’s always so full of life! Mom’s search for knowledge in a life long love of reading, along with a great passion for all arts, has been a big influence on me.   

Labyrinth is inspired by that maze like form, whether real or imagined, and by the stories of Jorge Luis Borges.   

Aluminum is influenced by that silvery element, one that I’ve been using for several years in sculptures I call Resonant Structures. (I briefly play one of my aluminum forms on this track). The tune is freely improvised after the melody: no chord changes or form (or rehearsal! ) needed.

Night Runner is a straight 8th tune inspired by the feeling, as the title says, of running at night.   Ghosts is written in the spirit (pun intended!) of the ephemeral, fleeting nature of things.


This album is dedicated with love to my parents, Mary and Charles McKenna.


There was a moment in my life when I just knew I had to play the tenor saxophone. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 12 years old lying in bed and heard this amazing music coming from the stereo.  First thing in the morning I had to find out who was playing. My parents told me it was Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto. I was playing cello at the time but knew then that the tenor saxophone was the instrument for me! Since I was old enough to remember, my parents had the sounds of jazz and classical music playing in the house. My sister began playing classical violin from an early age and my parents made sure we had private lessons with great musicians and teachers. They took us to hear live performances, purchased quality instruments for us and helped us build our own record collections. My folks also encouraged my drawing so there was always plenty of drawing paper & pens around our house in Vermont. They fostered a creative environment and a home where my sister and I could be ourselves, learn and grow and it’s something I’ll always be thankful for. I’m dedicating this recording to my parents for all of their love & support through the years.

Special thanks to my longtime friend & great saxophonist Jeff Coffin for his support releasing this recording on his Ear Up Records label...thank you Jeff for being such a generous, creative spirit and for all of your tremendous music! To Alex Mathews and Julia Meredith at Ear Up Records for their help getting this recording out into the world! Thanks to everyone at Sear Sound in NYC, to Joanne Klein for her help and to Jim Demain at Yes Master Studio in Nashville for the excellent job mastering this recording. Thanks to my son Aidan for shooting video at the recording session and to my wife Erin for her excellent album photography.  

To my friends, family and fellow musicians, I am so grateful that you’re in my life.

Sincerely,

John McKenna