Album Notes

The concert on March 11, 1995, was one of the final performances of my sextet. It included the best musicians that ever performed in the group and took place in the best venue we ever played. I had been working in the format of the sextet since 1991 and had developed my compositions and arrangements for that group to their highest level. For all these reasons, this concert was the culmination of four years of my artistic life. It also marked the end of my time living in Washington, D.C.

The John Link Sextet consisted of guitar, trumpet, saxophone, piano, bass, and drums. I arranged all of the music that we played. My role as guitarist was to play lines just like the trumpet and saxophone, in effect using my guitar as if it were a horn. My arrangements fully utilized the musical resources by having each instrument play its own part not duplicated by any other. When selecting repertoire for the sextet I always chose music that I loved. This concert was no exception.

As I listen to the recording we made eight years ago, I am excited about releasing this work so that more people than just those who attended the concert can hear the music we played. I think you're in for a treat.

John Link


JOHN LINK SEXTET
John Link - guitar
Tom Williams - trumpet and flugelhorn
Bruce Swaim - tenor and soprano saxophones
Harry Appelman - piano
Victor Dvoskin - bass
Leland Nakamura - drums