Album Notes

Peter Paulsen is currently on the faculty at West Chester University, principal bassist with the Allentown Symphony and section bass with the Harrisburg Symphony and Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Spoleto, Italy. Mr. Paulsen has been working as a free-lance jazz bassist in the Phila-
delphia area for the past 20 years and released his first CD as a leader, "Three-Stranded Cord", on R&L Records. After receiving the 1999
jazz composition grant from the Pa. Council on the Arts he put together
the quintet featured on this concert to perform and record these new pieces.
Mr. Paulsen has since received two additional Pa. Council on the Arts composition grants and the 2007 PEW Fellowship in Composition.

Tom Lawton - piano
Joe Mullen - drums
Bob Meashey - trumpet/flugelhorn
Chris Farr - saxophones

Paulsen says, "Putting a band together to develop and perform original compositions can be a very particular and tricky undertaking. The writing has a conversational quality between very specific written out sections, with some rather demanding rhythmic and harmonic language, and somewhat free, improvised sections."

"I've worked with all these guys individually over the years in many different settings, and something in each of them struck me as very special and compelling. Joe's flexible sense of time and creative spontaneaty, 'hooked-up' with Tom's unique phrasing and harmonic vocabulary, gave the music an organic,'lived in' feel. I've always respected Bob's originality in his beautiful soloing, and upon hearing the passion and conviction that Chris played with, I had a gut feeling they would inspire all of us."