Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement

Description: Difficult

Publisher: Jazz at Lincoln Center

That haunting trombone cry about four seconds into the overture of Sherman Irby's Inferno? That’s some down-home blues right there. And with that bit of Southern hospitality that reflects the composer's roots, one’s immediately welcomed into Irby's musical world—or rather, underworld.

After all, Inferno is Irby's interpretation of Dante's epic 14th-century poem of the same name, which follows the author on his imagined, harrowing journey through the nine circles of Hell. Listen beyond that opening trombone cry to when the horns all begin scowling and barking at each other. Yes, Irby's Southern roots are immediately apparent, but so is the life he's led since leaving his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In addition to his time with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (JLCO), Irby has worked with Elvin Jones, James Cleveland, Roy Hargrove, Papo Vazquez, McCoy Tyner, and Marcus Roberts, and his diverse influences are on full display in the gumbo that is Inferno.

Art reflects the time in which it was created. Dante finished The Divine Comedy (of which Inferno was part one of three) in 1320, during a time of great political upheaval and 18 years after he was exiled from his hometown of Florence. He seems to have written many of his enemies into the work as a way of getting back at them. While jazz certainly embodies freedom, Irby's Inferno represents another timely message. In today's world of division, hype, and distractions, where mankind can be manipulated by algorithms and become addicted to a phone's beep, we’re constantly reminded that our basic instincts are animalistic. However, there is an intelligence and cleverness to Irby's rich, multi-layered, powerfully compelling Inferno that reminds us of what makes us human. Of course, all kinds of music have the ability to help us transcend. But it's hard to think of another genre besides jazz that can capture so many different—and often conflicting—feelings all at the same time. Irby's Inferno is filled with a wide range of feelings, intelligent and dense harmonies, and thoughtful, irresistible rhythms. This isn't simply a jazz version of an old poem; this is an important musical piece that matters today.

The power of Irby's timely and compelling Inferno lies in its uniqueness and intelligence. And of course, its swing. This is "Irby’s main goal above all else," says fellow JLCO bandmate Chris Crenshaw, whose musical interpretation of James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones premiered on the same concert as Irby's Inferno in 2012. Irby's affection for his JLCO bandmates is clear in his writing. Crenshaw comments that "Sherman cares for his brethren, and he cares about this music, and that goes a long way."

...Inferno’s lush, sweeping, swinging, and reflective finale, “The Shores of Mount Purgatory,” marks Dante arrival at the foot of Mount Purgatory. As Irby remarks, “It’s difficult to write a large work for the jazz orchestra without paying an homage to its greatest composer, Duke Ellington. I waited to do this for the finale because I wanted Joe, who was once a member of Ellington’s orchestra, to be the last voice of the story.” It’s a touching end to a remarkable piece, and it reflects Irby’s optimistic outlook. Inferno reflects the unique essence of jazz that brings joy to the sadness, playfulness to the serious, and vice-versa. Just as one can only get to heaven by passing through hell, Irby’s Inferno reminds us that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

—Inferno adapted liner notes by Joe Alterman, 2020

Full Score
2 Alto Saxophones
2 Tenor Saxophones
Baritone Saxophone
4 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Piano
Bass
Drums

Trumpet 1: D6
Trombone 1: Bb4