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Samson Trinh's "Very Strange Night"

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"My goal is to play with good tone, good phrasing and to swing. I strive for honesty in playing what I feel." -Kenny Burrell

Friday, 09 January 2009

Samson Trinh's "Very Strange Night"

Written by Carmel DeSoto

Wednesday, 28 March 2007

Samson Trihn

23 years old, composer, arranger, orchestrator, bandleader, musical director, producer, and saxophonist, Samson Trinh paints a portrait of mastery with his colleagues, friends, cohorts and posse. The definition of painting is; the perception and representation of intensity. Every point in space has different intensity. Painting is one of the basic skills needed by an artist to make masterpieces and works of art. The means of representing this intensity in painting is therefore the shade, nuance, i.e. the span between white and black with all visible gray shades - the difference in intensity. Trinh’s debut Very Strange Night conveys this message with creative compositional intricacies, nuances, shades of sounds and pleasing intensity.

Born in Richmond, Virginia in May of 1983, Samson received a Merit Scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music's Summer Program and several Merit Scholarships from Virginia Commonwealth University where he has earned his B.M. in Jazz Studies. At VCU, he studied composition and jazz arranging with Doug Richards (founder of the school’s jazz program) and saxophone with Skip Gailes, John Winn, and principal New York Philharmonic saxophonist, Albert Regni. In 2005, he was the winner of Richmond Jazz Society's prestigious Joe Kennedy, Jr. Scholarship. Samson is an alumnus at New York's Manhattan School of Music where he studied jazz composition with well-known composer, Michael Abene.

The disc begins with “Drop the Needle” a prelude that states the journey you’re about to take is not your ordinary Big Band disc. “To You, Near You, With You,” transports us to a speakeasy with vocalist Terri Muphy and the quaint sounds of The Lounge Union Orchestra. At 23 years old Samson intuitively captures an era and its vibe with authenticity and verve. “I Can’t Believe I’m Addicted To The O.C,” is certainly a title know by this generation of TV guru’s but Trinh again transports us to the sexual rhythms and harmony that made Peggy Lee such a huge success with an emphasis on the baritone saxophone for a slinky foundation that provides plenty of section interplay between the members of the Upper East Side Big Band.

“Thank Goodness,” features male vocalist Adrian Duke, who creates a pleasing rendition of Trinh’s very memorable, hook oriented song. This one you will find yourself singing over and over again. I can truly see this placed on a movie soundtrack of a romantic comedy.

A turn to the modern side of jazz offerings brings us to “I Tried to Talk to Her, But She Thought I Was Too Weird.” An edgy cut; Trinh gives this track a wah-70’s Wurlitzer vibe with driving energy and force. At the halfway point in the album it is an outburst of creative genius to refocus the listener and let any nervous energy they may have flow out of their body so they can properly take in the rest of the journey. Drummer Brian Jones, Wurlitzer player Daniel Clarke and Tenor saxophonist J.C. Kuhl tear into this track with all of their might, with burning lines and aggressive interaction it’s the storm before the calm.

A true highlight of the album is the title track, which provides a look back to 1960s-era television soundtracks. Trinh creates texture changes, creative interludes, and memories of an era that offered good clean fun. For a 23 year old musician to grasp so many compositional aspects and textures authentically and convey them through a compositional arena is a tribute the hard work and guidance Trinh has obviously received at VCU. Trinh offers an exciting debut release as a composer. In conclusion, Very Strange Night is a giant step forward for a young lion in the compositional sector. His ideas and abilities to clearly actualize his concepts are translated into a wonderful release that is not strange at all, but truly a masterful collection of the inventive mind of Samson Trinh.

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