When the New York Times book critic Dennis Lehane writes about the opening of James Ellroy’s novel, “Perfidia” he states.
“There — Whalen’s Drugstore, Sixth and Spring Streets. The site of four recent felonies. 211 PC — Armed Robbery.” For better and often for worse, that style — jumpy, feverish and anarchic — mirrors the world we enter.”
So too does our opening track reflect this jumpy, feverish and anarchic feeling. Composed and arranged by today’s guest, a musician who has performed and recorded with many world class musicians including Dizzy Gillespie, Eddie Henderson, The Temptations, 10,000 Maniacs, The Four Tops and many others.
My guest is a saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator as well as the founder, artistic director and conductor of the Rockland Youth Jazz Ensemble, an adjunct jazz professor at Bergen Community College, Bergen Catholic High School’s Jazz Ensemble director and vice-president of the Rockland County Jazz and Blues Society.
In 2019 he was the recipient of the Arts Council of Rockland’s 2019 Performing Artist Award.
It is my honor to introduce today’s guest, the leader of The Peter Furlan Project and The Peter Furlan Trio & Quintet, Peter Furlan.
