New American Symphonies [World Premiere Recordings]

... Jim Pugh's beautiful burnished tone complements the music perfectly... The recording is superb both musically and sonically, the latter being no surprise as it was done by Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz in Digital eXtreme Definition (DXD)...

The sound is ravishing. The soundspace is enveloping, wide, and deep... The tonal balance is to my ears impeccable. Instrumental textures are easy to discern, and stand out even when the orchestrations get complex. There's weight and presence and superb dynamic range. You never get the sense of 'listening to a recording,' but rather of merging with the music.

An abandoned Tommy Dorsey symphonic work is being brought to life for the first time by trombone virtuoso Jim Pugh and Grammy-winning engineer Jim Anderson.

The album reunites Pugh with Anderson, whom he first met in a Pennsylvania school band more than 60 years ago. Pugh went on to become one of the most sought-after trombonists in contemporary music, his career spanning more than 4,000 recording sessions with artists from Steely Dan and Paul Simon to Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra. Anderson is one of the world’s leading audio engineers and producers, earning more than 30 Grammy nominations alongside his wife and longtime production partner, Ulrike Schwarz.

The recording revives a work by Roy Harris, best known for his Symphony No. 3, that remained unheard for nearly nine decades despite being written for one of the biggest stars of the Swing Era. For Pugh, ...the project represents both a musical excavation and a deeply personal collaboration. The album reunites him withJim Anderson, whom he first met in a Pennsylvania school band more than sixty years ago.

... Recorded live with an all-star ensemble featuring musicians drawn from the worlds of jazz, classical music, Broadway, and studio recording, New American Symphonies reflects a shared commitment to artistic excellence and sonic innovation.

... The result is an album that bridges generations, genres, and technologies, honoring America's musical past and pointing toward its future.

Recorded live with an all-star ensemble featuring musicians drawn from the worlds of jazz, classical music, Broadway, and studio recording, New American Symphonies reflects a shared commitment to artistic excellence and sonic innovation... Complementing Harris’s rediscovered work is Scott Ninmer’s Night Suite, composed specifically for Pugh by his former student... Together, the two compositions create a sweeping portrait of American music spanning nearly a century, linking the symphonic ambitions of the 1930s to the creative voices of today. The result is an album that bridges generations, genres, and technologies, honoring America’s musical past and pointing toward its future.