Chuck Owen & The Jazz Surge - Within Us • Celebrating 25 Years of the Jazz Surge (2021) Hi Res

25th Anniversary – a pretty significant landmark in the life of a contemporary jazz big band!! So, while seeking to celebrate that milestone with this project (their seventh), Owen thought it might be intriguing to explore the nature and significance of milestones in general as the central concept of the CD.

Owen spent time reflecting on the landmark moments of his own life, any number of unforgettable and pivotal events in the 25-year run of the Jazz Surge, and what he perceived as critical junctures in the life of society today. As a result, one piece on the album celebrates family milestones via the notion of ancestry and a prominent Native American cultural/archeological region. Another takes a somewhat Noir-ish view of the landmark Trump Presidency (and related political issues). While yet another looks at the environment and its impact on all of us through the lens of a devastated oyster bay. Uniting these somewhat disparate individual themes was the notion that milestones – of all types – are important measures of who we are and what we value.

Owen was so committed to this thesis, that he even made an early decision to do a mash-up of the Miles Davis work, “Milestones” along with the 1st piece he ever wrote expressly for the band (appropriately titled “Surge”). And, in spite of the iconic stature of the great Miles album, he even intended to title the album “Milestones”. However, in composing the final piece, “Within Us”, Owen’s focus (and title) unexpectedly shifted a bit. And just a few days later as the band came together in mid-May (2021) following 15 months of pandemic-induced isolation, fear, and economic trials in tandem with considerable social/political upheaval; the joy of collaborating . . . of renewing friendships . . . of creating something beautiful . . . was completely and absolutely transforming!