UNC Jazz Press

(Level V) Equal parts modern chamber music and big band composition, Piano Roll is the 2009 ASCAP/Columbia College Commission in Honor of Hank Jones, premiered by the Chicago Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Jon Faddis.  It was inspired by Hank Jones’ love of player pianos and features a unique take on  the piano roll styles that Mr. Jones grew up with.  The piece is an alto feature that begins softly and builds steadily to a forceful climax.  It is a difficult chart and requires a band with strong focused players in all seats, a sensitivity to complex orchestration, and a highly skilled drummer. Sax doubles. (8 Brass)

Tyler Gilmore composes chamber music ranging from jazz to modern classical. He leads Ninth+Lincoln, an orchestra that fuses big band sounds, 20th century symphonic influences and electronic textures.

Tyler has written and conducted for big band, studio orchestra, symphonic wind ensemble, string quartet, brass quintet and more. He won the 2009 ASCAP/Columbia College Commission in Honor of Hank Jones and thrice won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's Award in 2008, 2009 and 2010. His music has been reviewed in DownBeat and performed by Jon Faddis’s Chicago Jazz Ensemble, The University of Northern Colorado Jazz Band I, and The Henry Mancini Institute Overture Orchestra, among others. His work is published by UNC Jazz Press and Minor Ninth Music.

He has performed for four years with Ninth + Lincoln, including a monthly residency at Dazzle in Denver since 2006. He produced the band’s self-titled debut in 2008. A second album is due in 2010.

Tyler grew up in rural Wyoming, studied music at the University of Northern Colorado and is now based in Denver. This fall and winter, he was an artist in residence at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in Nebraska. His current work re-imagines World War II-era patriotic melodies as a way to connect the innovations of modern jazz composition with the traditions of American popular song.