REMY LE BOEUF
On Heartland Radio, the four-time Grammy-nominated composer and saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf finds inspiration in the ever-shifting soundscape of the great American road trip. Through seven tracks of stunning ingenuity and intimacy, Le Boeuf’s large ensemble Assembly of Shadows melds modern jazz language and classical textures with ideas and emotions gleaned from pop radio. Echoes of indie rock, R&B, dance-pop, alternative, and EDM infuse breathtaking orchestral harmony, nimble ensemble interplay and masterful solos — including those by the bandleader, whose crystalline alto work exhibits a depth of understanding that only the music’s composer could attain.
In the process, Le Boeuf bridges the gaps between geographic and artistic communities — jazz and classical and contemporary music, high culture and pop culture — much as he’s done throughout his career. From co-leading the acclaimed Le Boeuf Brothers with his identical twin, to gigging with pop-rock band HAIM and collaborating with producer Prefuse 73, he’s the sort of wide-open musician whose only criterion is quality –– “I’m bringing together everything I love and making it my own.”
The catalyst for Le Boeuf’s cross-country journey was his appointment as the Director of Jazz & Commercial Music Studies at the University of Denver. Le Boeuf and his partner set off from Brooklyn in a 16-foot Penske truck, “and all we did was listen to the radio with the windows down. When you’re driving across the U.S., there aren’t many jazz stations; it’s just whatever comes up. All the songs on the album reflect this transition in my life, and draw on the music we heard along the way.” Heartland Radio, he says, “is about having fun. It’s about wanting to dance and sing along.”
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