By Carlo Wolff | Published August 2021
All Without Words is an ambitious concerto for trumpet and orchestra that gives voice to the voiceless in more ways than one. John Daversa’s dry, expressive trumpet speaks for Loren Morell, the non-verbal, autistic son of composer Justin Morell, whose thoughtfully titled movements reflect stages in the relationship.
The movements are long, encourage introspection, and most feature a wall of strings — more in the style of Richard Strauss than Phil Spector, perhaps even more in the style of Béla Bartók.
This is a long, serious work with a complex agenda, primarily an aim to heal. It does not swing, and it’s not about virtuosity, even though the musicians Daversa and Morell have assembled sound absolutely organic in Kabir Sehgal’s sumptuous production.
Each track stands on its own, though the careful sequencing and thematic progression strongly suggest that the best way to experience this would be in its proper sequence at a standalone concert.
All Without Words: Variations Inspired By Loren: Loren’s Theme; Searching But Never Finding; Two Steps Forward; Seeing It Again For The First Time; The Urgency Of Every Moment; Invisible Things; Walking In Our Own Footsteps/The Circle Game; The Smallest Thing; A Day Is Forever/Like Any Other; Three Roads Diverged; Learning What It Means To Be; It’s Enough To Be Here, Now. (73:00)
Personnel: John Daversa, trumpet; Justin Morell, guitars; Tal Cohen, piano; Dion Kerr, bass; David Chiverton, drums; Lev Garfein, violin; Conrad Fok, piano; choir; orchestra: strings, winds and percussion.
Ordering Info: johndaversa.com
