Ryan Truesdell is an eclectic composer with many musical influences and a deep respect for jazz tradition. He also has a wide sonic palette. After earning his Masters in Jazz Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music, Truesdell immersed himself in many musical styles and studied composition with Bob Brookmeyer (and Lee Hyla). He arranges and composes music for a variety of ensembles, from small groups to large bands to wind ensembles and string quartets. Recent commissions include arrangements to Ingrid Jensen, the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific’s trumpet player, and new music for Frank Kimbrough, the University of Minnesota Jazz Ensemble’s pianist, as well as a piece for Bob Brookmeyer’s 80th birthday concert at the Eastman School of Music. Ryan received the First Music Commission from the New York Youth Symphony’s Jazz Band Classic. He conducted the premiere of the piece at the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Ryan is also a highly skilled and sought-after copyist. He is Maria Schneider’s primary copyist. He also copies for Bob Brookmeyer and Jim Hall, as well as Luciana Souza and Miles Evans, as well the Gil Evans Estate. His work was published in Rutgers University’s Annual Review of Jazz Studies as well as Chamber Music America’s Chamber Music Magazine. Ryan is a respected producer and a valuable resource for the studio. He was the production assistant on Maria Schneider’s 2004 record Concert in the Garden. It won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble. In 2007, he co-produced Schneider’s next album, Sky Blue. It has been praised unanimously, including the honor of Jazz Album of the Year from the VILLAGE VOICE Critics poll, a Choc Award for France, and one of two albums that received a five-star review by DOWNBEAT in 2007. It was nominated for two Grammy Awards and won the category “Best Instrumental composition” (Cerulean Skies). Ryan recently traveled to Hamburg, Germany, to record a recording with Bob Brookmeyer, the Norddeutscher Rundfunk Big Band (NDR), and to collect both new and older works from Bob’s catalogue. Ryan, along with the Evans family is currently working on a large project to uncover and bring to life some of Gil Evans’ lesser-known music. He has discovered over forty Evans works that have never been recorded or released. Ryan will release a collection of his favorite works to celebrate the centennial of Evans’ birth. ArtistShare(r) will release the record on May 13, 2012. This is Evans’ 100th birthday. To follow the process of this recording or for more information, please visit www.GilEvansProject.com.
