Tales for Vibraphone Vol. 1

Item details

• Description +

  • Arranged by Mex Leth
    Duration: 15 min.
    
    Index:
    Over the Rainbow
    Sophisticated Lady
    Tea for Two
    Kristallen den fina (the Crystal)
    
    
    

    Max Seide Leth

    Max Seide Leth was born into a musical family in 1921. In 1938, Max entered The Royal Danish Academy of music as a pianist and consequently earned his Soloist's Diploma.
    
    In the years to follow, he played with numerous well-known artists from Denmark and elsewhere, and he established a name for himself in the jazz world. In addition, he appeared frequently in numerous Radio & TV programs for a period of more than 15 years. Max Seide Leth's life was changed forever one evening at a job where the venue had no piano for him to play. They offered him an old Vibraphone instead. Max was not comfortable with this, but after some deliberation he decided to perform the concert on the Vibraphone – with success!
    
    As time went on, he developed his own special way of learning the  instrument, and became so taken with it that he often chose the Vibraphone over the piano for his performances. This led to a position as percussion teacher at the Royal Danish Academy of Music from 1984 to 1993.
    
    Max Seide Leth is also recognised as a composer and as a brilliant arranger. His arrangements have been performed all over the world by some of the best percussionists.
    
    "Tales for Vibraphone" is the first of a larger collection, published by Edition Svitzer, which contains arrangements for Vibraphone.

    
    
    

• Instrumentation +

  • Vibraphone

• Watch+

  • Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Harold Arlen
    performed by Henrik Cornelius Hansen
    
    
    
    Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Harold Arlen
    performed by Ronni Kot Wenzell
    
    

    Other YouTube Performances:
    Henrik Cornelius Hansen (Denmark)
    Sisse Tomczyk (Denmark)
    Scott Quade (USA)
    Unknown artist (USA)
    Nataniel Hjønnevåg (Norway)
    Stephen Hughes (USA)

• About the composer +

  • Max Seide Leth was born into a musical family in 1921. In 1938, Max entered The Royal Danish Academy of music as a pianist and consequently earned his Soloist's Diploma.
    
    In the years to follow, he played with numerous well-known artists from Denmark and elsewhere, and he established a name for himself in the jazz world. In addition, he appeared frequently in numerous Radio & TV programs for a period of more than 15 years. Max Seide Leth's life was changed forever one evening at a job where the venue had no piano for him to play. They offered him an old Vibraphone instead. Max was not comfortable with this, but after some deliberation he decided to perform the concert on the Vibraphone – with success!
    
    As time went on, he developed his own special way of learning the  instrument, and became so taken with it that he often chose the Vibraphone over the piano for his performances. This led to a position as percussion teacher at the Royal Danish Academy of Music from 1984 to 1993.
    
    Max Seide Leth is also recognised as a composer and as a brilliant arranger. His arrangements have been performed all over the world by some of the best percussionists.

• Reviews +

  • Reviews:
    
    Lucky for us that Max Seide Leth made the transition from piano to vibraphone!  This collection showcases Leth's truly unique musical voice and is rewarding for both the performer and audience.  Leth's arrangements are absolutely idiomatic and explore the full range of the instrument - but more importantly, they are exceedingly musical.  I wholeheartedly recommend "Tales for Vibraphone".
    
    Benjamin Toth, Professor of Percussion, The Hartt School, University of Hartford, USA
    
    
    
    
    "What a story! A grand piano is missing at a venue, but in stead has a vibraphone. Max begins to play on it and thereby moves the limits on what is possible for the instrument. The most fascinating is the endless stream of technical genius which is only matched by the lovely harmonization by Max. And by the way you can only dream about playing it just as beautiful and effortless like Max himself.”
    
    Henrik Cornelius Hansen, Principal Timpanist at South Jutland Symphony Orchestra, Denmark
    
    
    
    “The booklet ‘Tales for Vibraphone’, consisting of 4 arrangements by Max Leth, is one of my absolute favorite works!! Due to his carrier as a great jazz pianist, he has been able to arrange these master works like ’Over the rainbow’, ‘Tea for Two’ etc. with such a profound understanding of the music. The arrangements require a respectable virtuous technique, which makes them even more fun to play. I promise you, you’ll feel the same way about them!"
    
    Ronni Kot Wenzell, soloist and teacher at the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music, Denmark
    
    
    
    “Max Leth’s  solo arrangements in ‘Tales for Vibraphone’ are beautiful and challenging works that elicit a lush and full texture from the vibraphone. The stride style in ‘Tea for Two’ requires independence between the hands for which the player is rewarded with all of the elements of an ensemble from the performer’s four mallets. ”
    
    Jay Rosenthal, soloist (USA)

• Credits +

  • Front cover graphics and layout: Ronni Kot Wenzell
    Editor: Henrik Cornelius Hansen
    Translation: James Howard Young
    Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
    Copyright © Edition Svitzer
    www.editionsvitzer.com

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