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Stories   >   William Susman's 'Scatter My Ashes' w/Octet Ensemble is KING: Second Inversion 'Album Of The Week'

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William Susman's 'Scatter My Ashes' w/Octet Ensemble is KING: Second Inversion 'Album Of The Week'

Posted: December 16, 2014

I have always considered poetry to be the distant cousin of music. After all, both combine elements of rhythm, sound, lyricism, and storytelling. However, after listening through the OCTET Ensemble's performance of "Scatter My Ashes," I thought perhaps these two artistic mediums may be even closer than cousins; perhaps they could even be brother and sister.

"Scatter My Ashes" is a series of five poems written by Sue Susman about life, death, and darkness. Her brother, composer and keyboardist William Susman, then transformed the poems into a five-movement composition for OCTET, his New York-based contemporary music ensemble.

OCTET is essentially a jazzy big-band-turned-a-little-smaller: their sound features one of each instrument in the brass section plus rhythm. The ensemble is composed of soprano vocalist Mellissa Hughes, saxophonist Demetrius Spaneas, trumpeter Mike Gurfield, trombonist Alan Ferber, composer and keyboardist William Susman, pianist Elaine Kwon, double bassist Eleonore Oppenheim, and drummer and percussionist Greg Zuber.

"Scatter My Ashes" is the title track on OCTET's debut album, where it is brilliantly framed by three other works which combine a neoclassical sound with jazz and pop elements. Hughes' dazzling vocals soar above each piece, transitioning flawlessly from singing lyrical poetry to percussive wordless vocals depending on the composition.

William Susman's 'Scatter My Ashes' w/Octet Ensemble is KING: Seattle - Second Inversion 'Album Of The Week.' SEE THE PAGE