SEAN IMBODEN, Communal Heart

After eight successful years touring with Broadway productions (including serving as a featured soloist with the Tony-winning brass and percussion driven production Blast! II) and performing and recording with and jazz greats from Slide Hampton and Taylor Eigsti to Sean Jones, Steve Allee, Emmett Cohen and others, Sean Imboden experienced a deep sense of creative restlessness which motivated him to pursue a deeper personal calling. The composer and sax virtuoso longed to return to his jazz roots and the opportunity to improvise and express himself in a more personal, meaningful way.

Joining forces with a group of some of the top musicians in central Indiana, the composer and sax virtuoso in 2017 launched The Sean Imboden Large Ensemble, building a loyal following over the years via an intense work ethic, an expansive slate of regional performances and his dynamic, colorful arrangements of originals and standards.

Considering their vast repertoire, the easiest path to take once Sean became a recording artist would have been to offer a repertoire of fresh spins on oft-played Great American Songbook style classics. That’s often what emerging artists and bands do when they’re trying to reach a wider audience. Instead, refreshingly, the multi-talented musician got off to a prolific start with two smaller ensemble works featuring all original compositions in 2024 – A Dreamer’s Journey and One Moment. These paved the way for Communal Heart, an epic, wildly adventures five track, 37-minute celebration of Sean and the full 17-piece group’s synergistic magic, sensuality, swing and high octane brass and woodwind excitement.

In addition to Sean, numerous members of the 13 horn/woodwind and four piece rhythm sections take high impact solo spotlights which allow them to showcase their melodic graces, rhythmic intensity and improvisational flair – John Raymond (trumpet/flugelhorn), Andrew Danforth (trombone), Joel Tucker (guitar), Matt Pivec (alto/soprano/flute), Mark O’Connor (sax), pianist Chris Pitts, Evan Drybread (clarinet) and Kent Hickey (trumpet/flugelhorn).

Beyond simply showcasing five stellar, imaginatively arranged original pieces that evolve into fascinating individual journeys all their own, Sean has it top of mind to use his compositions as a invitations to newcomers to his big band experience so they can get to know him on a personal level. From the empowering, opening track “Fire Spirit” (a reworked and expanded version of a track from A Dreamer’s Journey) through the high spirited, triumphant closer “Portal Passage,” Communal Heart serves as a powerful autobiographical narrative told in a multitude of chords, melodic and improvisational notes and flights of great imagination.

This starts with the title of the project, which reflects, Sean says, “the strong sense of community I feel whenever the band gets together for a rehearsal or gig, as well as the overwhelming support we received with our Kickstarter campaign.”

A perfect example of how this autobiographical uniqueness works is “Fire Spirit.” An eight minute that fascinatingly alternates brisk, boisterous passages with mellow, lyrical moments, the aptly titled track is a freewheeling musical expression of the passion and sense of purpose that prompted him to take that major career risk and stop playing musicals and commercial gigs to focus on his future and explore his potential as an artist. The bright bursts of horns seem to represent his optimism, while the calmer passages tap into the quiet introspection that accompanied his decision making process. John Raymond chimes in with a contemplative solo, while Sean regals later with one of his trademark sax solos brimming with inventiveness and the burning fire the title promises.

The other tracks likewise explore different facets of Sean’s personal and professional lives. The lyrical, charmingly whimsical “Dance of Inquiry” – featuring Andrew Danforth’s playful trombone solo and a charmingly rambunctious soprano solo by Sean – reflects what the artist sees as his “naturally optimistic and inquisitive nature.” We sense that curiosity in every fluttering note of his solo. With its booming rhythms and incendiary Joel Tucker guitar solo, “Certified Organic” is big band funk/rock at its finest, a bold, brash, intensely percussive and slightly off-kilter “theme song” for how Sean develops his music and band (always from the ground up via grit and persistence!).

On a completely other end of the emotional spectrum, Sean and his ensemble express his sense of spirituality on “Someone To Watch Over Us,” forging a dreamy, laid back yet dynamics filled vibe Duke Ellington might have called “In a Mellow Tone,” given an extra layer of soulful intention via Matt Pivec’s sensitive alto solo. “Portal Passage” is the Sean Imboden Large Ensemble’s free for all, a rapturous, nonstop burning closing romp with wild solo action by four members (including pianist Chris Pitts) that, in Sean’s words, “symbolizes the transformative experience we go through when we open ourselves up to new scenarios and possibilities in life.”

As a bonus, in a streaming dominated time when cover art is often reduced to a thumbnail and thus less appreciated than it was during the LP and CD eras, artist Kara Tucker’s beautiful abstract green, yellow and white image of an oyster is absolutely stunning – and serves as a metaphor for Sean’s self-discovery as a musician and artist.