SAMUEL JONES: THREE CONCERTOS: SAMUEL JONES (b.1935) : FLUTE CONCERTO, VIOLIN CONCERTO, TROMBONE CONCERTO. JOSEPH ALESSI, trombone; JEFFREY KHANER, flute; MICHAEL LUDWIG violin. BOSTON MODERN ORCHESTRA PROJECT, Gil Rose, conductor.

Description: Samuel Jones, born on June 2, 1935, in Inverness, Mississippi, has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a composer, conductor, and educator. A graduate of Central High School in Jackson, Mississippi, he received his under- graduate degree with highest honors at Millsaps College. He acquired his professional training at the Eastman School of Music, where he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in composition under Howard Hanson, Bernard Rogers, and Wayne Barlow. A former conducting student of Richard Lert and William Steinberg, Jones’ numerous conducting credits include tenures as conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic, music advisor of the Flint Symphony, and music director of the Saginaw Symphony. The three concerti on this recording represent three completely different instruments in works that celebrate expressivity and virtuosity. Jones has a gift for melody — it’s not unusual to hear patrons humming a theme from a new score on their way out of the concert hall — and a knack for showcasing instruments that don’t often get a turn in the concerto spotlight. The concerti presented here — for flute (2018), violin (2014), and trombone (2009) — are performed by three superb soloists: the Philadelphia Orchestra’s principal flutist, Jeffrey Khaner, former concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Michael Ludwig, and principal trombonist of the New York Philharmonic, Joseph Alessi. None of these three has an easy task: the concerti are written for players of top virtuoso quality.