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The eerie stillness of New York City during the Covid-19 pandemic led many residents to a state of contemplation and inner exploration. Saxophonist/composer Marc Mommaas found himself drawn to sounds that he grew up with but had eschewed for his own musical path in jazz, namely classical music. The self-described expressionist was surprised to find himself immersed in the sounds of the Impressionists.

Mommaas dove into the music of the Impressionists but found himself particularly drawn to one of the instigators of the movement, Gabriel Fauré, who eventually taught Maurice Ravel and Nadia Boulanger. It was with Fauré’s esthetic in mind that Mommaas began to write music for his new recording, The Impressionist.

Coming from four generations of classical musicians, Mommaas still hears the sound of his mother’s piano playing Chopin when he was a child. As a saxophonist, Mommaas was entirely jazz oriented, inspired by the deep passion his father had for Jazz (a prolific Dutch painter and artist with a capital A). However, as the City slowed down during the pandemic Mommaas found himself drawn to the impressionistic sounds of Fauré, instigated by his famous Requiem in D minor, Op. 48

Mommaas found himself with time and space, in the New York Jazz Workshop studios, to sit down and compose. Always being in the moment, Mommaas jumped directly into working on this new music, trying to connect these older influences with his contemporary style and his complex feelings about New York at that moment. The composing process went by quickly, as if the music just sprang out. Mommaas also had a drummer-less ensemble in mind to perform the music, namely pianist Gary Versace, guitarist Nate Radley, and bassist Jay Anderson, making the writing process even more streamlined.

The pieces that Mommaas composed do not quote directly from the music of Fauré. There was an attempted piece that utilized an arrangement by Fauré but Mommaas felt it was stilted compared to the other material, which was much more intuitive and free. Just as the music suddenly demanded to be made, the inspiration ran its course, and Mommaas felt that the eighth and final track, “Moving On,” was the conclusion of the project.

After a single rehearsal, the ensemble happily assembled at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in June 2021, with Mike Marciano from Systems Two capturing the soundscapes and colors. For most of the participants, it was their first time back in a studio since the pandemic began. The joy and gratitude to be able to reconnect in person and to create and record together was in the air.

The program begins with “Nostalgia,” a bass and sax unison slowly developing into a dialogue, setting the impressionist tone and aural space. The title track finds Radley’s warm, wavering guitar developing a harmonic bed for Mommaas and Versace. “C’est la vie” is a song about contemplation and acceptance with thoughtful performances from Anderson and Mommaas on soprano. Heightened passion can be felt in Mommaas’s tenor on “No More,” a piece about frustration and moving on.

“Float Away” was written with sailing on gentle gliding water in mind, Mommaas’s soprano floating over warm, fluid harmonic waves. “Fauré” leans on the inspirational composer’s style of harmonic movement and coloration. There is an added sense of urgency and energy on “Free Above All,” the rubato moments allow the performers to play freely. The aptly named conclusion, “Moving On,” provides a warm and generous cadential feel, with inspired solos from Versace and Mommaas.

The study of Gabriel Fauré’s idiosyncratic composing style led Marc Mommaas down a path of discovery and rediscovery. The music hit him in a time and place where it made the most sense to channel into brilliantly fashioned original music, presented here as The Impressionist.