Bordello Nights (2016) - wind orchestra feat. jazz combo (8-minute version)
Digital Sheet Music

In Bordello Nights, the tango-like rhythms throughout juxtaposed with the ensemble of jazz improvisers intertwined with a dark, film noir-like fabric paints a historical picture of the types of music that were often performed in bordellos in the early twentieth century.

According to The History Of Jazz by Ted Gioia, New Orleans jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton (1840-1941) was hired to perform in these venues, which held a substantial place in the music business in the early 20th century: “More than any other major New Orleans jazz artist, Morton’s apprenticeship in the music business took place largely in the bordellos of Storyville (although Morton worked mainly in the white bordellos where few other jazz players could follow)…His great-grandmother expelled him from home when she learned of his activities in the District, and before long Morton started on the peripatetic freelancing that would occupy most of his life.” – Gioia, The History of Jazz

The composer Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) composed tango music for the concert hall with the mission to bring tango from bordellos to other venues. For example, his composition Histoire du Tango, specifically his first movement titled “Bordello, 1900,” brings to the concert hall music that was associated with bordellos in Buenos Aires.

Commission Information

Bordello Nights (2016) was commissioned by conductor Tom Leslie and the UNLV Wind Orchestra. There are two versions: This shortened 8-minute version was written for the 2016 UNLV Wind Orchestra France tour at the Festival des Anches d'Azur in La Croix Valmer, Framce. The extended version was written for the Wind Orchestra Concert March 10, 2016. Both versions featured Eric Marienthal (alto sax); Colin Gordon (soprano sax); Mitch Forman (piano); Kevin Axt (electric bass); Bernie Dresel (drums).