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Michigan State University College of Music Professor of Saxophone Joseph Lulloff has released premiere recordings of works with frequent collaborator, pianist Yu-Lien The. The album New Stories features works written expressly for Lulloff and marks his first release comprised solely of commissioned works.

“This music allows me to really explore, at a very deep level, lyricism, emotionalism, and pictorial description,” Lulloff said. “The works blend the jazz, classical, and contemporary elements I’ve been brought up with, in a way that reflects my soul and musical fabric.”

Lulloff has served as principal saxophonist with the Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Cleveland and Minnesota Orchestras. His live performances have earned him rave reviews in publications, including Seen and Heard International, referring to Lulloff as a “sensational saxophone player.” The publication described one of his performances as having “both tenor and soprano saxophones draped around his neck, and was delirious ecstasy, expertly characterizing each passage as if they were being played by two completely different musicians.”

As a performing artist, he has earned a Concert Artists Guild Award and the Pro Musicis International Soloists Award. At MSU he is revered as an educator, maintaining a large and highly successful studio and along the way earning the MSU Distinguished Faculty Award and the Withrow Award for Excellence in Teaching.

“These new compositions invite listeners to savor the expansive colors, virtuosity, and eclecticism of modern saxophone performance and unleash the instrument’s artistic potential as a recital instrument in both classical and contemporary music contexts,” Lulloff said.

Lulloff’s interpretations are enhanced by the talents of Yu-Lien on piano. The duo excels on New Stories which features compositions by four unique composers.

For Dorothy Chang, a second-generation Chinese American, writing for New Stories proved to be the perfect opportunity to explore Eastern and Western influences. Her family stories from Imperial China, 1980s pop ballads, marching band songs, and Western classical music influenced the work. 

Stacy Garrop, a freelance composer in Chicago, is known for her signature brand of dramatic, lyrical storytelling. Her work on this release explores a reimagined “leaner, meaner, ferocious teenager who has moved on from an infant’s temper tantrum into all-out vengeful fury.”

One of the pieces, “Detroit Steel,” has a specific inspiration found in Michigan. Associate Professor of Composition David Biedenbender’s work is an homage to the “grit, strength, and resolve” of the Motor City. Originally written for solo flute, the song celebrates the city’s artistic and economic resilience, and pays tribute to Detroit-born jazz saxophonist James Carter. 

The longest works on the release are from Carter Pann, an Illinois native and 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Music Finalist. The musician has received multiple ASCAP awards and Grammy nominations. His 25-minute work is inspired by the saxophone music of William Albright, features “sax-waves” crashing over the piano, and a humorous nod to Lulloff’s love of coffee.

Produced and engineered by Sergei Kvitko of Blue Griffin Recording at Fairchild Theater, on MSU’s campus in May 2019 and June 2021, New Stories is available digitally and on CD.