Mccullough

Trumpet player and composer Chad McCullough’s fascination with the unique musical mind of Olivier Messiaen was sparked 20 years ago when he first heard the composer’s seminal work, Quator pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the end of time), scored in 1940 by Messiaen for a chamber ensemble comprised of his fellow prisoners in a German camp. “It’s so complex in structure, yet still accessible to the casual listener and completely overwhelming emotionally,” comments McCullough. He has long been interested in utilizing Messiaen’s compositional process as laid out in the composer’s Techniques of My Musical Language, but wanted to “filter them through a setting where the result would yield music that would be conducive to improvisation.” No small task, but on The Charm of Impossibilities McCullough and company deliver on that promise with clarity and conviction.

Chad McCullough, trumpet/composer; Bram Weijters, piano/keyboard/composer; Dave Miller, guitar; John Christensen, bass; Kobie Watkins, drums.

Chad McCullough, trumpet/composer; Bram Weijters, piano/keyboard/composer; Dave Miller, guitar; John Christensen, bass; Kobie Watkins, drums.

Henry McCullough is a very well known guitarist in the U.K. for his career with many major British rock bands including The Wings and Spooky Tooth in the 70's.