The Mancuso-Suzda Project, an adventurous local avant-garde jazz duo, is currently serving as artist-in-residence at Strathmore. The program selects a different local performer each month and provides educational and performance opportunities in order to cultivate local talent in the fine arts. Previous artists-in-residence include Laura Burhenn of Georgie James, jazz harmonicist Frédéric Yonnet, jazz percussionist Kush Abadey, singer/songwriter LEA, and Celtic harp player Lily Neill.

Like so many groups these days, the Mancuso-Suzda Project came together through a mutual friend, CraigsList. This rather banal start belies the diverse backgrounds of its members. Chicago native Jeff Suzda studied with respected jazz educator David Baker at Indiana University. While a student, he received a 2005 award from Downbeat Magazine for leading the nation's top college jazz combo. Suzda can be heard on recordings with Toshiko Akiyoshi, Lew Tabikin, Byron Stripling, and the Brooks Tegler Big Band. Locally, he plays baritone saxophone in the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and is a regular performer in the D.C. jazz circuit.

Born and raised in Italy, Simone Mancuso received his Master’s Degree in Percussion in 2000 from the top music conservatory in Sicily. He then moved to Switzerland where he specialized in contemporary music as a solo percussionist. In 2003 he received the Solisten Diplom (Doctorate) from the University School of Music in Lugano, Switzerland. During his time in Switzerland, he founded the Lugano Percussion Group, which currently performs in Russia, Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Romania, and Switzerland.

The duo's playing is highly interactive and unconventional. They are in the process of recording their first album, and the initial tracks we heard are dark, textured, and open. It is clear that the two musicians are fluent in established musical styles, but they are trying to depart from the standard conventions of any particular genre. While the music may not fit in the typical U Street jazz club, it is ideal for a more formal chamber ensemble setting that offers a concentrated listening experience.

Visit The Mancuso-Suzda Project online at: www.myspace.com/mancusosuzdaproject; www.simonemancuso.com; www.jeffsuzda.com

Questions for Jeff Suzda of the Mancuso-Suzda Project

What is your group's approach to making music? What kind of sound are you going for?

Our approach to music is one of total inclusion and acceptance. We use familiar and rare instruments from all over the world, as well as “instruments” from the kitchen décor department at he IKEA in College Park. We try to find new sounds and colors on our instruments and explore sonic environments and combinations that have not been exposed yet. We utilize many sounds such as playing an amplified cactus, using violin bows on cymbals, and pushing the limits of the saxophone and woodwinds with extended techniques. Everything is fair game to us!

We always choose our sounds and colors with the music in mind first. We have a great time on stage performing and we laugh all the time at the twists and turns that our music takes when we play live, but we take ourselves very seriously when it comes to instrument choice. While we might use cacti or other non-standard instruments on a piece, they are never novelty instruments, but rather are chosen for their specific sound. All of our instrumental sounds are chosen with the intention of creating new palettes and sonic combinations.

Our sound fits between the cracks of classical and jazz music. We are using contemporary classical concepts of song forms and structures, as well as the inclusion of multiple percussion instruments, but our music is heavily based in the jazz world with the concept of improvisation being the cornerstone of the ensemble.

How do you come up with new material?

All of the music we play is composed by, and for, the duo. We both write with each other’s sound in mind, but most of the compositions become a collaborative effort. We truly allow one another into our creative space. All of our compositions are “works in progress” because of the nature of our music being highly improvised. We treat our music as democratically as possible and try every possibility, no matter how outrageous at times. We both bring new material to rehearsals based on food we have eaten, or a conversation we had with a friend, or a place we recently visited. I wrote a piece based on a location in Sicily that we spent time in this summer. Simone wrote a piece after he woke up from a dream in the middle of the night. The inspiration comes from everywhere, like our instrument choices. Sometimes we also write something based on a “mistake” that we both ended up liking better than what we originally wrote. I cannot tell you how many times we say to each other “Let’s use that phrase instead!”

How did you become artists-in-residence at Strathmore and what have you been doing in that capacity?

We became artists-in-residence through an audition process in the Spring of 2006 involving an initial CD and press kit, followed up by a live audition. After we were accepted into the program, we began attending performances, master-classes, and seminars with the other artists and mentors. During this month of October, our month of residency, we have been giving performances and educational clinics about our music and the creative process.

What are your short and long-term goals for the group?

Locally, we are currently planning performances around the DC area and are in communication with artists and venues in Europe for concerts in the Summer of 2008. We are also planning educational clinics for local high schools and universities in regards to our music as well as the creative process.

Tell us about your forthcoming CD? What were your goals in recording it and is it coming out the way you wanted?

We are in the recording process right now. We have some very good material so far, and some sounds have come out better than we expected. When we are done, the total package will be an exploration and journey through various sounds, grooves, and feels. However, it is always difficult to capture the energy of a live performance on a record. With Simone playing over 30 percussion instruments, water drums, gongs, cactus, etc., every improvisation has a unique feel. So much of our music depends on the “moment” we are in, and it becomes tough to choose which take was better when you are dealing with the world of improvised music. We think it is a good problem to have though.

Image from the Strathmore artist-in-residence program