The Chickasaw Nation presents Jerod Tate

The Music of Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate
Performed by the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Symphony Chorus
A new release by Thunderbird Records

On March 11, 2008, Thunderbird Records released a new recording of works by Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation.  This recording was performed by the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and marks the first time a major American Symphony Orchestra and an American Indian composer have collaborated to record and release orchestral works.

Maestro Edwin Outwater served as conductor for both works, the first of which is titled Tracing Mississippi, a concerto for flute and orchestra.  The flute soloist was Christine Bailey Davis who originally commissioned the work.  From the composer's notes, "Tracing Mississippi is a remembrance of the old country my family lived in and incorporates traditional songs and dance rhythms, along with American Indian percussion instruments."

Iholba', written for flute, orchestra and chorus, was originally commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Symphony Orchestra.  Thomas Robertello, flute, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus joined the San Francisco Symphony for the full scale sonic tour-de-force.  Iholba' is performed in the native Chickasaw Language and is based on a traditional Chickasaw "Garfish Dance Song."  After the premiere of Iholba', Gail Wein of the Washington Post stated:

 "Tate's connection to nature and the human experience was quite apparent in this piece... rarer still is his ability to infuse classical music with American Indian nationalism."

The Chickasaw Nation, in recognizing the talent of its citizen Jerod Tate and in keeping with their commitment to the arts, was responsible for the funding of this project.  Governor Bill Anoatubby remarks "We are pleased to support Jerod in this phenomenal project. He is an exceptionally talented composer. He has an amazing ability to create unique and beautiful compositions. Jerod has accomplished much. Jerod is a wonderful role model and donates much of his time to working with young people to help them develop their own talents."

Thunderbird Records is the first of its kind, a new music label devoted entirely to American Indian classical music.  Founder and producer, Alan Bise, upon recognizing the emotional power of this music, has made it one of his missions to capture this music and present it to the public in the finest manner possible.  This recording marks the first of Thunderbird Records in a list of planned projects.

For Press Information, please contact:

Alan Bise
Thunderbird Records
alanbise@msn.com
(216) 410-3474

For more information on Jerod Tate, please visit his website at http://www.jerodtate.com/.

THUNDERBIRD RECORDS

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY Michael Tilson Thomas Music Director

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CHORUS Ragnar Bohlin Chorus Director