Certificate Recital: Alexander Moravcsik, Jazz Piano

Evan DeTurk ’23 (Alto Saxophone) – Evan DeTurk is a saxophonist,
composer, and arranger from Seattle, Washington majoring in Molecular
Biology and pursuing a certificate in Jazz Studies. At Princeton, Evan has
studied under David Liebman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Darcy James Argue,
and Miles Okazaki. He also leads the funk band Gemenon and plays
saxophone in the indie neo-soul band Hot Jupiter.

Gabriel Chalick ’24 (Trumpet) – Gabriel is 5’9″, 1590lbs, left handed but
right footed and had a short stint playing tennis when he was five until a
career-ending injury sidelined him. Following this tragedy, Gabriel began an
unsuccessful stint as a pianist that was thankfully cut short when he picked
up a trumpet at age 11. Ever since then, Gabriel has played in classical and
improvisatory groups and is currently in Princeton University Orchestra and
Jazz Combo 1.

Caleb Eckstein (Trombone) – Caleb Eckstein is a jazz trombonist,
composer, and arranger based in New Jersey. He has performed or
recorded with Randy Brecker, Bob Minzter, Warren Wolf, Rufus Reid,
Brianna Thomas, and Benny Bennack III. In addition to being a freelance
musician, Caleb leads many of his own ensembles, most notably the
Congregation Jazz Orchestra, a full piece big band he co-leads with NYC
drummer Jared Decker.

Noah Daniel ’23 (Guitar) – Noah Daniel is a senior in the Neuroscience
department from Los Angeles. He plays guitar, drums, and sings with jazz,
indie-fusion, and pop artists on campus, such as jazz Small Groups 1 and Z,
Shere Khan, Hot Jupiter, Villanelle, and singer-songwriters Molly Trueman
and Kate Short. He also records and produces original music with an
emphasis on exploring the spectrum of tonal expression in his instruments.

Alexander Moravcsik ’23 (Piano) – Alexander Moravcsik is a senior in the
Music Department pursuing a certificate in Music Performance. While at
Princeton, he has studied with Darcy James Argue, Dave Liebman, Angelica
Sanchez, Elio Villafranca-West, Miles Okazaki, and Rudresh Mahanthappa.
Moravcsik also performs with several groups on campus, including Villanelle,
Hot Jupiter, Gemenon, and singer-songwriters Molly Trueman and Kate
Short.

Kai Gibson (Bass) – Kai Gibson is a bassist from Lawrenceville, NJ. He
graduated Berklee College of Music in 2021 and plays jazz, rock, blues,
bluegrass, gypsy-jazz across the tri-state area.

Jared Decker (Drums) – Jared Decker is a drummer, composer, arranger,
and educator based in New York. Jared has experience performing and
recording jazz with the likes of Victor Goines and Warren Wolf,
accompanying singer-songwriters like Goldwoman and Samantha Joy
Pearlman, and producing his own projects, most recently serving as co-
bandleader for the Congregation Jazz Orchestra. He also works regularly as
a pit orchestra musician for musical theatre, including recent performances
for Powerline Road, Clean Slate at Passage Theatre Company, and the New
Off-Broadway Cast Recording of Baby.

Jimmy Waltman ’23 (Guest Vocalist) – Jimmy Waltman is a songwriter,
composer, and vocalist currently in his final semester in Princeton’s Music
Department. He will graduate this spring with certificates in Jazz
Performance, Jazz Studies, and African American Studies. He has sung in
various ensembles in Princeton’s jazz program, including the Jazz Vocal
Collective (Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin), Small Group A (Rudresh
Mahanthappa), and the Creative Large Ensemble (Darcy James Argue). He
is currently working on The Blossom, an album of original music arranged for
voice, rhythm section, and four horns for his senior thesis project. He is
recording the album with the members of his neo-soul band, Hot Jupiter,
and it will be released by the end of the spring semester. He is also the
former Music Director of his second family Old NasSoul, and the former
Music Chair of his second home Terrace Club.

By Alexander Moravcsik

Blüs – A recent composition by Moravcsik, this piece infuses a love for the blues with a
proclivity towards crunchy and and irreverant harmonic substitutions, making for
explosive solos and hard-hitting horn lines.

Helplessly Hoping/Eleanor Rigby – The first section of this medley is a solo piano
adaptation of “Helplessly Hoping”, a piece by Stephen Stills made famous by the
group Crosby, Stills, and Nash. This arrangement infuses a semi-classical introduction
with a sensitive interpretation of the melody. Following this, the piece expands into a
full-band arrangement of McCartney’s “Eleanor Rigby.”

Forgive and Forget – Another fresh composition, this ballad is a song of release after
an apology to an old friend. It features Gabriel Chalick on Trumpet.

Autumn Leaves – This duo arrangement of Joseph Kosma’s “Autumn Leaves” was
originally created in the fall of 2019 by Jimmy Waltman and Alexander Moravcsik and
posted on Youtube. Over the years, the two have faced the challenges of campus life
together, both as students in the Department of Music and as officers at Terrace F.
Club.

Split – The final original composition of this recital is “Split,” a chart which tries to
express the pain of those who suffer deeply from mental illness, and find no peace in a
single, consistent state of being.

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square – Moravcsik first arranged this piece for a big
band arranging course with Darcy James Argue. The standard, originally written by
Maschwitz and Sherwin in 1939, was the soundtrack to the first dance of Moravcsik’s
maternal grandparents, Anne & Edward Slaughter. This iteration features Caleb
Eckstein on the trombone.

Triste – A classic Jobim tune, featuring Jimmy Waltman ’23.

Arcus – The final performance of the recital is a rearrangement of Harold Arlen’s
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” originally arranged for the Gabriel Bar-Cohen Quartet
—a NYC-based drummer and close childhood friend of Moravcsik—in 2021. The piece
uses the familiar melodic strains of the beloved standard while manipulating the
underlying harmony and feel of the piece.