Pat Fierovsky & The Outlaw Syncopators
for solo clarinet and symphony orchestra
Next performances of Pat Fierovsky & The Outlaw Syncopators:
- Saison 2027 / 28 – Cologne
- Saison 2027 / 28, Broadcast – WDR 3
Year of composition:
2023–27
Duration:
ca. 19'
Publisher:
2. Psychedelic Technicolor Sunset
3. Cuban Ragnarök
Commission of Westdeutscher Rundfunk
World premiere by Thorsten Johanns & WDR orchestra in Cologne on Saison 2027 / 28.
Program note:
Pat Fierovsky (1899–1932) was one of the most successful American mobsters. The son of Irish-Russian immigrants began as a street musician, became a debt collector for the notorious “Jolly Joe” Flanagan at age 15, worked simultaneously for the Sicilians, and was later recruited by Meyer Lansky, who employed him as a liaison to the Chinese triads.
Above all, however, he became famous for his orchestra: the “Outlaw Syncopators”, originally founded for money laundering but soon becoming a musical sensation that spiraled completely out of control within a few months.
Casley M. Jwyers of the New York Times on the “Syncopators” concert on June 17, 1932, at Carnegie Hall:
“Mr. Fierovsky, the clarinet wizard, did it again. Who would race so wildly across the musical landscape like Paddy Clarinaddy? One moment we’re in a Parisian salon, the next in a Jewish shtetl, then in a Chinese opium den or a Negro joint in Louisiana—or well, God Almighty knows where we are! And all this doesn’t happen in minutes—not in seconds: it happens in milliseconds! To be honest: this is going too far! Mr. Fierovsky’s music can surely only appeal to mobsters who don’t have to abide by any laws!”
A few days later, Paddy Clarinaddy was shot dead by the National Crime Syndicate. Lucky Luciano personally ensured that all recordings by the “Outlaw Syncopators” were collected and destroyed. Only a single record has survived to this day. It was found in 2021 among the belongings of Mrs. Alicia Rogenstedt in Palo Alto, California.
The music you hear here is the exact transcription of this ca. 19-minute record. The title of the composition has not been preserved. Therefore, it shall be named after the band itself, whose last—and only—testament this work will now remain:
“Pat Fierovsky & The Outlaw Syncopators”
Above all, however, he became famous for his orchestra: the “Outlaw Syncopators”, originally founded for money laundering but soon becoming a musical sensation that spiraled completely out of control within a few months.
Casley M. Jwyers of the New York Times on the “Syncopators” concert on June 17, 1932, at Carnegie Hall:
“Mr. Fierovsky, the clarinet wizard, did it again. Who would race so wildly across the musical landscape like Paddy Clarinaddy? One moment we’re in a Parisian salon, the next in a Jewish shtetl, then in a Chinese opium den or a Negro joint in Louisiana—or well, God Almighty knows where we are! And all this doesn’t happen in minutes—not in seconds: it happens in milliseconds! To be honest: this is going too far! Mr. Fierovsky’s music can surely only appeal to mobsters who don’t have to abide by any laws!”
A few days later, Paddy Clarinaddy was shot dead by the National Crime Syndicate. Lucky Luciano personally ensured that all recordings by the “Outlaw Syncopators” were collected and destroyed. Only a single record has survived to this day. It was found in 2021 among the belongings of Mrs. Alicia Rogenstedt in Palo Alto, California.
The music you hear here is the exact transcription of this ca. 19-minute record. The title of the composition has not been preserved. Therefore, it shall be named after the band itself, whose last—and only—testament this work will now remain:
“Pat Fierovsky & The Outlaw Syncopators”