NOVELLA
by TYLER SABBAG
Six pieces and sixteen minutes in length, Novella plays like a half-remembered summer set against the Mediterranean coast, an enchanting dreamscape shaped more by longing than historical fact.
The EP is the first from Emmy-winning composer Tyler Sabbag, known for colorful music that drifts between genres. At once familiar and unknown, it’s cinematic yet jazz-leaning, orchestral, percussive, and experimental, but always in search of beauty, always seeking to connect listeners with the delight of living.
The ensemble is generously lush, featuring strings by Stockholm Studio Orchestra, harp by Laura Somogyi, saxophones and woodwinds by Ted Taforo, brass by Dave Nelson, guitar, bass, and keys by Duncan Thum, vibraphone and marimba by Tommy Kesecker, bass by David Tranchina, and more guitar by Jimmy Dee, along with the uniquely abundant drums and percussion of Sabbag himself.
It was composed in 2024 and recorded in Joshua Tree, Stockholm, Altadena, and New York. It was mixed by Tyler Sabbag in Joshua Tree and mastered by Jett Galindo in Los Angeles.
TRACK NOTES
500 Nuova
Climb in. The ride to the coast will jolt us around but we’re leaving the city behind, along with whatever scraps of our lives we don’t need anymore. The water awaits, as beautiful and unknowable as it always is.
Luce Sull’acqua
Light on the water, the first light reflecting off the first glimpse of the warm, captivating ocean. Leaky wooden boats, no one is wearing much.
Gatto e Topo
Cat and Mouse, the intrigue and the pursuit. Is it love? Is it life or death?
Cuori di Luna
Moon Hearts, hearts on the moon, hearts inseparable, tangled together in a beautiful, delicate dance.
Appucundria
Nostalgia? Regret? Where did I go wrong and what did I miss? I revel in the disquiet.
Lo Spettacolo
The Spectacle. So often it begins softly — a silent morning, all wrapped in mist. One bird, one footstep, one beam of sunlight at a time, an awakening emerges and unfolds until it suddenly seems like everything was always wildly alive. Returning to the city with fresh eyes, life blossoms into color and motion. Flashing lights, the big tent, wild horses and ballet, the champagne and fireworks of a long-awaited first kiss, a perfect painting, spirits blooming and hearts glowing with wonder.
WHERE DID THIS MUSIC COME FROM?
CREATIVE INSIGHT
BIOGRAPHY
In 1983, Tyler Sabbag was born in the part of California where redwoods touch the clouds and the ghosts of the ‘60s still mumble through the fog. He started on drums young, studying under jazz luminary Omar Clay before heading south to Los Angeles where he deepened his practice with legends like Ndugu Chancler and Terri Lyne Carrington, letting the city’s chaos feed his evolution.
From 2005 to 2012, he played and composed with the off-kilter, electric-hearted band Pizza!, a cornerstone of LA’s underground. Studio and engineering work flowed in parallel, followed by a long-running collaboration with former bandmate Duncan Thum scoring films and documentaries—including Emmy-winning work for Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones in 2024 and two Emmy nominations for the renowned Chef’s Table.
These days, Sabbag splits his time between composing for film and his own musical wanderings. His EP Novella drifts like a sun-warmed boat through a 1960s Mediterranean dream, an ode to a place that may never have existed but feels real just the same.
CREDITS
This music was composed and mixed by Tyler Sabbag.
Tyler Sabbag: drums and percussion
Duncan Thum: guitar, electric bass, fender rhodes
Tommy Kesecker: vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel
Lara Somogyi: harp
Ted Taforo: Saxophones and Woodwinds
Dave Nelson: brass
David Tranchina: bass
Jimmy Dee: guitar
Strings by Stockholm Studio Orchestra
Violin: Anna Roos Stefansson, Daniela Bonfiglioli, Fredrik Syberg, Jannika Gustafsson, Jonna Simonsson, Lola Torrente, Oscar Treitler, Veronika Novotna, Vicky Sayles, Ylva Larsdotter, Åsa Wirdefeldt
Viola: Christopher Öhman, Erik Holm, James Opie, Tony Bauer
Cello: Daniel Thorell, Erik Uusijärvi, Kristina Winiarski
Double Bass: Bård Ericson
Orchestra conducted by Erik Arvinder
Orchestrated by Erik Arvinder & Henrik Langemyr
Recorded by Willem Bleeker & Erik Arvinder at IMRSV Studios, Stockholm
Additional orchestration by August Petrén and Tyler Sabbag
Mastered by Jett Galindo in Los Angeles.
Album and Website Artwork and Design by Anne-Louise Ewen