In July 2008, when Irvin Mayfield was appointed artistic director of jazz at Orchestra Hall, he promised "audacious" results. "We’re going to take what began at the bottom of the Mississippi and bring it up to the top," he said. He further vowed that a new work commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra would be "adventurous."

Mayfield enjoys words like "audacious," "adventurous," and especially "passion." He’s passionate about many things: his hometown of New Orleans, jazz, education, honesty, love and Minneapolis, which he views as a very cultural and artistic place.

His new work, "The Art of Passion," a four-part composition for orchestra and jazz quintet, will have its world premiere at Orchestra Hall this Thursday, July 23. Mayfield will serve as curator, host and trumpeter.

(Side note: Mayfield’s first year as artistic director has gone so well that he’s been re-upped for 2009-10, thanks in part to an NEA stimulus grant awarded the Minnesota Orchestral Association earlier this month.)

MinnPost spoke with Mayfield last week about "The Art of Passion," the act of composing, and his hopes for Thursday’s performance.

MinnPost: What was the best, most exciting part of this process for you?

Irvin Mayfield: The creation. The frustration. The irritation. My staff has been saying in the last few weeks they can’t wait until I’m finished with this piece. I’ve been ridiculous, no doubt.

MP: What was the hardest part?

IM: The themes. The challenge here is the difference between American jazz and European classical music. In American jazz, intent is first, execution is second. In classical music, execution is first and intent is second.

The hardest part was coming up with something the orchestra will feel positive about. The themes may just be good enough, and the orchestra and jazz band intent and execution should be at a high enough level, that if we’re lucky we’ll pull it off.

MP: Who was your inspiration while you were writing?

IM: I thought about adventure, and about artists who were adventurous. I’ll be performing with an orchestra that plays the music of artists much greater than me. It’s kind of a notion to give them my music after they played Beethoven last night, or Mahler, or Stravinsky or Brahms.

So I thought a lot about Gordon Parks. My experience with him gave me courage. I love his life of adventure. At 50, he said "I think I’ll direct a movie now." In his 40s, "I think I’ll write a book." In his 30s, "I’ll take some pictures." In his 90s, when he and I got together, he did his first recording session. So much courage.

I like to believe that the best part of art is to stand on a cliff, look out at the abyss, and jump off. That’s what this commission is about.

MP: Why is a commission such a big deal?

IM: Culture is important. Wars are fought over culture. It’s not just about folks showing up and being hoity-toity. Culture is about definition. This is an American piece. We’re trying to add our part, our few words, about where we are as humans, as Americans, as people here today, right now. If we add something new, we will have done something great. If not, I’ll accept my criticism the day after.

MP: When we spoke last year, you were thinking about three questions: "How can a jazz band be adventurous, and what does a classical orchestra have to do to be adventurous, and how can we be adventurous together?" How have you answered those questions?

IM: Rather than answering them, we’ve asked them musically. Much like you, I’ll be waiting on the answer on Thursday. ... A new commission speaks to adventure. I’m quite certain if you ask [conductor and Sommerfest artistic director] Andrew Litton, or any of the musicians in the jazz band, they’ll all tell you, we don’t know.

I’m now 31, and I’ve been writing music for more than a decade, which is not the longest tenure in the music profession, but there’s a difference between what I would have written at 21 and what I wrote at 31. At 21, I would have tried to show the technique, the things I could do. At 31, I’m trying to give an opportunity, create an environment, develop a relationship, and communicate.

I’m trying very hard to let the jazz band be the jazz band, and let the orchestra be the orchestra. There’s space for everybody.

Also on the program: George Gershwin’s "An American in Paris," Duke Ellington’s "Black, Brown and Beige: Suite for Orchestra," Thelonious Monk’s "'Round Midnight," performed by Litton at the piano, provided his finger has sufficiently healed (he sprained it during a scooter accident in the Bahamas), and "Over the Rainbow," with Litton on piano and Mayfield on trumpet.

Irvin Mayfield Quintet with the Minnesota Orchestra. Andrew Litton, conductor and piano. Irvin Mayfield, trumpet; Ronald Westray, trombone; John Chin, piano; Neal Caine, bass; Adonis Rose, drums. Thursday, July 23, 7:30 p.m., Orchestra Hall ($45/$65 VIP). Tickets online or call 612-371-5656.

Pamela Espeland keeps a Twin Cities live jazz calendar and blogs about jazz at Bebopified. She tweets about jazz on Twitter.