Finally completed the finished draft of Bordello Nights (2015) for wind orchestra and jazz band! I heard a condensed version of the rough draft at the UNLV wind orchestra readings in early May, which was a great opportunity for me to figure out what worked and what didn’t when writing for a large ensemble that features a small jazz band. I learned a lot, and the piece is now expanded into a 17 minute composition that features three themes throughout. I’m very excited to hear the next reading of the piece, especially with the jazz players!
For my first album project this year, I decided to not only compose new pieces for the album, but also revise older ones. This piece Midnight Swim (2012) had multiple versions, but I was only really happy with the one that I had written for big band featuring soprano saxophone. I decided to create a new version of the piece with the instrumentation, and cannot wait to hear a premiere of this! This chamber version is for soprano saxophone, piano, electric guitar, electric bass, and drums. The sax and drums part both require improvisation, and the other three parts are optional improv. The sax part can also be performed by another player, such as clarinet or even violin if the player enjoys improvising.
Finished a new piece recently, and wanted to share! Burning Light is written for soprano, piano, electric guitar, electric bass and drums. The music is a revised version of my older piece titled The Distant, and the text is from Emily Bronte’s Poem “Ah! Why, Because the Dazzling Sun.” I love this poem, and used a few stanzas from this same poem before in an earlier piece I composed in 2009 titled Stars. I used the two final stanzas for this piece:
“O Stars and Dreams and Gentle Night;
O Night and Stars return!
And hide me from the hostile light
That does not warm, but burn—
That drains the blood of suffering men;
Drinks tears, instead of dew:
Let me sleep through his blinding reign,
And only wake with you!”
I hope to premiere the piece this fall. In the meantime, here are a few score excerpts:
Finished a new piece, and can’t wait to continue working on more composition projects! This composition Familiar Stranger is for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, and electric bass using some text from Baudelaire’s “The Generous Gambler.”
The Ritsos Project posted a snippet today of the premiere of my song “The Distant” that was performed in Greece last summer at the Samos concert July 9, 2014, and wanted to share with all of you!
Sophie Burgos, soprano; Daniel Pesca, piano; Michele Bianchini, saxophone; Emlyn Johnson, flute
Performed as part of The Ritsos Project 2014 on July 9, 2014 Karlovasi Samos.
Last week, I spent some time uploading videos to YouTube showcasing some of my recent compositions for big band, wind ensemble, and saxophone choir. Check out the following videos, and hope you enjoy my music!
Overdrive (2015) for big band
Performance by the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dave Rivello
Featuring: Colin Gordon, soprano saxophone and Billy Petito, electric guitar
Seattle Skies (2015) for big band
Performance by the UNLV Jazz Ensemble 1, under the direction of Dave Loeb
Conducted by Jennifer Bellor
Featuring: Carlos Mata-Alvarez, soprano saxophone and Jakob Yansen, alto saxophone
Seattle Skies (2015) for big band
Performance by the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dave Rivello
Featuring: Colin Gordon, soprano saxophone
Noir (2014) for big band
Performance by the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dave Rivello
Conducted by Jennifer Bellor
Skylark Lullaby (2014) for saxophone choir
Performance by the Eastman Saxophone Project, under the direction of Chien-Kwan Lin
Conducted by Jennifer Bellor
Noir (2013) for soprano sax, electric guitar, electric bass, and drums
Performance at Rochester Fringe Festival by Colin Gordon, soprano sax; Wendy Eisenberg, electric guitar; Matt Krol, electric bass; Aaron Staebell, drums
Electric Vortex (2013) for wind ensemble featuring a contemporary jazz combo
Performance by Eastman Wind Ensemble under the direction of Jared Chase
Featuring Aaron Staebell’s band “Bending and Breaking”
Out of the Shadows (2012) for trumpet, string quartet, vibes, piano, bass, and drums
Featuring trumpetist Mike Kaupa on his summer faculty recital at Eastman School of Music July, 2012
Midnight Swim (2012) for big band
Performance by the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dave Rivello
Featuring: Colin Gordon, soprano saxophone
Out of the Shadows (2011) for big band
Performance by the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dave Rivello
Featuring: Colin Gordon, soprano saxophone
The Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dave Rivello, premiered the newly revised version of my composition Overdrive for big band featuring electric guitar and soprano saxophone. Here is a live recording of the premiere back in April, which features Billy Petito on electric guitar, and Colin Gordon on soprano saxophone. They did an amazing job!!!
The Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dave Rivello, premiered the version of my composition Seattle Skies for big band with woodwind doublings, featuring soprano saxophone. Here is a live recording of the premiere back in April, which features Colin Gordon on soprano saxophone. They did an amazing job!!!
This is one of three versions of the piece: There is one version that has woodwind doublings, and the other is for bass clarinet, marimba, bass, and drums.
