Works

Stemwinder is a six minute piece in one movement. The opening section features each of the four instruments in succession accompanied by a hyperactive accompaniment. The middle section begins with a multiphonic (two simultaneous sounding notes) in the alto sax followed by fluttertongue chords. A varied recap of the opening section begins after a grand pause and five quiet chords.

The Quintettino was written for and premiered by the Timm Quintet at Louisiana State University. The first movement, “Five-Seven”, consists almost entirely of dominant seventh type (V7) chords. The first and second sections of the second movement (“Rondo”) have a circus-act-gone-bad sound to them: dissonant and rather nasty. The “C” section of the rondo is the only point of repose in the movement.

The eight percussionists of Congo Square are divided into two groups of four. The first group usually performs music in a different meter and tempo from the second group. At the climax of the piece both groups play simultaneously resulting in conflicting meters and tempos.

Cherubs is a single-movement scherzo which pits a decidedly uncherubic saxophone against the three string instruments. Some extended techniques are used in the sax part. Cherubs was commissioned by an anonymous donor who wished to commemorate Clarence Laughton’s book of photographs entitled “Ghosts Along the Mississippi”.