Time Sketches 3 and 4 are two abstract works that experiment with elements that are not tied to a regular meter but repeat to establish a rhythmic pattern.

Composition, recording, performance (all instruments) by Thomas Parker Williams.

Time - Sketches - 3-4

Music from 2024

For the past year I have been working on compositions that have been inspired by beat oriented, Techno, electronic music and the early work of the minimalist composer Steve Reich.
Some of these works have a visual component that is a transcription of the music either in literal or abstract ways, and form part of my “Wordless:  Drawn and Painted Narratives” series.

My intent with the “Beats and Solos” music is to create works that use steady rhythms, as in DJ arranged “House” or “Techno”, as a foundation. Then I bring jazz and contemporary classical elements into a structure that supports improvised solos on saxophones and electronic wind instrument. Some of these works use time signatures other than 4/4.

The “Mosaic Series” are formal compositions written in standard notation. Scores in PDF form are available for download on my website. 
These works employ  pulses and repeated phrases that carry through the piece and are combined with other phrases over a harmonic structure that changes key often. Some of the “Mosaic Series” works include improvised solos. I view these works as musical mosaics, constructed of small elements to make a large composition. Some of these works have a visual transcription.

All of the works are multi-track recordings featuring keyboards, synthesizers,  horn parts, drum programming, and acoustic percussion.  All instruments are played by me and recorded in my studio.
For more information www.thomasparkerwilliams.com.

Mosaic Number 1

Mosaic  Number 2

Music from 2024

For the past year I have been working on compositions that have been inspired by beat oriented, Techno, electronic music and the early work of the minimalist composer Steve Reich.
Some of these works have a visual component that is a transcription of the music either in literal or abstract ways, and form part of my “Wordless: Drawn and Painted Narratives” series.

My intent with the “Beats and Solos” music is to create works that use steady rhythms, as in DJ arranged “House” or “Techno”, as a foundation. Then I bring jazz and contemporary classical elements into a structure that supports improvised solos on saxophones and electronic wind instrument. Some of these works use time signatures other than 4/4.

The “Mosaic Series” are formal compositions written in standard notation. Scores in PDF form are available for download on my website. These works employ pulses and repeated phrases that carry through the piece and are combined with other phrases over a harmonic structure that changes key often. Some of the “Mosaic Series” works include improvised solos. I view these works as musical mosaics, constructed of small elements to make a large composition. Some of these works have a visual transcription.

All of the works are multi-track recordings featuring keyboards, synthesizers, horn parts, drum programming, and acoustic percussion. All instruments are played by me and recorded in my studio.

Mosaic - Number  3

Mosaic Number 4

Music for saxophones, vibraphone, piano and bass

The music in the “Mosaic Series” are formal compositions written in standard notation. Each work employs pulses and repeated phrases that carry through the piece and are combined with other phrases over a harmonic structure that changes key often.

The compositions are performed using multi-track recordings featuring saxophones, keyboards, synthesizers, and drum programming.  All instruments are played by me and recorded in my studio.

This book work is a visual transcription of the composition “Mosaic Number 4.” 

This composition began as a series of alto saxophone improvisations in the key of E flat.  Parts of the improvisations were selected and transcribed; other voices were constructed around them.

The seven voices in the composition are bass, piano left and right hands, two alto saxophones, soprano saxophone and vibraphone.  All of the voices use a 22-note range from E flat to C.  Bass and the piano left hand are written in bass clef.  All other instruments are in treble clef. The range of notes is the same for bass and treble clefs.

The visual transcription depicts 16 measures of the composition which are noted on the score.  A grid for each measure is constructed with the range of 22 notes arranged vertically and the 12 eighth notes of the measure arranged horizontally.

Each voice is assigned a color and shown on a separate Duralar sheet painted with enamel.  Each sheet (voice) can be viewed separately, or all voices can be viewed together through the seven transparent sheets, thus creating a visual mosaic of the sound of the measure.  

For more information - www.thomasparkerwilliams.com

Mosaic-Number-4

This original copmosition, "Cape Cod Bay - Light and Water", is a companion to the Luminice Press artist book of the same title.
It was inspired by a visit to Cape Cod Bay in October of 2024.

The music can be classified as minimalist with four sections: Early Morning, in D min and D maj, Noon, in E maj. and F maj. 
Afternoon, in G maj. and A maj. Setting Sun, in C maj., D maj. and A maj.

The time signature is 9/8 with a tempo of 200 8th notes per minute. 

The composition for violins, viola, cello, double bass, piano, marimba and vibraphone
is constructed with repeating phrases of lines that intersect to form patterns and harmonies without any of the instruments playing chords.

This Soundcloud file was performed on keyboards by me and serves as a demo for the piece.

It was my desire to create the motion of wind driven water interacting with light at four different times of day.

The complete score is available on my website www.thomasparkerwilliams.com

Cape-Cod-Bay-Light-and-Water

Driving Home, Music for strings, piano, mallet instruments and percussion is a tone poem suggesting motion. This track is a demo recording using keyboards. A complete score available for download at http://www.thomasparkerwilliams.com/music.htm

Driving-Home

"A New Place" is a minimalist composition in 10/8 in the keys of G, D, A, E flat and F for electric piano, piano,  vibraphone, marimba and string quartet. It employs subtle shifts between keys and out of scale tonality.
Complete score available at http://www.thomasparkerwilliams.com/music.htm

a-new-place

November 2023  *  December 2023  *  January 2024  *  February 2024  *  May 2024  

These five instrumental suites, from the Beats and Solos series, are inspired by jazz fusion, and House and Techno DJ practice.

The concept behind the Beats and Solos series was to produce, for each work, a musical base of lines and rhythms for improvised solos performed on saxophones, electronic wind instrument, keyboards and live percussion.

The suites move through different sections where the lead instrument changes based on the mood of the underlying part. Each suite is divided into parts that can be selected for play, but the best effect is for all parts to be played in sequence.

The titles of the suites indicate the month and year of composition and recording and are not intended to suggest a time of year. They are presented in the order of completion.  All composition, performance (all instruments), recording, and production by Thomas Parker Williams.  I use no samples or loops from any other source in my work.

8-November-to-May-January-2024-Part-2

15-November-to-May-May-2024-Part-3

Thomas Parker Williams lives and works in Philadelphia, PA, USA. His work includes music composition and performance, visual art such as hand-made artist book editions, unique book works, printmaking, and painting. Some of his artist book editions contain an audio element – music or sound work – composed, performed, and recorded by the artist. Tom's artist books are in numerous private and public collections. 

All of the music on this channel is original, composed, performed (all insruments) and recorded in my studio.