An Erasure, duet for saxophone and marimba, was first conceived as the soundtrack for a theatrical stage production on the campus of Eastern Connecticut State University. “The Greenwood Project: Against Erasure” infused poetry, dance, acting and music to tell the story of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in commemoration of its centennial.

Following the campus performances, a film version of the stage play, “Greenwood: A Dreamland Destroyed” directed by Brian Day, was screened at several film festivals and was awarded Honorable Mention at the Germany International Film Festival and Best Feature Documentary at the Indianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival. The associated three-part poem, “Tulsa Triptych” by Danial Donaghy, which provided the narrative backdrop of the stage and screen productions, was published in Southern Humanities Review and awarded the Auburn Witness Poetry Prize.

An Erasure is a concert version of the music that accompanied the poetry that was read on stage and narrated in the film. The saxophone and marimba are collaborative partners in a musical effort to spotlight the north Tulsa, Oklahoma neighborhood, to celebrate the achievements of the African American residents who lived there between the years 1907 and 1921, and to remember the catastrophic loss of life and cultural capital brought about by one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history.

An Erasure

Lyric Suite is a three-movement work for chamber orchestra which is a reimagining of pieces originally written for solo marimba, wind ensemble, and symphony orchestra respectively. Each movement is approximately three to four minutes long and in the tempo “Andante Espressivo” which is meant to evoke the lyrical motion of Songs without Words by Felix Mendelssohn. The first movement “Tableau” paints a portrait of two complimentary keys B Major and g# minor, the second movement “Shoebox Memories” ends on an intentionally unstable chord in the third inversion, and the concluding third movement “Windsong” is in the anthemic and uplifting key of D major.

Lyric Suite, I. Tableau - chamber orchestra

Charleston is meant to depict experiences in the city of Charleston, SC. The first movement Harbourview is an unhurried chorale-like setting with several short motives that reflect the peaceful motion of the harbor surrounding the city of Charleston. The second movement, Market and Meeting is an active movement that imitates much of the same liveliness found at the intersection of Market and Meeting Streets in Charleston, South Carolina. Sheet music available for purchase at https://c-alanpublications.com/charleston/

Short Stories

Charleston, I. Harbourview - solo marimba

Incidental piano solo composed for a welcome video sent to admitted students and a promotional video created during the pandemic.

Matriculation (Welcome to Eastern) - solo piano

Adapted from the second movement of the solo marimba work “Windsong,” Windsong 2.0 adds a second marimba part for a tour-de-force showpiece for two percussionists. The fast-paced piece features shifting complex meters, paying tribute to the composer’s beginnings in drum set playing and his love for prog rock. Sheet music available for purchase at https://c-alanpublications.com/windsong-2/

Windsong 2.0

Windsong 2.0 - marimba duo

Una Poco Fughetta was originally composed as part of an assignment in a graduate school course called Tonal Counterpoint.  The piece was later adapted for the piano and marimba group Una Duo as part of a brief encore at the close of their concerts.  The short fugue, or fughetta, is only one-minute long but transitions each voice through both instruments in accordance to traditional fugal composition practice. Sheet music available for download at http://www.gardenstatepublications.com

Una Poco Fughetta - marimba and piano duet

Tableau is the first of a three-movement work for chamber orchestra reimagined for marimba quartet, two players on one 5-octave instrument.  Each movement of the chamber work is approximately 3-minutes long and in the tempo “Andante espressivo” which is meant to evoke the lyrical motion of Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words.  Tableau is a portrait of two complimentary keys B Major and g# minor in loose ternary form where each of the four players is given the role of performing the melody. Sheet music available for purchase at https://www.jwpepper.com/Tableau/11161698.item#/submit

Tableau - marimba quartet

From the 1974 album Streetlife Serenade, Root Beer Rag is an upbeat and rollicking instrumental that came at a time when ragtime music saw an uptick in popularity upon the success of the movie The Sting.  Although not written in a traditional ragtime form, this duo version of the Billy Joel tune tries to capture the same spirit of the original and places the melody and accompaniment in both the vibraphone and marimba parts. Sheet music available for purchase at https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/root-beer-rag-digital-sheet-music/21404019

For more information, including where to purchase the sheet music, please visit www.gardenstatepublications.com

Root Beer Rag - vibraphone and marimba duet

One of the more enduring songs from the movie musical, "Pure Imagination" is sung by Gene Wilder after the children in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory are introduced to the chocolate room.  It has been reported that the five child actors hadn't seen that part of the set, so the looks of wonder on their faces in the movie is sincere.  This arrangement for solo vibraphone is from the vocal score and piano accompaniment, which can be complemented by the fan mechanism for added vibrato effect. Sheet music available for purchase at https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/pure-imagination-digital-sheet-music/21404013

Pure Imagination - solo vibraphone

Modus Vivendi is a term defined as “an arrangement or agreement allowing conflicting parties to coexist peacefully, either indefinitely or until a final settlement is reached.”  Movement 1 is in c# minor with the vibraphone acting as the primary voice and cajon solo with a bongo/conga accompaniment in the marimba part.  The movement ends on a dominant chord fermata followed by an attacca to Movement 2 in Db major with the marimba acting as the primary voice and cajon solo accompanied by a bongo/conga ostinato in the vibraphone part. Sheet music available for purchase at https://www.jwpepper.com/Modus-Vivendi/11161644.item#/submit

Modus Vivendi - vibraphone and marimba duo

Everybody Wants to Rule the World was somewhat of an afterthought during the 1985 recording of Songs from the Big Chair. Initially regarded as not fitting with the rest of the album, the song was written and recorded in two weeks and placed at the end of the track listing. After its release, however, the song went on to be awarded Best Single at the Brit Awards the following year and was awarded a 2015 BMI award for 6 million radio airplays. Not sure if anyone has an opinion of this song other than it will never get old. This arrangement for solo vibraphone is an up-tempo shuffle and based on the radio/MTV edit, and endeavors to capture the easy feeling of an enjoyable song from the 1980s courtesy of Tears for Fears. Sheet music available for purchase at https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/everybody-wants-to-rule-the-world-digital-sheet-music/21404015?ac=1

Jeff Calissi

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