I wrote this piece as a memorial to Brandon during the days immediately after his passing. I worked and studied under Brandon for 3 semesters at Lee University, and I was currently taking a class from him as well. Like the Wood’s is what I consider a “musical memorial”, meaning that I have taken the musical memories I have of Brandon (specifically one of his performances on vibraphone, and a piece for percussion ensemble that he directed) and “transcribed” them through the filter of my mind and memory. These memories make up the first and second section of the piece while the final section is my personal farewell to Brandon. All royalties from this piece will go to Brandon’s young son Cameron.

Like The Wood's

Pablo de Sarasate occupied, with Nicolò Paganini and Joseph Joachim, the pinnacle of 19th-century string performance. The son of a military bandmaster in Pamplona, Spain, he started violin lessons at five, gave his first public performance at eight, and surpassed the best local teachers so quickly that he was sent to the Paris Conservatoire at the age of twelve. Queen Isabella presented him with a Stradivarius violin and personally authorized the subsidy of his expenses to reward his zeal for spreading and developing Spanish music. Whereas Paganini was noted for his flamboyant technical wizardry and emotional exuberance, and Joachim for his high-minded intellectualism and deep musical insights, Sarasate was famed for his elegance, precision, apparent ease of execution and, his "stream of beautiful sound." To appeal to the predilection for a certain Eastern exoticism in the German and Austrian musical appetites of the day, Sarasate devised a concert work for violin and piano in 1878 based on melodies of Hungarian extraction that he titled Zigeunerweisen - "Gypsy Airs."

Zigunerweisen (adapted For Marimba)

"Fear Cage" is a term used to describe a confined space with high electromagnetic field (EMF) readings. In these areas, one who is sensitive to such phenomena can feel uneasiness, paranoia, anxiety, nausea, and uncontrollable fear. Written by Kirk J. Gay for two players enclosed within a circle (or cage) of 9 timpani, Fear Cage is a dramatic piece, which uses a variety of effects to set a dark tone. Unique textures such as bowed crotales and a prayer bowl on top of timpani heads provide a perfect complement to the included audio soundscape, which runs throughout the piece.

Fear Cage

The Experiments series originated with an urge to find new sounds outside of convention. I began exploring new combinations and finally discovered that if you mount accessory instruments onto drums, the character of the combined instrument completely changed. In Experiments #2 I have chose to alter the two Brazilian Surdos by placing a set of wind chimes on one and a set of wooden shakers on the other. Additionally I have added a smaller crash cymbal on top of a large china cymbal to alter one of the cymbals. In writing this piece I wanted to individually showcase and explore the new sounds I’ve created in combination with different types of beaters. The piece opens with metal brushes, then transitions to sticks, and then finally to yarn mallets. Each creates a unique characteristic for each altered sound. While the brushes diminish the effects of the alterations, the sticks and mallets accentuate each alteration differently.

Experiments #2

The Phoenix is a mythological creature that has a life span of 500-1000 years. At the end of its life, it is required to build a nest and set itself on fire. Out the ashes, the Phoenix rises again to live a new life. The song of the Phoenix is said to have been a simple song, which is represented here with 4 repeated C#s that recur throughout the piece. This piece is inspired by the life, death, and rebirth of the Phoenix. I think you can easily follow these stages through the course of the piece. Careful listeners will notice a reference to the famous Dies Irae theme, which represents the death of the Phoenix. This is then followed by the main theme, signifying rebirth to close out the piece. Written by Andy Harnsberger.

Phoenix

Astor Piazzola played more a more central role in tango than any one person in the world of jazz. Imagine that instead of numerous jazz giants such as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Stan Getz and Miles Davis, there was just one modern jazz hero who was both virtuoso performer and prolific composer. In the world of tango, Piazzolla was just such a unique figure. Straddling the worlds of classical music and of his own popular culture he made nearly one hundred recordings of original music released between 1945 and 1995. Libertango is a composition by Piazolla, which has been transcribed and recorded by many artists since the initial recordining in 1974. The title is a portmanteau merging "Libertad" (Spanish for liberty) and "Tango", symbolizing Piazzolla's break from Classical Tango to Tango Nuevo. Eric Sammut, award winning marimbist and composer has based this piece on Piazolla’s original tango, adding his own unmistakable style.

Libertango (for Marimba)

Vibe and Marimba duo written by Dave Samuels and Dave Friedman. Two giants of the percussion world. I am proud to add my own personal style to this piece as I join with my good friend Stephen Humphries (marimba) in playing sunset glow.

VJTPercussion

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