Jab is dedicated to Adam Łukawski, a gifted composer who changed many things about my approach to life. He himself is carrying out important research which implements both Shepard tone principles and Artificial Intelligence technologies. Every time we talk some bright spark of an idea always floats into view, like "bitcoin" or "compositional NFT", honestly every conversation is pretty wild. This piece would have taken a very different course if not for many of our perspective-altering conversations. Jab is directly influenced by many of Adam’s ideas.

Jab is a simultaneous expression of turmoil and joy. It's my life between 03/19 and 12/20. In this time, I experienced frustration, anger, fear, rejection and loss. At the same time, there was laughter, exhilaration, discovery and rebirth. I met people that I love dearly. While sketching, composing and extensively recomposing, I constantly questioned what exactly I wanted to deliver. Was it a joke or swear? A punch line or a sucker punch? Ultimately, I couldn’t decide. But maybe that's what this piece is and what the rest of my work is increasingly becoming, the chaos of indecision.

The piece is built on six contrasting gestures. The first is a cluster that peels away to reveal diatonic harmonies and then a scale (such gestures are found in Dutilleux, Nielsen and Schumann). The second is a twinkling two part counterpoint. The third is a bulldozer in a China shop, a spectacle which misdirects. The fourth is a slow, ornamental, folk (in the broadest sense of the word) Finnisy-an melody with morphs into two. The fifth, at bar 33, is a Shepard tone texture. The Shepard tone textures in particular are inspired by Adam’s research. The sixth and last gesture consists of lithe arpeggiations which excite ghostly harmonics from strings sustained in the sostenuto pedal. These seemingly appear from nowhere. Across the piece I combine and recombine these gestures; push them through Risset accelerations and decelerations; throw and muddy them. 

Jab was commissioned by the Park Lane Group through the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust. Initially, Dominic Degavino, a Park Lane Group young artist, was due to premier the piece. However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Park Lane Group were unable to mount a premier of the piece. Instead, here we have the INDOMITABLE Ben Smith, grounding, pounding, flying, grappling, doing sik kikflips, jumping, running, sitting still, doing sensitive line drawings, sometimes all at the same time. Ben you are a literal force of nature. The scope of your abilities is literally terrifying. Sometimes when I look at you and your work, I feel I'm staring into the heart of Vesuvius.

I can't thank Ben enough for the time, energy and dynamism he's put into Jab, thank you Ben! Thanks also to my supervisors Professor Julian Anderson and Malcolm Singer, who asked me to draft, redraft and constantly questioned me: what do you want to hear? This piece would not be without them.

Jab - for solo piano

Alex Tay