Category: Article

Blues and Ballads, my latest digital album, has been released at Bandcamp. 

I consider blues and ballads to be two pillars of jazz. The originals in this collection explore both conventional and unconventional approaches to these genres.

The 8-track album is $7. The music can be streamed (with the free Bandcamp app) or downloaded. As another option, individual recordings are $1 per track. Purchases help to fund new recordings of my originals. 

My recent digital albums comprise a 6-volume collection with 45 recordings of my originals.  Each album has its own character, styles, and moods.  

Here is a link to the album:   Blues and Ballads

New Fiddle Music, my latest digital album, has been released at Bandcamp. 

Stylistically, the music includes jazz, modern Appalachian, Celtic, and ragtime...often blended together in unusual ways.  

The 8-track album is $7. The music can be streamed (with the free Bandcamp app) or downloaded. As another option, individual recordings are $1 per track. Purchases help to fund new recordings of my originals. 

Here is a link to the album:   New Fiddle Music   Sambas

A digital album of my original sambas and bossa novas -- and a tango thrown in for good measure --  has been released at Bandcamp. 

The musical moods span contentment to get-up-and-dance exuberance...and lots in between.  

The 7-track album is $7. The music can be streamed (with the free Bandcamp app) or downloaded. As another option, individual recordings are $1 per track. Purchases help to fund new recordings of my originals. 

Here is a link to the album:   Sambas, Bossa Novas, and a Tango  

A digital album of my original music for mid-size jazz ensemble has been released at Bandcamp. 

I am a fan of the mid-size ensemble and the creative possibilities it offers.

My vision for a mid-size ensemble is to use a woodwind quintet as a role model – that is, with each instrument having a distinct tone color – instead of thinking of it as a smaller version of a big band. This concept can be explored with either conventional or unconventional combinations of instruments. The ensemble can also have a level of flexibility and creative freedom that is usually associated with a small group.

Stylistically, this music is eclectic...spanning American roots to avant-garde. ​

The 8-track album is $7. The music can be streamed (with the free Bandcamp app) or downloaded. As another option, individual recordings are $1 per track. Purchases help to fund new recordings of my originals. 

Here is a link to the album:    Mid-Size Jazz Ensemble  

A 23-minute video of my music for mid-size jazz ensemble has been added to the Vimeo section of my Mixposure profile. Six of my originals  are featured. Think of it as a virtual concert. As you listen to the music imagine that you are in an audience listening to a performance by a live band. 

Note: The video description has detailed information about each piece.    

A digital album of my original tangos has been released at Bandcamp. 

I  am deeply attracted to tango nuevo and  Astor Piazzolla 's  music. My tangos are written in a personal style and are not intended to be like conventional ballroom tango music. They draw upon jazz and at times have a touch of contemporary classical. In a curious way, several musician friends have told me that they hear a  Frank Zappa  influence in some of my tangos. I suspect that is due to the humor that runs through much of my music. 

The 7-track album is $7. The music can be streamed (with the free Bandcamp app) or downloaded. As another option, individual recordings are $1 per track. Purchases help to fund new recordings of my originals. 

Here is a link to the album:  Tangos

This project is a collaboration with dancer  Jennifer "Jensuya" Carpenter-Peak and filmmaker  Robert Peak . Being fans of one another's work, we decided to create a video with Jennifer dancing to my music in West Virginia landscapes. She picked Twilight Sail, one of my bossa novas. While it is highly unusual for bossa nova and belly dance to be combined (I have not seen it done before), Jennifer made it work  The video has been added to the Youtube section of my Mixposure page.  Hope you enjoy it!  

I am a fan of the mid-size ensemble and the creative possibilities it offers.

2008 was a transition time for me. I had become tired of conventional big bands. As I looked for something different, ideas came to me about a smaller and more flexible kind of band. I experimented first with a 10-piece ensemble (electric violin and tuba were featured). While this group had only a short life as a rehearsal band, hearing the scores I wrote for it gave me a confirmation of the direction I was taking.   

As a next step, I began to use flexible instrumentation in my scores instead of specifying the instruments. The scores are concert pitch with the wind instruments labeled as line I, line II, etc. A set of transposed parts are provided for an assortment of instruments within the range of each line. This enables the music to be performed by many configurations of instruments. An ensemble can have a specific instrumentation, experiment with different instruments, or base the instrumentation on available players. Flexibility! 

One of the ensemble configurations that I like is alto flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, and bassoon. That is, a woodwind quintet with alto flute used in place of C flute. Rather than thinking of a mid-size ensemble as a smaller version of a big band, I envision a  woodwind quintet  –  that is,  with each instrument having a distinct tone color  – as a role model. Another configuration that I like (this one with saxophones and brass) is trumpet, soprano sax, alto sax, trombone, and tuba. With flexible instrumentation and a creative spirit, the tone color possibilities for an ensemble can be almost endless.  

For the rhythm section, piano and/or guitar, bass, and drums are the foundation. It can be expanded with additional instruments such as accordion, vibes, percussion, electronics, cello, etc. 

Along with flexible instrumentation, I decided that it would be more practical to use 5 or 6 wind instruments than a larger number for a horn section. 5-horn jazz ensembles are fairly common. I have several scores for 5 horns; however, I think of 6 horns as being the optimal number for my writing. My 6-horn scores are written for a featured soloist, 5 wind instruments, and rhythm section. The soloist has both solo and ensemble roles.

As my concepts evolved for a mid-size ensemble I discovered that, from my perspective, I can be more creative in writing for 6 horns than for a conventional big band. Why? With one player on a line, each line can have an individual tone color. Then, the 6 lines are blended, juxtaposed, crossed, and voiced in creative ways horizontally and vertically.  This creates an ensemble sound that is based upon an interplay of colors and an emphasis on the individuality -- bringing out the musical personality -- of each player.    

As I envision it, this approach to an ensemble is fundamentally different from what I think of as the defining features of a conventional big band: harmonized saxophone, trumpet, and trombone sections with each player blending his individual sound into the collective sound of a section. 

Additionally, with an ensemble of this size it can have a level of  creative freedom  that, most likely, would be problematic with a larger number of players. I like to extend a jazz soloist's freedom to the rest of the ensemble in various ways in my scores. This enables the music to change, evolve, and be a fresh experience for both the musicians and the audience each time it is performed.  

While I have focused on 6 horns and one player on a line, it occurred to me that my scores can also be played by larger ensembles by having  two (or more) musicians on each line . This option of having doubled parts -- with either same or different instruments on a part -- is an easy way for big bands to use my scores.  (See  A Big Band Misconception  for more about this idea.) 

Whenever people ask me to describe my music I often include the words fun and adventure. These qualities are expressed in how I encourage performers of my music to think of what I have written as being a point of departure, to discover  their  vision of the music, to experiment with it, and find ways for the music to be a fresh, fun, and adventurous experience each time it is performed. 

For that to happen, I usually do not compose music that is completely notated. The amount of music that I notate is on a sliding scale. At one end of the scale are extended pieces like  Donut Music  and  Buzzards In Love  which incorporate improvisation within a highly-notated work. At the opposite end of the scale are minimalist pieces like  New Tango No. 1  and  Smaller Ups And Downs  which have a small amount of notated music and use a particular concept for an improvisational framework. These improv-based pieces are dependent upon the performers to bring the music to life. By having a sliding scale of notation, ensembles interested in performing my compositions can choose the pieces that are a match for how much improvisational freedom they want to have in the music. 

I understand how music can have different expressive interpretations given to it by directors and performers. However, I want to go beyond that to embrace a spirit of "Let's see where we can go with this". That is,  for performances of my music to be a journey of discovery -- a collective creative process between the composer, performers, director (if one is used), and the audience -- in which the music is alive, spontaneous, and it continues to evolve with each performance. I think of this creative process as being like a jazz solo. 

I enjoy being surprised when performers take my music in directions that I had not thought of.  There is an element of risk with this approach; however, that is part of the fun and adventure.