Solo Work.
Philosophy
The intention of my solo work is to committ to an ongoing exploration of self. The time spent as a musician is primarily solitary, and solo work juxtaposes this solitude with naked performance under pressure. My approach is born out of respect and study for the master saxophonists who have performed extensive solo work throughout their careers: Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, Chris Pitsiokos, Sam Newsome, Coleman Hawkins, Eric Dolphy.
“untitled ”
This is a four act suite of improvisational and precomposed melodic concepts utilizing digital manipulation of sound alongside hyper-extended technique repertoire. Divded into sections “Enter”, “Hum”, “Panic”, and “Release” the goal is to produce an emotional and visceral spiritual interaction between an audience member and higher order dimensional energies utilizing myself as a conduit.
Howland Cultural Center 5.4.24
“Buh”
“Buh” is a spontaneous improvisational thought concept originating through a practice of tonic centrality. In this case basing the beginning and ending of the improvisation on the implications of the note “B” on alto saxophone, and the spiritual and audiophysical harmonics contained within the note itself.
In this ten minute piece various moods are meant to be expressed, ranging from intensity and hostility to humor and whimsy. The nature of the space allowed exploration of sparse phrasing and acoustical interactions and reflections, providing emphases and rotational tone-axis of expression.
“A.I.3”
“A.I.3” is an exlporation of temporality and physical exhaustion. One intentions of the piece is to expand and scrape the boundaries of improvisational consciousness with an attempt to exhaust possibilities. Extended techniques explored in this piece include multiphonics, duaphonics, harmonics, and whistles.
The piece is separated organizationally into three major sections: Entrance, Terror, and Resignation. The multiphonic produced at 9:38 demarcates the first transition. Tonally it is representative of a small departure from comfort - a sort of uncanny sensation produced by questioning your stability.
i also gave myself a crazy back cramp after this
Makers Space Ensemble 9.28.23
New England Conservatory‘s Eben Jordan Hall 4.10.22
“To Trumpetist and Composer Roy Anthony Hargrove”
This is the first of my solo improvisations I ever performed publicly. It begins with a linear exploration of tone and self and expands along a primarily spiritual axis over a brief period. This was also the first performance of an evening of music, culminating in a big band composition, so the idea was to create a compositional expansion as the night progressed.
This piece is dedicated to the late trumpet player Roy Hargrove. Roy’s impact on myself as well as my local community cannot be understated. The grief and loss that comes with losing such a foundational figure to the shape of my musical community is one that I am still navigating, learning new holes and gaps with which his once soul filled, and how to keep his spirit alive despite them. The final declaration quotes the melody of one of the later copositions by Roy, entitled “From the Top of my Head”