PROGRAM NOTES
Between 2005-2010 I have traveled extensively throughout South America,
Central America and North America. The beauty of each place I visit
is amazing and so different. In this recording I have expressed my
respect, curiousity and love for the lands and people that I have
visited.
My favorite instrument is the guitar, which one of the most
popular instruments in North America, South and Central America.
Because I play
concerts and record frequently with my friend , Mark Delpriora,
outstanding guitarist. I am fortunate to hear my music performed by
him and he has inspired me to compose for the guitar soloistically.
I love many styles of music and as a result I am inspired by classical,
world, jazz, rock, folk, blues music styles.
This recording begins with Brazilian Sounds for flute, cello and
guitar. In 2009 I visited a Brazilian village on the banks of the
Christolina River( a tributary of the Amazon River). Several mornings
we left with our local guide for hikes into the jungle. The animals and
insects created a colorful and inspiring symphony of new sounds. Along
with truly being in awe of my surroundings I also felt fear. The first
morning we saw a baby Harpy Eagle which is enormous and its even
bigger parents in a tree next to where we were standing. To give you an
idea of
the size of these magestic birds, Harpy Eagles eat monkeys. Monkeys
were skittering just above our heads in the thick canopy. In the
afternoon we headed toward the river. The sun was up and we went on
the Christolina River in a small boat. I felt relaxed on the river
until
our guide excitedly pointed at the close right embankment where
a 42 foot anaconda lay. It had just eaten and was not moving.
We paddled closer so my friends could take photos; I was
hyperventilating and praying. Finally we paddled away and continued
a great river ride. There were so many species of birds,
capybaras, giant otters, choruses of frogs and caimen.
Several days into our trip I composed Brazilian Sounds
for flute, cello and guitar. All the sounds and emotions of the last
several days came flooding into this music. A week later I was
thinking about the habitat destruction in the Amazon.
There are oil riggs, soapsuds and other man-made debris
in the Amazon River near the larger towns which threaten to
destroy the magic of this region. Tears of the Amazon
for flute, cello and guitar expresses the sadness that I and
many other people feel when we see this gradual loss
of one of the most important eco-systems on our planet.
When we returned to Tennessee we visited several lakes and took
hikes on the different terrains of Tennessee. One of these hikes
inspired Rocky Shores for flute and guitar.
Tennessee is a very exciting place in terms of weather. It rains almost
every day.
A Walk In The Rain for flute and harp was composed immediately
after taking an afternoon strolls with my four delightful Maltese.
That winter as it snowed I was listening to recordings of
various Celtic folk singers and was inspired to compose
Celtic Snowflakes for flute and harp.
The Jabiru Suite for flute and cello musically describes scenes from
my first trip to the Pantanal in Brazil. The Pantanal is our planet's
largest wetland ( 75,000 square miles). It extends into the
Brazilian state of Mato Grosso and into some of Bolivia
and Paraguay. So far 12 sub-regional ecosystems have been identified.
The Jabiru (see photo) is the tallest flying bird found in South and
Central America. Its long, black pointed beak, white plumage, black
& red ringed neck and head plus its unique walk are dazzling.
I watched flocks of Jabiru fishing for crabs and fish in the river and
then gracefully flying back to their nest of long sticks, perched on
top of the highest trees, to feed its young. The Capybaras and Caimen
Sleep was
inspired by a strange sight (see photo).
Capybaras, the largest living rodent in the world, have heavy, furry,
red-brown round-shaped bodies, furry short heads, 20 orange teeth, no
tail and webbed feet. Black Caimen, one of the largest carnivorous
reptiles, are South Americas version of the crocodile. To my amazement
I saw a huge capybaras sleeping with its head resting on top of a large
open-jawed caimen. My music depicts the heavy, slow nature of these
sleeping creatures.
Brown Spider Monkeys are quite common in Brazil
and they can be seen foraging for fruit and leaves, swinging and
leaping in the upper canopy of the rain forests. Inspired by the bass
line of a Led Zeppelin song I used pizzicato in the cello and leaping
fast scales and intervals in the flute line in a swing style to show
the activities of
these intelligent, vocal, long-limbed, long-tailed monkeys. There are
very
few pieces scored for only flute and cello and Heitor Villa-Lobos's
Jet Whistle is the most unique and strongest composition scored
for this combination. I composed The Jabiru Suite inspired
by the strength and originality of Villa-Lobos's composition.
Richard Locker, excellent cellist, helped me edit the cello parts.
The South American Suite for flute and guitar consists of five
movements. The first movement, Chan Chich (see photo), was
inspired by Chan Chich Lodge, located on Gallon Jug Estate in
north-western Belize. This area is the largest forest north of
the Amazon basin. Conservation efforts to preserve this
forest, "La Selva Maya" are underway in Belize, Guatemala
and Mexico. Thanks to the dedication of Gallon Jug Estate
owner, Barry Bowen, to stop hunting over the past
20 years, wildlife has thrived. To reach Chan Chich one must
take a 30 minute flight from Belize City. I used a simple folk sound
in my music to describe very intimate area of Chan Chich Lodge.
The second movement, Napo River Mist (Anaconda Encounter),
was inspired by my trip in Equador down the white waters of the
pale-brown Napo River, located in the Yasuni National Park.
Created in 1979, this national park is situated in the eastern and
central portions of Equador's Amazon Region. It lies in the
Orellana and Pastaza provinces between the Napo
and Curaray rivers. The YasunĂ Naional Park was chosen as
the core area of a biosphere reserve. During our two hour canoe
trip we saw a few of the 185 mammalian species, 650 bird species,
80 species of reptiles, 100 amphibian species and 600
fish species. In the river I saw an anaconda powerfully
swimming against the current.
The Pantanal, the Portuguese word pântano, refers to
wetlands and swamps. I was there during the dry season
and took a fast bumpy Safari-like jeep ride to my destination.
The third movement, Pantanal, captures the excitement I felt
in my travels. The movement ends with the flutist playing a
"jet whistle", in which the player covers the mouthpiece and
blows directly into the mouthpiece simultaneusly using the
fingers to play a scale. The result is a thrilling airy upward
swooping sound.
The fourth movement, Fantasy, begins with a formal
Spanish- sounding guitar line and an extroverted flute line.
The piece develops into a flashy middle section which
reminds me of a fireworks display. This section morphs
into a short jazzy section and then ends using the formal
melodic, harmonic and rhythmic material of the beginning.
The last movement of the South American Suite, Vivo, was
inspired by the great jazz tune, Song for my Father.
Tennessee Cloud Suite for flute and harp musically describes five types
of clouds: Sun Clouds, Green Clouds (Tornado), Contrails,
Ice Crystal Clouds ( snow producing clouds) and Cloud
Streets ( long rows of clouds that look like highways in the sky).
Sun Clouds is a gentle flowing piece that explores the beauty of
a cloudy day with the sun shining brightly.
Green Clouds describes what tornado clouds look like.
This movement begins with the harp's clashing chords describing
the formation of dangerous tornado clouds. The movement
develops with an arpeggiated flute part and a low range repetitive
harp part describing the lightening bolts, thunder and
swirling funnel of the tornado touching down. The piece ends
with a soft, calm section showing the dramatic exit of the tornado.
Ice Crystal Clouds shows the delicately nature of a gentle snow fall.
The name Cloud Streets sounds like a blues piece so I composed
a blues- influenced duet. My friend and virtuoso harpist,
Susan Jolles, edited the harp parts.
When the Moon is Blue for flute and guitar was composed
on one lonely late night in my California State University
Sacramento Flute Studio in February 2010.
The composition ends on a happier note because my
partner called and cheered me up.
There are so many music compositions that successfully
imitate the sound of trains. My favorites are of the early delta
blues musicians like Charlie Patton, Bukka White and
Robert Johnson, who are able to truly make their guitars
sound like trains coming down the track.
Locomotion for flute and guitar is my version of a noisy
train rolling thru the countryside.
My next CD, CAIRO, will be released early fall sometime in October!
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