Blowbang

Blowbang was composed in 2023 for the saxophone & percussion duo Slair, who gave the premiere performance of the work at the XIX World Saxophone Congress in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. The title Blowbang is a reference to the means of sound production on these instruments — the saxophonist blows air through the instrument, and the percussionist hits things.

This piece is divided into three sections, presented without pauses. The first section, subtitled "Up and Down, Back and Forth," introduces many of the symmetrical materials that will be used throughout the piece. Symmetrical gestures, where one performer plays an ascending figure while the other performs a descending one, feature prominently in this section, as do mirrored rhythms and retrograded metric structures. These opening materials give way to the work's middle section "Interlude - Lockjaw Blues," which reframes many elements of the first section into jazzy figures which draw additional inspiration from the performance style of saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. The third and final section, "Climax Finale," continues building on the symmetrical metric structures of the opening, pulling the ensemble apart and pitting the two performers against each other before they finally come together for an exciting conclusion.

Alto Saxophone

Percussion:
Vibraphone, Kick Drum, 2 Concert Toms, 2 Congas, 2 Bongos, Suspended Cymbal, Splash Cymbal
medium yarn mallets throughout