High Octane (2024)

Mixed Chamber – 12 minutes

Order printed score & parts from Subito Music
Order printed study score from Subito Music

Audio

Score (free download)

Program Note

Saxes, brass, electric guitars! What more could you need to know? Well, there are two “movements” – an extended introductory slow, funky, bluesy section and a hard driving, up-tempo closer… The whole piece is built around a heavy-hitting rocky lick, that is mostly repeated notes ending with a syncopation. This will jump out at you in the fast section after you’ve heard about half a minute of chugging bass ostinato-like figures. This rocky lick actually appears a lot in the opening slow section (at half-speed), but you won’t appreciate where it came from until you hear the fast section; sorry about that. In the slow section, there is a haunting bit of a tune that comes back several times and (spoiler alert) reappears at that very, very end. In the middle of the fast section there’s some contrasting material with off-kilter meters, but before long we’ll be back in good old 4/4 for a run to the shout chorus!