SUMMARY

The Bone Zone is an amalgamation of the marching and concert band worlds into one epic piece. It is a reimagining of the last movement from my marching band show, MASSive, where the show ended with a massive trombone choir comprised of 40 performers superimposed with the ensemble proper. That particular section of the show was a compositional collaboration between myself and renowned trombonist, Christopher Bill, and it was a great deal of fun to put together. Adapted for symphonic band and scaled down from 40 trombones overall to a minimum of 10, it is still a bold, epic and high-energy fanfare; a great opener to any concert program!

AUDIO

INFORMATION

Year Commissioned: 2019
Difficulty: Grade 4
Duration: 1:35

Commissioned by the Wylie East High School Wind Ensemble (Wylie, TX) — Mr. Gregory Hayes, Director

The Bone Zone had its world premiere at the Western International Band Clinic on November 22nd, 2019.

PURCHASE

SUMMARY

On November 17th, 2015, a powerful windstorm tore through the state of Washington. The wind speeds were clocked at almost 120 miles per hour in the mountains, and urban areas were slammed by winds strong enough to break trees at the trunk and uproot them, causing them to fall on buildings, houses, and cars. Three people were killed by the falling trees. Several people critically injured, and more than a million people were left without power for several days.

When I learned about this tragedy on that day, I immediately knew I wanted to write a piece about it and dedicate it to the three people that lost their lives, and their families and friends. I contacted Joshua Wisswell, the director of the Westwood Middle School band program, and we were already talking about the concert band commissioning another piece from me, as I had written for the group the previous year, but I told him that the windstorm is exactly what I wanted to make this new commission be about.

The piece starts off with a somber, despondent motif in the clarinet section, coupled with subtle accents in the piano, representing the calm after the storm. The title of the piece, A Deafening Calm, was galvanized from the idea that even though no one could hear the gusts in the calm after the windstorm had passed, the devastation that it left behind made it very evident just how strong and deafening the wind really was. As the piece continues, it pulls on the idea of melancholy melodies reflecting the destruction and sadness, and yet there are sprinkles in there of hope and will to move on and rebuild, further emphasized by the jolting climax of the piece, in which the somber melody introduced in the beginning is now transformed into a more happy and inspiring disposition. The piece ends with a callback to the beginning, although this time, the melody no longer seems so somber anymore, but rather hopeful. A piano solo concludes the piece in a quiet manner, and you can almost hear and feel the soft, quiet breezes that gently blew through the air after the passing storm. . . .

INFORMATION

Year Commissioned: 2016
Difficulty: Grade 3
Duration: 4:30

Commissioned by the Westwood Middle School Concert Band (Spokane, WA) - Mr. Joshua Wisswell, Director

A Deafening Calm had its world premiere on June 1st, 2016 at Westwood Middle School.

PURCHASE

AUDIO