Antonyms

PASSACAGLIA for Antow W.
Eric Sleichim
The Passacaglia, a musical form par excellence for this quartet, gives by its continuous recurring basis a ground for the four voices to evolve. A series of nine tones – motor of the piece – is ceaselessly perverted by multiphonics and forbidden notes. In the same way that depth is provided by solid and void, the dialogue between the written and the unwritten can only be achieved by a true perception of motion, space and silence.

NEW BABYLONIANS for Robert L. Nathanson
Roy Nathanson
This composition is based on a piece previously written for the duo I have with the pianist Anthony Coleman, initially the duelling saxophone parts were generated by Coleman’s sampler. Cut to pieces, the deconstructed phrases are reorganised for saxophone quartet. A first aim at writing without any reference to an established genre.

THE PRECIPITIATION SUITE
1 I Feel a Draft for Mal Waldron
2 Cloudy for Giuseppe Chiari
3 Rain for Cecil Taylor
Steve Lacy
This music was first conceived in Rome ’69. Completely based on a long study of the wonderful Roman elements. I feel a draft: A breeze, a chill, a sigh, an omen? Nervous Ostinato (Bb): a melody of intervals. Cloudy: 11 Serial clouds, somewhat oriented in Db, each lasts ½ minute.
Rain: Roman rain is the sweetest I know. This rain scale (7 notes) was lifted from an old Cecil Taylor performance, the piece is dedicated to him.
Every time this piece is played, it is different, just as each time the rain is different, each drop as well.

SUITE FOR SAXOPHONE QUARTET 1 for Charles Mingus
Ned Rothenberg
The reference to Mingus is both a homage to his genius and a reference to a compositional process that I try to emulate in all my writing. Mingus was a master of a very visceral kind of harmonic language that grew directly out of improvisational stimulus and mixed ‘tonal’ and ‘atonal’ sonorities without conceptual prejudices. There is no question of intellectual versus emotive genesis for the material – mind and body are one – the head dances and the body contemplates.