%202.jpg)
Jeffrey Scott, Showcase
Showcase is a one movement work that called me to submerge completely with in the most prevalent influence on me during my compositional journey. That being West African ritual music. And to allow it to in turn have direct influence on my European-based studies and Urban American experience.
Growing up in Queens and Brooklyn, New York, I lived and breathed Jazz, R&B, Latin Jazz, Salsa and Hip Hop. All music derived from West African rhythms. I then studied classical music performance in conservatory. The result is hopefully an ener-gized, relentlessly pulsed score that provides a platform for the ensemble to Showcase their talents and my music, which I have dubbed... Urban Classical Music."
Jean Laurenz, The Parting Glass
The Parting Glass is a Celtic Folk Song. A farewell song - at its conception it was sung while sharing a final drink for the road as part of a hospitality tradition from the 17th and 18th centuries in Ireland, Scotland and other countries. Over time, the tune became a popular performance piece at both funeral and New Years gatherings, as it marks a clear ending and inevitable new beginning. I adapted the piece for voice, brass, and solo trumpet as a way to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter. Historically, the trumpet is a calling instrument, announcing arrivals through fanfare, or calling upward to the heavens during times of transi-tion. In this version, the original sung portion commemorates the ending of an event, while the solo trumpet fanfares the beginning of a new season in life. I arranged and wrote this new version after having a baby, nodding to the woman I left behind pre-motherhood and the new one in her place. This version is inspired and adapted from Kirsten Pagel's cho ral arrangement.
Members:
Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpet
Raquel Samayoa, trumpet
Jean Laurenz, trumpet and vocals
Sarah Jessen, trumpet
Elisabeth Shafer, trombone
Rachel Velvikis, horn
Cristina Cutts, tuba
