STRATA

Strata was commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Brass Quintet and completed on January 1, 1999. It is dedicated to the American Brass Quintet in celebration of their 30th year in residence at the Aspen Music Festival. The work is comprised of three movements and has a performance time of sixteen minutes.
Having composed two quintets previously for the American Brass Quintet, Morning Music and Distant Voices, I began the third with a desire to expand upon what I had already written, yet refer to the other two. As a result, I chose to begin the first movement with the trumpeters playing flügelhorns as I did in my first quintet Morning Music. While this darker texture was a nod to the earlier quintet, Strata begins with slowly shifting harmonies and no themes or counterpoint, in direct contrast to Morning Music. The music of LaMonte Young influenced this section because of a series of recent performances I was involved in as a trumpeter with Young’s ensemble. Following this meditative music is a rhythmic and pointillistic section with the trumpeters now on trumpets but in Harmon mute, the trombones in straight mute, and muted horn. Motives abound and there is much playful interaction between all five players.
The second movement is an introspective dirge with no direct thematic connection to either quintet but similar emotional content to both. There is also a hint at the techniques of Arvo Pärt with close harmonies and restricted material. The texture is again dark because of flügelhorns and the bass trombone is featured with an extended solo in the middle of the movement. As the third movement begins, we hear for the first time a trumpet unmuted followed by the rest of the group in a freely shaped introduction. Slightly jazzy material is then heard which is developed during the rest of the movement. Reminiscent of the James Agee movement of Distant Voices, it ends with one final fortissimo riff.

POWELL TRIO

Powell Trio for tenor trombone, marimba and piano was written in 2009 for Michael Powell, a prominent New York trombonist. It is presented in three movements: Flow, Stillwater and Eddies, aurally depicts various states of water as we experience it in nature. As the piece begins, you can imagine a gently flowing stream meandering through the countryside on a journey to a bay or an ocean. Along the way, there will be moments of stillness contrasted with humor, anger, playfulness and joy. The journey is life itself.

MORNING MUSIC

Morning Music for brass quintet was written during the summer of 1986 for the American Brass Quintet. It is a sequel to a previous work of mine titled In Memoriam: W.E.S. for woodwind quintet written in 1981 and premiered by the Dorian Wind Quintet. The subject of that piece was the murder of my brother, William Evan Sampson, by the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazis in 1979. Morning Music deals with my thoughts and feelings seven years later. As you will hear, the anguish over the death is as intense as ever, but strength and hope will gradually emerge from the despair. The work is one movement with clearly delineated sections ending with a fast-paced coda. I have dedicated Morning Music to my mother, Betty Sampson, whose optimism and resiliency have been an inspiration to me.

DISTANT VOICES

Distant Voices for brass quintet is a four movement, seventeen minute composition written during the spring and summer of 1990. Commissioned by the American Brass Quintet through a grant from The Jerome Foundation, the work was premiered on May 5, 1991 at Delbarton School/St. Mary’s Abbey Church at the eighth annual “Hardly Any Sampson” Music Festival.
The titles of the movements are as follows: I. James Agee: Writer; II. Bobby Hackett: Jazz Cornettist; III. Brother Paul Diveny: Benedictine Monk; IV. Ben and Mark: My Sons. These curious titles were chosen from a long list of people who have had a profound effect on my life. We are all the result of our continuous filtering of a myriad of influences. The “distant voices” referred to in the title are simply the voices in one’s mind that guide ones’ thoughts and actions. Distant Voices is meant to honor these people.
James Agee, the writer of “A Death in the Family”, impressed me from my college days as truly absorbed in his life as a creative artist. His voice challenges me not to accept the obvious or comfortable. Bobby Hackett, an elegantly lyrical jazz cornettist, was one of the first musicians I studied through recordings. I used to listen to and play along with his deceptively simple improvisations. He taught me how to play a line and make a beautiful sound. Br. Paul Diveny, a Benedictine monk at St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, New Jersey is a special friend who helped me survive family tragedy through religion. He introduced me, through his example, to the spiritual aspects of life in a way that profoundly deepened my awareness. My sons, Ben and Mark, are a constant challenge and surprise. They allow me to see life as a child again and feed my creative approach to living. This depiction captures the energy of them playing “monster”.