Groove Passing (2015)
Instrumentation: alto saxophone, viola, double bass, piano
Duration: 7 minutes
I imagined Groove Passing as like watching a train go by, with rhythmic grooves substituting for boxcars. In a semi-through-composed manner, Groove Passing presents four distinct rhythmic grooves [2+2+3, 3+2+2, 2+2+2+2, and 3+3+2]. Each groove is presented in a theme, and then they begin to intertwine and mingle. From the instrumentation of piano, bass, and alto sax, I drew out a musical language inspired by older jazz artists like Dave Brubeck. Formally, I had the idea of the fusing this language with the formal processes of Steve Reich, but there ultimately ended up being a lot more Brubeck than Reich. Groove Passing was composed for the 2015 New Music on the Point Festival.