Motown Metal

Description

Motown Metal for brass ensemble and percussion is inspired by the sounds and rhythms of industrial Detroit: city of automobile clamor and the sixties Motown sound. The composition highlights instruments made only of metal: four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, vibraphone, glockenspiel, triangle, cymbal, gong, anvil, and brake drum. Motown Metal is an assembly line of ascending and descending glissandi and rapid chromatic scales, predominantly heard in the trombones. The tuba, glockenspiel, and anvil create a funky polyphony, while the trumpets and horns play big band staccato chords. I draw on my experience playing percussion in sixties soul music bands and drum and bugle corps to create brassy industrial-strength polyrhythms. Motown Metal is recorded by the London Sinfonietta conducted by David Zinman on the Argo CD American Icons (458 145-2). (1994)Motown Metal is inspired by the sounds and rhythms of industrial Detroit - city of automobile clamor and the sixties Motown sound. Using only instruments made totally of metal, it is an assembly line of ascending and descending glissandi and rapid chromatic scales heard predominantly in the trombones. The tuba, glockenspiel and anvil create a funky polyphony, while trumpets and horns play big band staccato chords. Duration - ca. 7:00 4 Horns, 4 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone, Tuba, 2 Percussionists, Score