The 2 Pieces for Tenor Saxophone and Piano were commissioned by Shawna Pennock to be premiered during the 2022-23 Nextet season. Both pieces explore rhythmic patterns inspired by Bembé and Salsa. The first piece is relatively slow and is characterized by long melodic lines, vocal in their construction and lyricism, dialoguing with a very resonant, rhythmic, and sometimes percussive piano writing, full of contrasting articulations and dynamics.
The second piece, faster, is a virtuoso etude for the entire range of the tenor saxophone, with a contrasting, more melodic section in the middle. The piano playfully interacts with the saxophone, punctuating the rhythmic asymmetries while developing the patterns from the two pieces.
Duration: 8 min.
This live recording: Shawna Pennock, tenor saxophone; Timothy Hoft, piano, Nextet series, September 19, 2022