In the past two months I have been asked to be in four videos where deeper experiences with energy work (such as acupuncture and medical qigong) are discussed. Links to the videos, with Saly Elka and Anouk Sophia, have been added to the Out And About page.
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I have been reflecting on the music that I wrote before 1989. With a handful of exceptions, all of my handwritten scores and lead sheets from that time have been lost due to one reason or another.
A number of pieces that I wrote in the late 1960s and early 70s come to mind. In particular, two pieces for concert band -- Four Haiku Sketches and Ten Events for Band -- and several works for experimental theater. I'm also remembering an extended piece for double quartet (classical woodwinds and jazz ensemble) as well as more of my originals and arrangements for various kinds of ensembles. I did a lot of writing in those years! At this stage in my life and in how my music has evolved, it is likely that I would no longer care for those earlier pieces. However, some of them might have stood the test of time and would be like meeting old friends again. Regardless, what's gone is gone. I am entirely happy to have all of the music that I have written since 1989...more than 30 years worth. When I think about the pieces that I no longer have, I can see how they served as a foundation for the music that came later. UPDATE 2/9/2021: I just discovered that the score for Four Haiku Sketches is in the University of North Texas library. It is part of the Source: Music of the Avant-Garde collection. The score is in Series 2: unpublished scores. oversize, Set 1; Box 1 Barcode 711602. I contacted the UNT music library to request a copy of the score and will post an update when there is a reply. UPDATE 4/30/2021: Happily, I received a photocopy of Four Haiku Sketches from the UNT music library. It is mind-boggling that after 52 years I am seeing this piece again. Now, as I review the score and hear it in my mind, I would say that it still sounds fresh. At this point, I have spoken with the Director of the Composers & Schools organization (of which I'm affiliated), and she is enthusiastic about it. Both of us see this score as being like a time capsule from 1969. Note: Four Haiku Sketches has been added to my compositions at the New Music USA Online Library. Seven digital albums of my originals are available at Bandcamp. Each one has its own character, styles, and moods. The complete collection has 54 recordings and is $37.50 (25% discount). Sold separately, an album is $7. As another option, individual tracks are $1. This enables one to select tracks from different albums. The music can be streamed with the free Bandcamp app or downloaded. Albums or tracks can also be sent as gifts.
This information has been added to the Store page. Rich Pulin will have another one-hour interview with me on his Pulin 4 Jazz internet radio show. It will be streamed live from Las Vegas on Thursday, May 28, at 1:30 Eastern time.
We will feature recordings on my latest album Alternate Takes. Please join us. Here is a link to Pulin 4 Jazz: http://stations.xyz/radio/player/222 For those who are not familiar with Rich, see About Rich Pulin. Archive recordings for some of my past shows are available on the Links page under Interviews. Several days ago I discovered that 28 pieces of mine had somehow been taken from Sheet Music Plus and were being distributed (in violation of Copyright law) by two music sites. The sites are topmusicsheet.com and musicsheets.org. I sent DMCA Take Down Notices and, happily, both sites removed my music from their sites.
Here is a message that I received from Sheet Music Plus after I wrote to them about the situation: Hello, Hal Leonard Legal is aware of this issue with this website. They seem to have only have the sample pages, not your full pdf. For now, I recommend submitting a DMCA notice Please submit it to the website owner, the website hosting company (If you know it) and CC us. Based on this experience, it is prudent for composers to periodically do an internet search on several of their music titles and see what comes up. That is how I discovered that my music was at those two sites. Rich Pulin and I will have a radio show on April 25 that is dedicated to David Arivett. David died on March 23. He was of great help to me in our music collaborations and as a friend. We will feature many of the recordings that David made of my originals.
An archive recording of the show can be heard here: https://archive.org/details/RogerAldridgeOnPulin4JazzApril252019 I just learned that David Arivett passed on. He was one of my closest music friends even though he lived in Arkansas and I only knew him on Facebook. For those who know my music, you will know David's name. For the past 5+ years, he recorded many of my scores and tunes. Each recording is a gem. And, David was a person who would have been a great friend in real life. I will be forever grateful to him. Here is a message that his son posted at the Jazz Arranging group that David started on Facebook: "My name is Aaron Arivett, and I am David Arivett’s son. On behalf of my dad, I wanted to share that on March 23rd he passed away due to complications related to a heart attack. He was incredibly passionate about all music but certainly had a great love of Jazz. It inspired him to found this group, along with others, as a means of sharing the creative and meaningful with fellow colleagues and friends. He was my mentor, idol, father, and friend. I’ll cherish that relationship for the rest of my life. We are forever grateful for his love, indelible spirit, passion, sense of humor, and musical genius that we will endeavor to continue through the lives we lead moving forward." The last recording that David made for me was New Tango No. 7. He finished it in February. It occurred to me that it might be among the last recordings he created. Right off the bat, you will hear David's joy and sense of fun. He used only my lead sheet for the recording and put much of himself into the music. A link to my interview in the Winter 2018 edition of The Rookery has been added to the Links page on my site. This came about through David Arivett's recording of Eastern Neck Island. The staff at the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge liked the music so much that they asked Marty Hoover, a journalist living in Rock Hall, Maryland, to write an article about it.
The Charleston Youth Winds ensemble in Charleston, SC has begun to rehearse two of my pieces -- Appalachian Awakening and Salt Marsh Rag. They have an interesting instrumentation: woodwinds, viola, trombone, tuba, piano, and rhythm/percussion as needed. Kristy Marx, the ensemble's Director, discovered my scores (written for flexible instrumentation) at Sheet Music Plus and purchased these pieces. The unconventional instrumentation of this ensemble is right up my alley.
http://www.charlestonyouthwinds.org  WAMU (NPR station in Washington, DC) selected twelve of my recordings for Capital Soundtrack. This project enables original music by musicians in the DC-MD-VA region to be featured with the station's programming.
Recordings: A Ballad For T Appalachian Awakening Catoctin Snowfall Connecticut Avenue SUVs Eastern Neck Island New Tango No. 3 Rubber Chicken Rag Salt Marsh Rag Samba Da Aguia Pescadora Sleepy Creek Samba Sunset On The Chesapeake Twilight Sail WAMU banner feature: February 6, 2017 |
AuthorRoger Aldridge, jazz composer in Olney, Maryland. Categories
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