works
Refractions
for baritone saxophone, vibraphone, electric guitar, piano, violin, viola, cello, bass, and drums
Duration: ca. 9'30"
This piece marks the third and final in a series of chamber works named after optical phenomena (the others being, in chronological order, "Reflections" and "Chromatic Aberration"). This piece is, in essence, a loosely-structured "rock fugue." It is built around a simple modal melody and the chords which accompany it, much like many songs found in the normal popular music repertoire. However, I have never been known to write anything that was too "normal."
The fugue subject, the modal melody, is heard first on the double bass in free rhythm. The theme is then developed by the bass, cello, and baritone sax, in measured time, but without any sense of a beat or pulse. As the theme is heard again, the rest of the ensemble enters, playing rapid, repeated E�s which fade in and out (plus the distant hint of a backbeat on the drums), still without much sense of rhythmic motion. Next, the chord progression based on the melody is heard, with the drums and sax providing some improvisatory-sounding material, leading directly into a steady rock groove. From this point on, the rhythmic pulse shifts violently, the melodies become more and more syncopated, and the tonalities become increasingly complex. The motion is brought to a lumbering halt only momentarily for a recapitulation of the opening bass solo and fugue theme. The ensemble quickly returns to a heavy groove, with a final burst of speed to conclude the piece.