In Other Words...
David Morneau
About this work:
In 1959 Columbia released a collection of original music composed and recorded by Charles Mingus under the title "Mingus Ah Um". Im 1998 this recording was carefully re-mastered and rereleased on compact disc. And in 1999 I was persuaded to purchase a copy -- my first experience with Mingus. I cannot wholly verbalize the effect of this album except to say that it was very exciting. "Mingus Ah Um" led to other classic Mingus recordings ("Blues and Roots" and "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" among others) that gave me a new perspective on jazz and opened my ears to music outside of my traditional training. Since then I've looked for ways to include jazz influences in my music. "In Other Words" pays tribute to the music of Mingus; it is modeled after two songs on Mingus Ah Um. My piece has two contrasting sections. The slow section is modeled after the chord progression from "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" and uses a melodic motif similar to Mingus'. The faster section is built on the 12-bar form and metric drive in "Better Get It In Your Soul" (also in "Slop" on the album "Mingus Dynasty".) As it composed for clarinet and piano, "In Other Words..." is not meant to interpreted in a jazz style, rather it is intended as a piece for clarinet and piano in which jazz is an influence, not a stylistic determinant. In addition to composing and performing, Mingus wrote an autobiography called Beneath the Underdog. The opening sentence -- "In other words, I am three." -- provides a fitting title for my little tribute to his music.
Version: 1
Year composed: 2002
Duration: 00:06:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Keyboard plus One Instrument
Instrumentation: ,1 Clarinet soloist(s), 1 Piano