Inner/Outer Monologue (2007)

Inner/Outer Monologue (2007), solo tenor saxophone, duration 8’, premiered April 18, 2008 by Jonathan Nichol at the North American Saxophone Alliance conference at the University of South Carolina. I like to think of this piece as a person who has a hard time keeping his thoughts to himself. It begins with a quiet intensity, which is interrupted by raucous outbursts bubbling up from below. Gradually these outbursts grow and overtake the calm exterior. The calmer voice reasserts itself, but the reprieve is short-lived. The gentle exterior is no match for the more bombastic personality. This piece was written in collaboration with saxophonist Jonathan Nichol. Jonathan and I experimented with many different sounds to express the striking contrasts that are available to the tenor saxophone, from the most fragile and transparent to the harshest and most aggressive.