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68º North Series (16') 1998
Version 1: piano duet with rhythm section
Version 2: 3 saxophones, trumpet, trombone, violin, piano, electric guitar, electric bass, marimba
Sample Score - (opens in new window)
This work was composed at a time when I was highly influenced by the music of Steve Martland, Michael Torke, Michael Daugherty and other similar composers and styles. Having grown up playing a lot of jazz it was still a large influence on my thoughts at the time. Jazz and pop influences make their way into this composition. Strong harmonic direction characterizes the form, repetitive figurations and quazi jazz instrumentation permeate the texture. This piece has never had a formal performance up to this date largely due to the unusual instrumentation, either for two pianos plus guitar, bass guitar and drums, or as I said earlier a jazz band like arrangement.
The title comes from the latitute of Inuvik, Northwest Territories where I was living at the time. The piece was composed over the winter months from December 1997 through February 1998. The first movement, "Freeze" was composed in February, when temperatures can drop to -50 Celsius. "Sun Rise" was composed during January when the sun gradually reappears in the sky. The final movement "Dusk" represents the month of December in which the sun never appears above the horizon.