Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Percussion Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform works by Nathan Daughtrey, David Friedman, Armand Russell and other noted composers in a virtual concert at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2.
In its first concert of the fall semester, the ensemble, directed by Dr. Brad Meyer, associate professor of percussion at SFA, will also perform works by Joe W. Moore III, Korry Friend and Rüdiger Pawassar.
Daughtrey’s “Shock Factor,” which uses “tension-building ostinatos, hammer-like blows, and vocal contributions in which participants whisper, speak and yell,” according to John R. Raush in “Percussive Notes.” He also describes the piece as “dramatic” and “hard-driving.”
Friedman’s “Nyack” is one of his more complex works, showing the contrast between the improvised (or written) solos between the vibraphone/marimba duo, according to a description at steveweissmusic.com. Each "voice" is able to speak distinctly, while remaining within the framework of the piece.
Friend wrote “Moxie” as a master’s student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro while studying with Dr. Eric Willie. The piece is in two sections, both primarily utilizing a minimalistic approach, according to the composer. The first section has a heavier sounding, more hip-hop based style, and the second section is more subdued and melodious. “This work was written as a gift to Dr. Eric Willie and the UNCG Percussion Ensemble, where the most valuable lesson I learned was to have ‘Moxie,’” Friend wrote.
Pawassar describes his “Sculpture 3” as “almost a classical sounding work, but resembles many harmonic structures found in ’70’s and ’80’s jazz.” The composer comments that when writing this work, it resembled to him “the making of a wood sculpture where, in drafts, many parts were cut off, added again, shifted and intertwined with one another.”
To access the live concert free of charge, go to https://youtu.be/3F3eVf9x5Qw. For additional information, contact the School of Music at (936) 468-4602.