Blue Shades.

"As its title suggest, BLue Shades alludes to the Blues. A jazz feeling is prevalent however it is in not literally a Blues piece. There is not a single 12-bar blues progression to be found, and except for a few isolation sections, the eighth-not is not swung. The work however, is heavily influenced by the Blues. "Blue notes" (flattened 3rds, 5ths and 7ths) are used constantly. Blues harmonies, rhythms, and melodic idioms pervade the work; and many "shades of blue" are depicted, from bright blue , to dark, t dirty, to hot blue. At times, Blue Shades burlesques some of the cliches from the Big Band era, not as a mockery of those conventions, but as a tribute. A slow and quiet middle section recalls the atmosphere of a dark, smoky, blues haunt. An extended clarinet solo played near the end recalls, Benny Goodman's hot playing style, and ushers in a series of of "wailings" brass chords recalling the train whistle effects.

This was the only piece I felt bitter sweet about. Being a blues fan i did not feel satisfied with the beginning movements of the song. There was commotion, chaos, and unorganized improvisation. There was not a strong swing that makes you want to get up dance. There wasn't a bluesy melody that whistled to the soul. It was just a song using the Blues scale (the flattened 3rd, 5th and 7th) It was missing a key ingredient of the era. I closed my eyes to visualize the sound.
And right then the music moved into the second movement
and the story unfolded
This was the analogy of a cat.
exploring streets of the city.
He dodges cars, horns
and an array of obstacles from those around him.
All the feet stepping and distractions drowned out of jazz of this cat
yet at the end of the night.
Into the 3rd movement.
which takes place in an ally.
where the cat is scrounging around
looking for food, and enjoying the peace and quiet.
the time where he can hear himself think
while whistling his favorite clarinet solo into the night.

Aspen Jubilee is third song of this concert. Right away the song starts at a Vivace tempo with a 4-4 beat division. The sound is very bright and lively, with the distinct sound of the Xylophone and other percussion instruments. Most recognizable is the Wind Chimes. It is joyful and enthusiastic and is accompanied with exciting horn chords that yell out joy. In the 2nd movement the melody rises and plants vivid feelings of youth into our ears. In the 3rd movement the dynamics of the song is softened, giving off a mellow, peaceful, groove along with a Soprano Vocalist adding a spice to this soothing cheerful song. The Wind Chimes make an appearance once again leaving the sound of magic and imagination in the air sending us down memory lane to the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland. At this point of the song I began to reminisce my old childhood past of energy and joy. This feeling stretches all the way to the 4th movement, where an amplified feeling of excitement is entwined with a bit of tension from dissonance to dramatize the ending cadence.