“Confluence” - Premiere Adventures

“Chris, I might have broken some fingers in my left hand” is an alarming way to start a phone conversation, but it is especially daunting when the comment is coming from Vasti Jackson, the featured Blues Guitar soloist featured in my new double guitar concerto. The rehearsals with the Memphis Symphony were starting in only 4 days. the  world premiere was just 3 days after that. Vasti told me “This is like a bad dream I can’t wake up from” and to prove his point, he emailed me a photograph of his absurdly swollen hand. The debut of a new work is always a bit hand-wringing, but this was shaping up to be an extra dramatic adventure. I talked to Robert Moody (the conductor who asked me to write the piece,) a few minutes later. We agreed that this concert had been planned on for over a year and while we hoped Vasti could heal quickly and play it, we had better develop a back-up plan pronto. Maestro Moody had someone in mind, DJ Sparr who had recently performed a different electric guitar concerto with him. DJ is also a symphonic composer so he could read music and therefore probably learn this tricky part quickly,... like in 4 days. While I am introducing the players in this drama I have to complete the Marquee by introducing the uninjured Classical guitarist, the unflappable Thomas Flippin.

That is why you will see 3 guitarists in THIS VIDEO CLIP, despite the fact that the piece is called “Confluence: Double Concerto for Classical Guitar, Blues Guitar and Orchestra.”

We had a rehearsal with me and the 3 guitarists to read through the piece and try to figure what Vasti could or could not play. Honestly the first day it was difficult for Vasti to play most passages so he then would ask DJ to cover those places. But every day those passages would change as Vasti’s hand got incrementally better. The attitude amongst the 3 guitarists was fantastic. DJ was there to support and help Vasti; Vasti was grateful to have some back-up and Thomas Flippin was totally prepared and playing his extremely demanding part. Robert Moody came to this first rehearsal and obviously knew the piece and the tempos well; most importantly he was always encouraging in the face of this adversity that we were all facing together.

The orchestra rehearsals went well, the brand-new parts were accurate, the players were great and their attitude was extra enthusiastic. The electric bass part is super demanding as you will hear, and Chris Butler, a double bassist and electric bass player from the orchestra, took a deep dive on his part long before I rolled into Memphis. The drum set player, a percussionist from the orchestra named David Carlisle, had a funk drumming background and supplied the deep groove the piece needed in places.  The first Movement is called “Sunrise; Streams of Consciousness” and it starts very quietly in the more traditional style of Classical music. The piece meanders downstream and picks up energy as it heads into urban territories …. in fact coursing through a bustling place on the Mississippi, Memphis. The 2nd Mvt. is called “Adagio in Blues” and it is a soulful ballad based on  Blues changes but with many chord substitutions that  reflect my Jazz background. The 3rd Mvt. is called “Cross Currents” and it is a wild mixture of funk in 7/8 alternating with 8/8. Imagine James Brown "getting on the good foot” with a syncopated hiccup built into the choreography. Halfway through the last Mvt. there is a long cadenza for the Classical Guitar and towards the end of this solo is where this video excerpt starts. Because the previous 25 minutes of the piece was compositionally  very intricate and theme-driven, I designed the piece to "let it all hang out" at the end of the last Mvt. , relaxing into a strong 4/4 Blues groove. At the premiere Tish and I were sitting there hoping everything would go well and wondering how Vasti was going to do with his ever-changing hand condition. To our surprise and relief the crowd gave a long standing ovation after the first Movement.  Maestro Moody had to calm them back down into their seats. Then the Blues ballad chilled everyone out and we played the 3rd Mvt which I described above. But for us the biggest surprise was how Vasti rose to the occasion and more. I had put in his solo part something like “Vasti, talk to the audience and do your Blues thing.” I had written orchestral alternating backgrounds with repeat signs that Maestro Moody could control in the moment. 

You can see Thomas Flippin flashing smiles to DJ and the orchestra  as we were all in a celebratory mood on the stage after playing through the new piece. The Memphis Symphony has developed a rapport with their audience that is special. The community feels like this is their orchestra and the Music Director, Bob Moody, and Executive Director Peter Abell and the staff, work on trying to create a unique symphonic experience that the Memphis audience can relate to. It was special to be part of that innovative thinking and programming. So enjoy this excerpt, which I think after my explanation above  will help you appreciate the explosion of musical energy from Vasti, Thomas, DJ, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.