||: Original Compositions :||
COMMISSION AN ORIGINAL COMPOSITION FOR ANY OCCASION, INSTRUMENTATION, STYLE OR MOOD
~ ORCHESTRAL ~
Symphonies • Concertos • Overtures
~ CHAMBER GROUPS ~
Strings • Woodwinds • Brass • Percussion • Mixed
~ ORIGINAL BANDS ~
Rock • Pop • Prog • Metal • Funk/Fusion
R&B/Soul • Jazz • Klezmer/Polka
~ FILM SCORES ~
Feature-Length, Shorts, Trailers, Documentaries, etc.
~ SCHOOL BANDS ~
Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Level Compositions for Students K-12
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The Professor's Portfolio
Genre(s): Programmatic/Cinematic Chamber Music, Classical, Jazz, Latin
Performers: 12-14
Instrumentation: Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, String Quartet (Violin I-II, Viola, Cello), Percussion (Xylophone, Concert Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Crash Cymbal, Ride/Suspended Cymbal, Tambourine, Clave, Shaker, Cabasa, Temple Blocks, 3 Congas, Hi-Hat, Triangle)
Difficulty: Advanced
Summary:
Food and Music have always been my two most favorite things in the world. So as my love for composing grew along-side my love for cooking, I found myself wondering: What if John Williams scored a cooking show?
As such, Marsala begins with four short movements (or vignettes), each one representing a main ingredient in the classic Italian dish Chicken Marsala, with each theme performed by a corresponding instrument(s): I. Garlic (English Horn), II. Wine (Strings), III. Chicken (Oboe), and IV. Mushrooms (Clarinet/Bass Clarinet). The fifth and final movement is the musical melding of all ingredients, themes, motives, and flavors, representing the process of cooking the meal from start to finish.
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A Little Shopping Musik
Genre: Holiday, Jazz, Fusion, Latin, New Orleans Funk
Performers: 6
Instrumentation: Saxophone (Alto, Tenor & Bari), Violin, Cello, Piano, Tuba, Drum Set
Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
Summary:
In 2011 I was commissioned by the Delaware-based World Music ensemble 6ixwire to write a piece for one of their holiday-themed concerts. Growing up Jewish, my "Holiday" experience was primarily commercial, braving the elements and wading through thick swarms of caffeinated consumers as I traversed the various city-sized shopping malls of Northern New Jersey, seeking to purchase a few meaningful gifts for some of my closest Christian friends.
So it felt natural that the inspiration for my first holiday-themed composition would come from my primary auditory memories of the "The Season": walking through a packed shopping mall in December, amidst an aural barrage of dozens of different holiday tunes of every genre emerging from every shop and stand, parts and sections intermingling and fading in and out with each step forward. And so, from the chaotic cacophony emerged A Little Shopping Musik--a "hybrid"-style medley where melodies and motives from popular holiday-themed songs are chopped up, rearranged, re-harmonized, and put back together simulating the "holiday mall-walking" experience, without the usual wear-and-tear on your ears, or your wallet.
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Time Out
Genre: Funk, Jazz, Fusion, World
Performers: 6
Instrumentation: Violin, Erhu, Tenor Saxophone, Piano, Bass Guitar, Drum Set
Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
Summary:
I was lucky enough to discover Hiromi Uehara in the early days of Pandora (Internet Radio). On top of her virtuosic technical abilities and intensely expressive musicality, she is a magnificent composer, crafting rich, dynamic pieces in a wide variety of styles/genres that, despite their varying degrees of complexity, remain easily accessible, highly enjoyable and definitively memorable.
Time Out is a track from her 2007 concept album "Time Control." It became one of my favorite tunes, so much so that I decided to transcribe the entire tune in its original instrumentation, just for fun. So when, a year or two later, the World Music ensemble 6ixwire asked me to arrange a piece for their Jazz/Fusion-centric Spring Concert, it seemed like the perfect match. Arranging Time Out for 6ixwire's unique instrumentation was a fun challenge, as I had never written for the Erhu (a traditional Chinese bowed/stringed instrument, similar to a cello but smaller, with only two strings and no fret-board). I took a few creative liberties but kept the majority of the original tune intact.
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Theme from Batman (1989)
Genre: Soundtrack, Rock, Prog, Metal, Funk, Fusion
Performers: 4
Instrumentation: Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboards (Fender Rhodes, Roland Full Sized Electric Piano, Moog Synthesizer), Drum Set
Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
Summary:
Danny Elfman's score for Tim Burton's Batman (1989) made a huge impact on me, even at a young age. It was orchestral but dark, almost metal, and I loved it. As such it was one of the first melodies I was able to teach myself how to play on the piano by ear (along with A Whole New World from Aladdin, of course).
Thinkenstein was the first original project I found after moving to New Orleans. It was progressive rock, metal, funk, with some killer video-game music and sounds sprinkled in for good measure. Very cinematic to say the least. So I got the idea to try and reduce Elfman's brilliant score (for the film's Opening Sequence at least) down from a full symphonic orchestra to just guitar, bass, drums, and a few keyboards with some effects. Unfortunately we never had the opportunity to record it, so for now, the exported digital audio from my composition software will have to do.
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S.C.R.O.T.U.M.
Genre: Funk, Rock, Fusion, Hip-Hop, Concept
Performers: 6-9
Instrumentation: Lead Vox, Co-Lead Vox, Backup Vox, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Bari Sax, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drum Set.
Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
Summary:
Okay, so, I can explain. You see, S.C.R.O.T.U.M., (also known as the Sacred Coalition Responsible for Orchestrating the Total Unfunkification of the Multi-verse), is actually a group of evil aliens plotting to destroy all funk, everywhere, forever. It's messed up. But the good news is, a different group of GOOD aliens (the Funky Elders) are able to reach out to a group of funky crime-fighting musicians on Earth, because as it turns out, they (along with their robot side-kick Andromeo) are the only ones that can save the Multi-verse, for the funk.
If you want the full story (and it is quite a story I promise you), you'll have to check out the concept album Space Story by New Orleans funk band In Business. Highly recommended. The band co-wrote the majority of the material on this original, 80+ min, 18-track epic saga. But this tune was my contribution, both musically and lyrically (shout out to Timmy D for the killer horn parts).
The lyrics describe the history of S.C.R.O.T.U.M.'s rise to power and dominance, and how easy it was for a group of selfish, angry, bitter, bigoted, brainwashed individuals to wrongfully blame others for their woes, find support in large numbers, and through their hatred allow for the rise of a violent, authoritarian movement.
But don't worry, it's just a story.
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Genre: Funk, Fusion, Jazz, Rock
Performers: 14
Instrumentation: Marimba (Soloist), Alto Sax I-II, Tenor Sax I-II, Bari Sax, Trumpet I-III, Trombone I-II, Piano, Bass Guitar, Drum Set
Difficulty: Advanced
Summary:
I wrote my first concerto during my graduate work at the University of Delaware. At the time I was in love with funk/fusion, syncopation, and odd meters (time signatures), especially meters in 7. STEN was my attempt at exploring as many variations of 7 as I could, while still maintaining a solid groove.
The marimba solo itself was written specifically for a good friend and former roommate, Paul Robertson (of apartment S-10)--a monster marimba player, and all around great buddy. I learned a lot from that dude, specifically--in the context of this piece--how to simplify without losing depth, when/where/how to leave space effectively, and how to write player-friendly parts that can be extremely difficult--just not impossible--to perform, and more importantly, to perform well.
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Genre: Polka, Pop, Classical
Performers: 7
Instrumentation: Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Trombone, Accordion, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drum Set
Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
Summary:
You think you know Polka. You don't. Not until you've heard The Bräts. This 'Hosen-Clad, Oktoberfest-Headlining ensemble is known throughout New Orleans for their unique ability to both faithfully represent traditional polka (their motto after all is: "Always Maintain Polka Intergrity"), while simultaneously updating the genre for a modern audience by "polka-fying" contemporary classics like Michael Jackson's "Beat It," Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," System of a Down's "Chop Suey," and my personal favorite, "Livin' La Vida Polka."
One style of music sorely missing from The Bräts' hybrid repertoire was Classical Music, so during the Summer months of COVID, I decided to write a Medley. But instead of simply stringing together "polka-fied" versions of well-known classics, I felt The Bräts were worthy of something far more fun and interesting. Therefore, Eine Kleine Brätmusik is a kind of Hybrid Medley--combining, fragmenting, and overlaying many popular themes, melodies and motives on top of and around each other, providing listeners with a solid collection of all their favorite Classical hits, presented in entirely new and interesting ways. Prost!
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