"Crosstalk" for Eb Alto
Saxophone and CD was composed
over a two month period at the end of 1994. The composition is in three
contiguous movements which, although stylistically quite diverse, share
a common thematic bond and certain common timbral characteristics (the
most obvious being the solo saxophone and a good pair of
loudspeakers!).
The first movement, "Be-bop" is a sort of characature
of a live performance
(which is rather ironic since the work is being performed 'live'). The
introductory opening features a crowd sample, 'your's truly' announcing
the piece, and the ultimate in live performance mannerisms - a count
down.
Of course all of this serves the practical purpose of telling the solo
sax player exactly when, and how fast to start playing. The entering
sax
works its way through a rapid repeated note section to a statement of
the
principle theme which is first heard against a driving 5/8 meter. This
overtly stated twelve-tone theme is used as a highly adaptive entity:
it
can be heard at least a couple of dozen times throughout the course of
the entire composition. The theme is readily identifiably because of
its
unchanging pitch and interval structures, however it is rhythmically,
texturally
and timbrally adapted to the changing stylistic contexts in which it
appears.
A semi-improvisitorial cadenza sets the stage for the second movement:
"Bloop-beep", a phrase that has been used by authors and music
critics to characterize the early Electronic music of the 1950's
and 60's. The movement features an antiphonal interplay between
the live sax and pre-recorded timbres which erupt into an "in your
face"
climax. Following the climax, an obligatory transition leads to the
third
and final movement, "Flashback". "Flashback" brings back some of the
opening
timbres and asymmetrical meters but at a more relaxed tempo and with a
thoroughly tonal "tune". The tonal simplicity of this last movement is
an ideal backdrop for a series of flashback sequences in which
previously
heard portions of the composition are faded in and out against the sax
solo.
All the pre-recorded sounds for "Crosstalk" were
generated and performed,
in one form or another, using only a Kurzweil K2000S
synthesizer/sampler.
Other equipment included a Macintosh Computer with Master Tracks Pro 5
sequencing software, an Alesis ADAT multi-track digital tape recorder,
a J.S. Cooper DATAsync synchronizer, and a Panasonic SV3700 DAT
recorder.
A Carvin MX1688 mixing board was used for the final mix. The mp3
excerpt features Mike VanArsdale on Saxophone.