Saturday, June 2, 7:30 p.m.
Premier of the Larry McDonough Composition “Strait of Gibraltar” for Two Cellos, Drums, and Tablas, Performed by Jelloslave, Jacqueline Ultan, Michelle Kinney, Greg Schutte, and Gary Waryan
The American Composers Forum Showcase Concert
Open Eye Theatre
506 E 24th St., Minneapolis.
Strait of Gibraltar (Estrecho de Gibraltar/Bab Al Maghrib) includes two movements, Sirocco Winds of Morocco and Tango Dance of Spain. Larry is one of three composers in residence along with Robin Holcomb and Harriet Steinke. Jelloslave also will perform works by Mary Ellen Childs, Michelle Kinney, and Jacqueline Ultan.
Doors open at 6:45 PM, with a concert start time of 7:30 PM and a reception following the concert. Reserve your seat(s) here.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Additional support is provided by the Dr. Fred Noah Gordon Charitable Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation.
ACF
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Strait of Gibraltar (Estrecho de Gibraltar/Bab Al Maghrib) Program Notes
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Gibraltar and Spain in Europe from Morocco and Ceuta in Africa. It is called Estrecho de Gibraltar in Spanish and Bab Al Maghrib in Arabic. It has been an important connection between Africa and Europe for centuries.
Strait of Gibraltar includes two movements, Sirocco Winds of Morocco and Tango Dance of Spain. Sirocco Winds is in 7/4 time with each bar divided into two 7/8 segments. Sirocco Winds alternates between the intense and hot daytime winds and the calm and cool evening air. The harmonic underpinning is the minor major 7th chord, the most dissonant on minor chords.
The Tango originated Spain and Morocco, and was introduced to the New World by the Spanish settlers, eventually coming back to Spain with Black and Creole influences. Tango Dance is unique in that it is in the 9/4 time signature, divided into 4/4 and 5/4. The lack of symmetry adds to the intimacy of the dance.
Strait of Gibraltar begins with a free improvisation representing chaotic winds before settling into the alternating intense and calm winds of Sirocco Winds, presented first with the melody, followed by improvisations, and then the melody again. Another free improvisation sets up the sensual Tango Dance, first with the melody, followed by improvisations, and then the melody again. The last free improvisation precedes the last presentation of the Sirocco Winds melody, culminating with a drums and tablas improvisation.
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Larry McDonough holds a B.S. in Music Education from the University of Minnesota. While in music school, he studied with Frank Bencriscutto, O’Neil Sanford, Ron Hassleman, Eric Stokes, Dominick Argento, David Baldwin, Steven Schultz, and Clem Volpe. He is a former secondary school band director, and now teaches privately. He has performed around the country and in Europe, with his own group, the Larry McDonough Quartet, as well as with Benny Golson, Fred Wesley, and Duane Eubanks, and a who’s who of local jazz artists. His trademarks are unique harmonies and rhythms in both arrangements and compositions, often in the uncommon meters of 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13. He was inducted into the Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame with the group Danny’s Reasons.
He had released nine CDs and DVDs as a leader. “Simple Gifts” charted nationally at 29 and has been played on hundreds of radio stations around the country and throughout the world. “Solitude - poetry in jazz” introduced the poetry to jazz. His performances of the music of Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Tony Bennett, and Bill Evans have played to sold-out crowds at the Dakota Jazz Club, Black Dog, Vieux Carré, and Jazz Central in the Twin Cities and at venues around the state. The newest recording of the Larry McDonough Quartet, “Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures” features original odd-meter compositions, poetry, and arrangements of jazz and rock from Miles Davis to Led Zeppelin.
Commissions:
A Rose for Two (Orchestra)
Getting to Know You (Concert Band)
Here, There And Everywhere (Concert Band)
I Remember Clifford (Concert Band)
Monain’ (Concert Band)
My Favorite Things (Jazz Ensemble)
Namekagon (Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble)
Nature Boy (Concert Band)
Ode to Joy (Concert Band)
Reason to Shine (for film Underland 2)
The Searchers (for film Underland 3)
Sirocco (Jazz Ensemble)
Star Spangled Banner (Concert Band)
Summertime (Jazz Ensemble)
Tango para Maria Luiza (Orchestra)
Recordings (as leader, composer, arranger, pianist, and vocalist):
Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures
Angels, Kings, My Favorite Things
Solitude, poetry in jazz
Live at Minnesota Connection
Simple Gifts
My Favorite Things (performances by school groups)
Tuscarora: Short Stories for Jazz Piano
Off Beat Live, Cooking at the Dakota
Small Steps
Recent Awards and Selections:
American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Selection for Reading at the Summer Dialogue Conference, for the composition of I Will Overcome for choir (2015)
HFC Award for Best Composition for the composition Reason to Shine for the film Underland 2 (2014)
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Larry McDonough Jazz
651-398-8053
