Faye-Ellen Silverman

At the Colour Café

Year: 1997

Duration (in minutes): 10'39;

Difficulty: High (professional)

Category: brass ensemble, larger chamber ensembles - more than 4 players, mixed instrument ensemble

Instruments: horn, trombone, trumpet

Publisher: Subito Music Corporation



Description: In writing a piece for the Monarch Brass (for the second International Women’s Brass Conference), I wanted to create a work which was light and fun, and one which made use of the soloistic capabilities of the players. The title of the piece came to me as I started sketching. A friend remarked that it reminded him of a jazz club with a drum set. From this image came the piece. While it is not a jazz work, it does rely on some jazz colorings, such as the opening with its tritone and fourth rather than piled up thirds, the snare drum accompanying the opening solo, and the use of jazz scales in one section. In addition to jazz shadings, various instrumental colorings are used, such as varied mutes and unconventional instrumental doublings (as when three trombones double selected notes of the opening tuba solo).Throughout the work, there are solos which drift in and out, like bits of conversation overheard in a crowded room. This is especially true of the fast section, which alternates three soloistic sections (each at a different tempo) with fuller ensemble sections.

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