Head to Toe by Molly Joyce
Performed by Mike Truesdell
Video: Evan Chapman (Four Ten Media)
A note from the composer Molly Joyce:
“Head to Toe was inspired by my experience performing in high school marching band, and thus the idea that one player can perhaps become a whole marching band himself. When I was working on the piece, I was specifically reflecting back on the Friday night football games, and found it particularly interesting how during the majority of these events the marching band stands still in the bleachers, barely marching at all. Therefore with the video for this piece, I wanted to highlight this contradiction by having the solo performer “march” in the bleachers, becoming a single-person marching band aurally and visually.”
I have featured the original recording of Andy Aikido’s Karakurenai a couple of months ago. It is a great piece for steel pan and marimba. During the summer, a former student, James Yoshizawa, recorded a video of him playing it on marimba.
Corresponding Points of Self-Similar Lines in a Terminal Cadence (2011-2015) by Steve Kornicki
I have been fortunate to work, play and commission works by Steve Kornicki. I have always enjoyed his music and I was happy to see his new piece by Ensemble P4.
Kristie Born, piano
Rose Shlyam Grace, piano
Marja Kerney, vibraphone
Thad Anderson, marimba
Ensemble P4 is an intercollegiate piano and percussion quartet based in Central Florida. (more…)
It is hard to believe that 20 years ago, Mark Ford, Director of Percussion at University of North Texas, released his CD Polaris. I remember listening to Polaris and Suite for Marimba as a student and unfortunately, the music for Suite was not available. Earlier this year, Mark Alan Taggart made the piece available as a free download on Mark Ford’s website. Check it out and add it to your next recital. As always, if you play the piece, be sure to send a program to Mark Alan Taggart. It is a great piece and more people need to hear it. Be the first one to put a recording on YouTube!
