A Nuyorican Son

Abstract

I am a trombonist. I approach composition through an instrumental­ ist's sensibility, a utilitarian approach of sorts: I write music that features the trombone and me as the trombonist. I am also deeply ensconced in, and a product of, educational institutions, with a B.M. degree in classical trombone performance, M.M. in Third Stream Studies, and Ph.D. in eth­ nomusicology. This said, my moments of compositional inspiration seem to emerge from one idea or feeling-a groove or melody that I begin to sing to myself. In the heat of composing, it seems as though this material­ izes from a nowhere within, driven by an intuitive urge to create. The moments usually occur just after psychological clearings of inner space, such as a vacation to a foreign place, a run in Central Park, or the experi­ encing of another artist's work that captures me and shakes something loose inside that simply must come out. At other times, compositions are prompted by a more pragmatic need for new repertoire for live perform­ ance or an approaching recording session. Style, feel, and rhythmic deter­ minations then are dictated less by epiphany, and more by the fact that the band needs an up-tempo and high-energy piece. In hindsight and with closer introspection, regardless if a new piece is generated from a need (an outer place) or a mere inspiration (an inner place), it becomes clear how the influences of my past musical life and my current performance settings are integral to the music that I hear. In other words, my trombone performance and educational experiences are both invaluable and pres­ ent complementary sources of inspiration in my life as a composer. Over the last twenty years, I have led several regularly performing groups, playing a variety of jazz styles, from straight ahead, to free, to Latin. Since I don't care much for writing music that I cannot hear per­ formed, I write for whatever band I am currently performing with. Although this limits stylistic parameters, it greatly enhances the speed with which I can explore various possibilities within those constraints. It allows my compositions to remain works in progress and provides satisfaction in watching them transform over time. In this way, I have adapted a composi­ tional process that relies upon live performance and the input of talented musicians whom I know intimately. The jazz styles that I perform allow and even require that improvisation playa significant role. That means my compositional process is tied to the choices I make concerning who plays in my band. My criterion for hiring sidemen is based on creating the most positive of vibes within the group's Current Musicology 67 & 68