Different Kind of Scene

Different Kind of Scene
for mixed jazz ensembles
c. 10 mins with the possibility of extending the piece for soloing and improvisation.
(2015)
Instrumentation: vn, tp, elec gtr, elec bass, pn, opt. kbd, drum set

Description: Written as the final piece of Chris’s year-long composer residency with Club Inégales, Different Kind of Scene is a fully scored composition that allows room for optional free improvisation as well as soloing over a comp section. Notes Inégales, the club’s house ensemble who performed the premiere, often practice their own kind of free group improvisation in performance; departing from the written score, they improvise on the scored music under the leadership of a conductor, whose gestures control the direction and instrumentation of the improvisation. Inspired by this practice, Different Kind of Scene invites musicians to veer off the page at pivotal moments and explore the composed material in improvisations, with occasional suggestions on how to start. The result is a seamless blend of composed and improvised music that at times turns softly melodic  and forcefully funky.