flugelhorn

I received a bugle  for my 8th birthday and spent my time trying to find high C with little success. I did learn to play a great many military calls including an amazing number belonging to the French Army. At the age of twelve I obtained a real  trumpet which I loved, but I was still unable to hit high C with either confidence or consistency.  I did play in a “jazz”band which  was established by the town to keep youngsters off the street. (There was a War on!) We played most week- ends at the Recreation Hall which we all called the RECK Hall. I still remember our limited repetoire which included: “Long Ago and Far Away”, “Moonglow”, “The Bells are Ringing” and “My Heart Tells Me”. The band consisted of a trumpet, three saxes, drums, and piano. Occasionally  the band would finish while the pianist was still boom-chicking.      

The Other Side of Time was written for the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble at the request of its director, Charles Peltz. It is scored for 25 wind instruments, timpani, and 4 percussionists. After a brooding beginning, each of its contiguous sections develops at a different but related tempo, often moving within from lyrical lines to dramatic outbursts. The final section, at the original tempo, recalls the material of the opening and its anxious percussion activity. While the piece is meant to reflect some kind of spiritual journey, the title is actually taken from a book by paleontologist/geologist Robert Titus on the origins of the Catskill Mountains in New York State.