Afghan Blues
flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello, and piano, 7’30″
19 pages, score – 8.5X11 inches, parts – 10X13 inches
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Premiered at the Gamma UT Conference on March 27, 2010 at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.
Recording by Juventas New Music Ensemble.
Program Note:
The blues genre is symbolic of African-American strife, forged during a time when not all men were created equal. As a musical style, it serves as a platform for creative expression. As a lyrical medium, the blues allows singers to voice personal woes in a world of harsh reality: a lost love, the cruelty of police officers, oppression at the hands of white folk, and hard times.
As our nation commemorates the milestone election of our first black president, we must remember that the real color of change resides in policy making. I use the blues to express my sorrow for a country that continues to wage war on those who today we deem as unequal.
