Equinox

Music of John M. Kennedy July 1 ReleaseSound Set Recordings www.soundset.com
  • Track 1 Breath, Smoke, Crystals for solo alto saxophone (2017)
  • Tong Yang, soloist Video Sample
  • Tracks 2-5 Mnemonic Meditations, Book I, for solo trumpet (2020)
  • No. 1. Eric Garner, George Floyd
  • No. 2. Breonna Taylor Video Sample
  • No. 3. Ahmaud Arbrey
  • No. 4. Michael Brown
  • James Ford III, soloist
Breath, Smoke, Crystals
“Breath, Smoke, Crystals” moves from simple even primitive sounds in the beginning, toward richer melodic ideas in the middle, and transforming to sounds akin to the sho or organ through a series of intense multi-phonics in the last section.
Mnemonic Meditations, Book I
“Mnemonic Meditations, Book 1” expresses the outrage felt for the loss of African Americans to police violence reflected in the 2020 “Black Lives Matter” protests worldwide. Each section derives its material from the vowels of their names transformed to pitches. In a sense, a musical “Say Their Names”.
About EQUINOX Much of my work over the past few years are narratives produced at the intersection of spontaneity and process. Often one factor predominates the final product, or is part of the beginning stages of sketching and experimenting with material. This collection of solo works represent those intersecting forces in “Breath, Smoke, Crystals” for solo alto saxophone driven by process, and “Mnemonic Meditations, Book I” for solo trumpet by spontaneity.
SOLOISTS James Ford III, trumpet James Ford III is a native of Georgia. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2003, he has established an impressive reputation as an accomplished all-around trumpet player. He performs in diverse musical settings including big band, small groups, orchestral, chamber, pop, and early music ensembles. Ford continues to experiment and broaden his musical palette. He is a member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, John Beasely's MONKestra, and the Benjamin Wright Orchestra. Ford has played in venues in Europe, Asia, South America, South Africa, Canada, and throughout the U.S. A distinguished teacher and mentor, he was a Fulbright Scholar to South Africa, and in 2023 was recognized by California State University, Los Angeles with an Outstanding Professor Award. Tong Yang, alto saxophone Tong Yang has established himself as one of the foremost saxophone soloists and pedagogues in China and on the international stage today. He has performed in Asia, Europe and the United States and has premiered new works for saxophone at World Saxophone Congresses in Ljubljana, Bangkok, Strasbourg and Zagreb. Among the composers he has collaborated are Mauricio Kagel, Hans-Joachim Hespos, Ida Kotkovsky, Betsy Jolas, Francois Rossé, Qi Gang Chen, Robert Lemay, Chao Ming Tung, Etienne Rollin and Christian Lauba. A Tenured Professor of Saxophone at Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, he was awarded the “Best of the Best” (BOB) music instructor award. He is a music ambassador of Selmer-Paris and a world artist of D’Addario.
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