ORIGINAL VERSION DETAILS

original version for piano trio selected as the finalist for the 2021 Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra Call for Scores, 3rd Prize Winner of the 2020-2021 New Classics International Competition for Young Composers of the Moscow Conservatory, and winner of the 2018-2019 Tribeca New Music Young Composer Contest (Div. 2)

WORLD PREMIERE: December 9, 2018 | Kaoru Hinata (flute), Emily Brausa (cello), Adam Marks (piano) | Nancy Manocherian's - the cell theatre (New York City, NY)

ABOUT THIS ARRANGEMENT

It's no surprise at this point that Kevin Day is such a brilliant and gifted composer, with a unique voice in the music community and a plethora of works spanning a wide variety of genres for audiences to enjoy. In his biography, he describes his art as often intersecting the idioms of jazz, minimalism, Latin music, fusion, and contemporary classical music. Ecstatic Samba is no exception - a piece that I think fully, and organically, embraces every single one of these idioms.

Ecstatic Samba was originally a trio for flute, cello, and piano that Kevin wrote during his undergraduate studies at Texas Christian University (it's actually his third piano trio! The first one was written for clarinet, cello, and piano; the second, for violin, cello, and piano). Chick Corea's work was an inspiration for Kevin throughout the compositional process for this piece - like Kevin, Corea also greatly experimented with jazz fusion, but Corea was also initially inspired by Hispanic music styles (the album Return to Forever is a great example of this).

Ecstatic Samba creates unbridled joy - the kind of energy that sticks around for as long as it wants and then takes its time to eventually dissipate. It's a piece illustrating the journey of a composer finding themselves and their voice in the best possible way; one that balances rhythmic vitality, catchy grooves, and the irresistible samba dance with the peace and serenity that would appear in Kevin's later works for wind ensemble. It's a piece that creates this energy from the smallest spark of inspiration and allows it to grow into something new, uncontained, and beautiful (yet sometimes chaotic and uncontrolled, if only for the briefest moment). It's a piece that not only allows the entire trio to show off, but also creates a space where the performers can truly enjoy making music together in the best possible way.

I'm immensely grateful that Kevin asked me to arrange Ecstatic Samba for wind ensemble, a version that amplifies and adds to his intentions of the original piano trio version. May the energy and unbridled joy of this piece and arrangement create a space for conductor, ensemble, and audience to all enjoy together.

-notes by Josh Trentadue
—please credit Josh Trentadue when reproducing these notes in excerpts or in full