Howl James Romain, saxophone Nicholas Roth, piano Mark Engebretson, computer performer Innova 811 1 | Howl james romain william dougherty 7:27 2 | Sonata I. Lento-Allegro jianjun he 3:54 3 | Sonata II. Larghetto jianjun he 6:23 4 | Sonata III. Vivace jianjun he 5:12 5 | SaxMax mark engebretson 11:28 6 | Secondary Impressions I. Cyclotronic Multi-faceted Spheroidal Reverberation eric mcintyre 5:24 7 | Secondary Impressions II. Invertible Introspection eric mcintyre 4:51 8 | Secondary Impressions III. Serenade (Under Glass) eric mcintyre 8:42 9 | Secondary Impressions IV. Le compositeur englouti eric mcintyre 3:59 10 | Energy Drink I james romain mark engebretson 8:17 Track 1 was recorded in March 2008 at Capp Audio Productions in Norwalk, IA Steve Capp and Chad Jacobsen, recording engineers Tracks 2-4 and 6-9 were recorded in December 2011 at Sheslow Auditorium, Drake University, Des Moines, IA, Steve Capp and Chad Jacobsen, recording engineers Tracks 5 and 10 were recorded in August 2008 at Sheslow Auditorium, Drake University, Des Moines, IA, Mark Engebretson, recording engineer Each of the works brought together on this recording reflect assorted connections made -- with composers, with their music, with the saxophone. Four of the five works were performed at World Saxophone Congresses in 2003, 2006, and 2009, receiving their World, European, and Asian premieres. The 2006 National Biennial conference of the North American Saxophone Alliance provided an opportunity to present a new work, and so I approached my Drake colleague Bill Dougherty about composing a work for saxophone and pre-recorded digital sounds that would in some way reflect on and connect with Allen Ginsberg's Beat Generation poem Howl. The composition, the result of an ongoing performer/composer collaboration over several months’ time, was premiered that spring at the 2006 NASA conference, and also received it’s European premiere at the World Saxophone Congress held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in July of 2006. A former colleague of mine at Casper College in Casper, Wyoming, I requested Jianjun He write a new work for saxophone and piano that would bring together the music of his native China with compositional techniques that he had encountered during his studies in the United States. I met Mark Engebretson in 1984, while we were both at the University of Minnesota. I knew him then as a fellow saxophonist, and was scarcely aware of his emerging interest in composition. Over the years, his reputation as a composer grew, and his uniquely lyrical compositional voice first brought Energy Drink I to my attention during my doctoral studies at the University of Illinois. Later, he kindly wrote SaxMax for me (alto version), and for Susan Fancher (soprano version). As the baritone saxophonist for the Oasis Quartet, I keep my ear to the ground for compelling new works for the big horn, and found it right under my nose in Grinnell, Iowa. Eric McIntyre's Secondary Impressions provided me with an opportunity to stretch my musical and technical capabilities, and to find ways to express some sophisticated and multi-faceted musical ideas. In each case, the connection to the composer and their music added resonance and meaning to my performance, and those connections continue resonate with me long afterwards. William P. Dougherty is the Ellis and Nelle Levitt Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Drake University in Des Moines, IA, where he teaches courses in music theory, composition, and MIDI techniques. Dr. Dougherty has been commissioned to write for the Brass Band of Columbus, the Fine Arts Trio, the Pioneer String Quartet, the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, the New England Symphony Orchestra, the New England Wind Ensemble, and multiple chamber groups and soloists. Howl for Alto Saxophone and Sound Modules was completed in 2006, and it was commissioned by, dedicated to, and composed for James Romain, who premiered it that year. The genesis of the work was a collaborative venture, in that Dr. Romain and I engaged in numerous discussions concerning how this composition could relate to his particular interests in the poetry of the Beat Generation and take advantage of his considerable technique and expressive ability. To work closely with a performer on finding a “way in,” as it were, to crafting a new composition is both a joy and a challenge. Howl is the result of that process. The title of the work is taken from Allen Ginsberg’s (1926-1997) famous poem, first performed in 1955 and then published in 1956 (the poem subsequently became the heated subject of an obscenity trial). Howl is not a programmatic composition: it does not depict specific images and it is not based on the structure of the poem. The goal was to capture the essential dynamism of the poetry, with its energy, verve, and newness. The work employs numerous extended techniques (growls, circular breathing, altissimo registers); it also freely quotes a solo from Charlie Parker’s Segment as a reference to bop (a style that had an important influence on Ginsberg). There is a relentlessness in the poetry, and there is a parallel relentlessness in the music through the use of layered ostinato, a continuous “percussive beat,” and a distinctly “earthy” feel. In the manipulation of digital materials, I have not shied away from using sounds that have acoustical instrument analogs. The accompaniment was realized in Digital Performer on equipment housed in the Drake University MIDI studio. Jianjun He's compositions, numbering over sixty for a wide variety of media, are enjoying growing success in Asia and the United States. They have been featured at numerous new music related festivals and conferences. CD recordings of his works are available on ERM, VMM, Mark Masters, New Ariel, and DaDi labels. In addition to his musical creation, he has published books and research papers on music theory, compositional techniques, ethnomusicology, and music education. Dr. He is currently Associate Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Jacksonville University, Florida. Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano was premiered by James Romain at the World Saxophone Congress XIII in Minneapolis in 2003. Synthesizing Western compositional techniques with traditional Chinese musical elements, this work shows the fusion of different cultures and reflects the diversity of today’s music. The special ornaments in the beginning and ending section of the second movement are employed to imitate the glissando of qin, an ancient Chinese zither. Other than that, there is no intention to build superficial connection with Chinese tradition, although one can easily find the melody is somewhat related to Chinese pentatonic scales and in several moments the saxophone might remind the audience of xiao and suo-na, two Chinese wind instruments. The score is available from Imagine Music Publishing. - J.H. Mark Engebretson is Associate Professor of Composition and Electronic Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He received commissions from the Fromm Music Foundation, the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts and is the 2011 recipient of the North Carolina Council for the Arts Composer Fellowship. His works have been presented at SEAMUS, ICMC, Bowling Green Festival of New Music, Third Practice Festival, Wien Modern, Gaida Festival, Sonoimagenes, Hörgänge Festival, Ny Musikk, Indiana State University New Music Festival, the Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival, ISCM Festivals, World Saxophone Congresses. He founded the UNCG New Music Festival in 2004, and is director of the A.V. Williams Electronic Music Studio at UNCG. Melody, timbre, virtuosity, clear and balanced formal structure, the integration of new media, multiple levels of associations, and a desire for fresh, engaging expression all drive my creative work. Of course, the concept of melody can be interpreted quite broadly: a melody could be a singing, arcing line, a single tone with constant microtonal or timbre changes, a jumping, jagged, asymmetrical riff, or a lick played on a snare drum. A fascination with both performance and compositional virtuosity joins melody to form the basis of my ongoing interest in writing works that push my boundaries as a composer and that engage superstar performers in technical and musical challenges. Such works teach us something about music, endless possibilities, and ourselves. - M.E. SaxMax was composed for either alto or soprano saxophone and computer. The alto saxophone version was written for and premiered by James Romain. The concept behind the piece was to invest the computer’s performance with qualities of humanness that might put it on an equal musical level with the live performer. For the saxophone part, I sought to provide both a degree of freedom for the performer and a “repeatability” that would clearly mark the piece’s identity over multiple performances. Throughout a performance, the performer chooses from a menu of possible musical phrases and motives, while the computer, guided by both a second performer and the saxophonist, “listens,” responds and suggests additional directions. The music played by the live saxophonist is variously repeated, transposed, fragmented, atomized and reconfigured, while the computer also presents it’s own “native” musical material. The two parts work together in communicative loops in which each one’s actions continually influence the other’s next action. The creation of SaxMax was funded in part by the Composers Assistance Program of the American Music Center. - M.E. Eric L. McIntyre’s compositions explore a broad palette of sounds and senses, ranging from the intensely profound to the utterly ridiculous.   His music has been performed across the US and in Europe, South America, southern Africa, and Korea by an array of ensembles and soloists.  He has received awards and honors from ASCAP, the Society of Composers, Inc, the International Horn Society, the American Music Center, Iowa Arts Council, and the Iowa Composers Forum, and his work has been featured at national and international festivals of the World Saxophone Congress, Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the US, Society of Composers, Inc, College Music Society, and Korean Electro-Acoustic Music Society.  McIntyre’s work ranges across a wide variety of genres from traditional orchestral music, chamber music, and art song to jazz, electronic music, musical theater, and the avant-garde.  His most recent work has included experiments with structured improvisation, theatrical presentation, and altered instruments. He holds BM and MM degrees and the Performer's Certificate from Indiana University and a DMA from the University of Houston Moores School of Music. His principal composition teachers include Robert Nelson, David Ashley White, and Don Freund.  He currently serves on the faculty of Grinnell College where he directs the Grinnell Symphony Orchestra. Secondary Impressions (2003) was composed for saxophonist Aaron Lington, whose initial request for the work included a desire for something that reflected the musical language of (in his words) “1920’s Paris – with things like pentatonic polytonality.” Rather than attempt to recreate this early 20th century French sound by writing “in the style of...,” I have taken the opportunity to examine its overall ambience through a 21st century kaleidoscope. The first movement, “Cyclotronic Multi-faceted Spheroidal Reverberation,” is inspired by my vision of an impressionist painting being projected against a mirrored disco ball and mesmerizing the viewer as it is reflected in whirling, tiny pieces. The second movement, “Invertible Introspection,” is a meditation that plays with the request for pentatonic polytonality and features a variety of invertible composition structures. “Serenade Under Glass” employs a quasi gymnopedie to explore the idea that, while it is all sweetness on the surface, the serenade is frequently motivated by more base desires. Drawing its parodic name from Debussy’s beloved prelude, La cathédrale engloutie, the final movement features melodic fragments from each of the previous movements which float suspended just out of reach until the coda when they fuse into a single, unfolding melody. - E.M. Mark Engebretson's Energy Drink I was composed in 1999, and is the first in a series of virtuosic solo works for various instruments. The second work in the series is for solo flute, and the third is for viola. A high energy, exhilarating work, possibly fueled by caffeine, taurine and glucose, Energy Drink I is also a highly structured work that uses an array of expanding and contracting processes that affect parameters such as pitch, timbre and duration at different rates throughout the piece. The piece reflects my ongoing interest in both performance and compositional virtuosity. Energy Drink I is a seriously demanding composition that pushes the performer to the very edge of his or her physical limitations, and not just in the normal sense of finger dexterity, rhythmic complexity and so forth. It is physically exhausting to perform and requires a great deal of energy, determination and stamina. It was the subject of James Romain’s doctoral dissertation at the University of Illinois. - M.E. Active regionally, nationally, and internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, clinician, and jazz/commercial performer, James Romain embraces diverse genres of music. He contributes to the growing body of compositions and pedagogical literature for the saxophone through his pursuit of commissions, recording projects, and published articles. As an orchestral saxophonist, Romain performs regularly with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, and is the baritone saxophonist with the Oasis Quartet. He was the first saxophonist to be awarded the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and holds MM and BM degrees from the University of North Texas. He studied with Debra Richtmeyer, Jim Riggs, Ruben Haugen, and David Hagner. Romain is a Conn-Selmer Artist, and performs exclusively on Selmer Paris saxophones. As a Rico Artist, he performs on Rico Reserve, Reserve Classic, and Select Jazz Reeds. He serves as Membership Director for the North American Saxophone Alliance, and is Associate Professor of Saxophone and Assistant Director of Jazz Studies at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Nicholas Roth began formal studies at age twelve, receiving critical acclaim for his appearances by the age of eighteen. He appeared as soloist with the St. Louis Symphony and the Indianapolis Symphony under Raymond Leppard, among others. Roth is featured in recitals and festivals throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Serbia and Spain. Roth is a Yamaha Artist in Education, a Beethoven Fellow of the American Pianists Association, won first prizes in the chamber music competitions of Tortona and Pietra Ligure, Italy, and received a DAAD grant to further his studies in Germany. Roth holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University, Artist Diploma from the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, and MM and BM degrees from Indiana University, where he was the recipient of the School of Music's highest honors. He studied with Ralph Votapek, Elisso Virsaladze, Helmut Deutsch, Edward Auer, Emilio del Rosario, and Michel Block. Roth is Associate Professor of Piano at Drake University. His recordings with Blue Griffin Recording have garnered enthusiastic reviews in Fanfare, American Record Guide, International Record Review, and Gramophone.   Acknowledgments Many thanks to each of the four composers for their artistry. It is always a privilege to work with Nicholas Roth, whose sensitive interpretive skills make him an ideal duo partner. SaxMax is a duo, and so Mark Engebretson's virtuoso work as computer performer cannot be overlooked, nor his painstaking programming of Max/MSP. Thanks to Drake University and Friends of Drake Arts for creating a culture that supports creative work, and for backing that up with their financial support. 
 Thanks to Rico and Conn-Selmer for making great saxophones and reeds, allowing me to give voice to this music. Profound thanks to Angela, Henry, and Nora for their support, and for putting up with my too-frequent absences. Finally, thanks to you, the listener, for completing the cycle of composition-performance-hearing. The whole process only works because of you.