Meet the Composer

Joel Harrison

This will be Joel Harrison’s first jazz big band piece. The first two movements will take paragraphs from Jack Kerouac’s On The Road as its rhythmic model. The pedal steel will add dimension and texture, while the violin and electric guitar add surreal overlays using electronics, distortion, etc. There will be solos for trumpet, piano and slide guitar. Part two of the piece will pick up on a sense of restless longing in part one. In general the piece will modern “classical” harmony, rhythmic structures textures inspired by Ligeti, psychedelic rock, Ellington and electronic music. The first performance will take place as part of the Connection Works first annual concert offering for large ensemble jazz in September 2010.