Three Story Suite

“Three Story Suite” is a three-movement work for Clarinet (or Alto Saxophone) and Piano.
The Young Boy At The Jubilee endeavors a very youthful sound with its syncopated rhythms and playful harmony. The story regards an active young boy at a festive dance who is filled with excitment. He is having a very good time until he meets a gloomy-looking man wearing black. Frightened, the young boy tries to run away through the waltzing crowd, but becomes overwhlemed and tired. Soon, when the man in black smiles, the boy smiles back and skips away.
The Nomad In The Woods has a sense of solemnity and confusion which is only a portrayal of the nomad himself or herself. The perfect-fifth motif represents the nomad wandering, lost in the woods. Everything seems to be calm until there is a heavy wind and the trees start to sway and a lightning bolt zaps him. He passes out, but wakes to hear distant bells. In a dreamlike state, he roams the woods looking for help. As he notices a shining light and walks towards it, he realizes he found his way out of the woods. The grey moon shines on his tired, droopy eyes. Still a nomad without a home, he falls asleep under the stars.
The Drunken Sailor at Sea contains a 6/8 groove but is displaced many times, evoking a humorous musical metaphor of intoxication. The flowing melodies represent the boat on the waves. As the sailor paddles his way through the sea to catch fish, he is jolted by a big wave encountering him. Trying to escape the storm and the wave, he jumps out of the boat and swims as fast as he can to shore. Almost drowning, the hungover sailor finds himself laying on the shore. As he awakens, he realizes that it had all been a dream.