PitchBlack

Pitch black

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Duration  11:18

Pitch Black, for sax quartet and audio was written in the summer of 1998 for the Aurelia Quartet, commissioned by the Almelo Chamber Music Society and the Dutch FPA. The audio track reproduces the voice of trumpet player Chet Baker, from one of the last interviews before his tragic death by falling from an Amsterdam hotel room window in 1988. Baker talks about his past as a drug addict and his life in prison, ( ‘it was pitch black in there you know’ ) his first audition with Charlie Parker (‘among 40 other trumpet players – no no, 60! ‘)  and playing without drums (‘more cool’). Pitch Black is an early  speech melody based work, which was first recorded by the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet on:  Jacob Ter Veldhuis – Heartbreakers, Emergo Classics. Prism Quartet dedicated an album to the music of JacobTV: Pitch Black, the sax music of JacobTV- Innova 693

Additionally, a simple arrangement for brass quartet was done by request of Australian trumpeter Clint Allen for: trumpet in C, French horn in F, trombone and bass trombone or C tuba. A more recent version, for brass quintet by Steven Verhelst is published here. It is scored for 2 trumpets, (Bb and C parts) French horn, trombone and tuba, by request of Brass United for their album Pitch Black, Brass United – Channel Classics CCS 38717.  In 2020, visual artist Kristien Kerstens made a concert video ( below)  that can be purchased separately or along with the sheet music package.


Concert video featuring Aurelia Sax Q.