“Autumn Sky” is composed for Jan Vinci and the Skidmore College Band conducted by Mike Meidenbauer. I chose to use amplified flute so that Jan can have the liberty to play softly and still have a soloistic presence when accompanied by a full band; likewise, I wanted to be able to score the band accompaniment as a full ensemble without always marking them to be soft and yet softer!
As I began sketching ideas I suddenly realized that I was channelling the first few notes of Erroll Garner’s wonderful tune, “Misty.” I gave in and kept using bits of the tune, all the time thinking about misty weather. The mist gave way to veiled reference to Harold Arlen’s Stormy Weather and finally to an obscure reference to Richard Rogers’ Blue Moon. The result is a very loose narrative of an autumn storm: mist-storm-clear sky in the evening.
Band parts are available upon request.