Premiere of "Skies Over Fairport"

Here is last Friday's premiere of Skies Over Fairport, written for the combined forces of the Fairport High School Jazz Band and the SOUL-JAZZ Big Band.

We concluded the program with the Ellington-Basie version of Take The A Train.

dying and dancing - score preview

Here's a preview of the dying and dancing euphonium solo, which was premiered at the North Eastern Regional Tuba Euphonium conference in April.

Bow Shock Review

From New York Concert Review, February 26, 2013:

"The second half opened with the World Premiere of “Bow Shock” by Russell Scarbrough (b. 1972). Written for the Irrera Brothers in 2012, this is a work that showcases their individual and duo talents to the hilt. The composer in his program notes stated, “the term ‘Bow Shock’ comes from the field of aerodynamics and refers to a curved shock wave that proceeds a solid body moving through the atmosphere at supersonic speeds. It’s a great image for this music…and I couldn’t resist the double-entendre with the word ‘bow’.” It is a jazz-tinged, driving, hyper-energetic work that invites the listener to fasten his seatbelt for the ride. It was a win-win-win: the Irreras can be well pleased that this work shows them to such great advantage. Scarbrough should be delighted with such accomplished musicians giving his music such a dynamic performance. Finally, the listener gets the best of both worlds!"

Read the whole review here.

World Premiere of "dying and dancing"

This Saturday, April 20 at 10am, Mark Kellogg and Joseph Werner will perform the world premiere of my new work for euphonium & piano, dying and dancing, at the Northeast Regional Tuba & Euphonium Conference at Ithaca College.

New Music in February!

I have — count 'em – four new pieces being unveiled in the month of February this year:

Friday, February 8: The fourth in an ongoing series of commissions for the Hilton High School Jazz Ensemble, Ebon Echoes features a clarinet solo with big band. Happening on Hilton's annual "Day of Jazz" in Hilton, NY.

Friday, February 15: My own group, the SOUL-JAZZ Big Band, joins the Fairport High School Jazz Ensemble for a newly commissioned piece written for two bands playing together, called Skies Over Fairport.

Saturday, February 16: At the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair in Reston, Virginia. Ali Ryerson's Jazz Flute Big Band reading session works out my new work for her ensemble, Firefly Four-Nine.

Friday, February 22: The Irrera Brothers give the world premiere of my duo for violin and piano, Bow Shock, in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Ticket information for this performance can be found here.

Blue Bossa Big Band Chart

My good friend Dr. Sean Reed has posted a couple of short videos from his band's recent performance of Blue Bossa at Arkansas Tech University. I wrote this arrangement several years ago for the Roberts Wesleyan College Jazz Ensemble but have never managed to get a good recording of the piece, so I'm grateful to Sean for posting this performance.

Ebon Echoes, midi preview

And here's another midi demo of a swing ballad for big band with clarinet solo, called Ebon Echoes. It was commissioned by the Hilton High School Jazz Ensemble in Hilton, NY, and will be premiered in February 2013 on their annual "Day of Jazz" concert.

"Ebon" is, of course, a poetic way of saying "ebony", which is traditionally the name for the kind of wood from which the clarinet is made (more accurately, African Blackwood or Grenadilla).

Skies Over Fairport, midi preview

Here's the midi rendering of a new piece composed for TWO big bands performing together: the Fairport High School Jazz Ensemble and the SOUL-JAZZ Big Band.

We'll be premiering this on February 8, 2013 in the Minerva Deland Middle School auditorium in Fairport, NY. This is the first of three consecutive premieres I'm having in February, two of which are jazz ensemble works.

Upcoming Commissioned Works for 2013

I'm excited to announce several commissioned pieces I'm currently working on that will be premiered in 2013... which is already shaping up to be a busy year! New music for chamber ensembles and even a few jazz pieces (!) are in the works.


• New Work for two jazz ensembles: Premiere by the Fairport High School Jazz Ensemble and the Soul-Jazz Big Band, February 8, 2013

• New Work for jazz ensemble: Premiere by the Hilton High School Jazz Ensemble, February 15, 2013

• New Work for violin & piano: Premiere by the Irrera Brothers, Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, February 22, 2013

• New Work for euphonium & piano: Premiere by Mark Kellogg & Joseph Werner, ITEA Northeast Regional conference, Ithaca College, April 19, 2013

• New Work for low flute choir & electronics: Premiere by Peter Sheridan and flute choir, Fall 2013

Flute and Clarinet Duo: Cylindrical Sea

This work was premiered at the 2012 National Flute Convention in Las Vegas.