Sonata For House Band (2017)

     Sonata for House Band is intended to be a marriage of contemporary classical and popular music styles and aesthetics. Composed in a mobile form, many possible combinations of varying stylistic material exist, giving the performers power to choose routes and pairings that allow them to confront the audience in whatever manner they choose. Overall, the piece loosely follows the organizational scheme of classical sonata form; an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation comprise the three main sections of the piece.

     The exposition states the initial musical ideas through various juxtaposed cells of material. There are five possible cells the performers can choose from, from which the performers choose three. The development uses these same three musical styles as a backdrop for several improvised solos, and the recapitulation features a return of the initial material reorganized into a sound collage. Walls of noise separate these sections and serve as transitions that allow the performers to improvise and prepare for the next section, while also emphasizing the concept that all music is just sound.

This particular recording is comprised of cells A1, B2, and A3, and is performed by Ben Ehrlich (drums), Sean Torres (guitar), and Travis Udall (bass).