Mind Blow (Solo Marimba)

Written for percussionist Marco Schirripa, Mind Blow is a challenging 3-movement concert work for solo 5-octave marimba. As compositionally sophisticated as it is, the piece is equally as delightful for the audience as it is for the performer.

Program Notes

When my friend Marco Schirripa was a student at Ithaca College, I asked him to play in my band The OXtet. He was too busy at the time, so I wrote him a marimba solo instead. The first movement, Hockey in the Winter, reminded me of ice skating and, therefore, the lyrics to the Frank Zappa song "Honey Don't You Want a Man Like Me." The second movement, So Romantic, is the “love song” portion of the piece and the title refers to a song of the same name by Sean Stolar. It also is the movement where the twelve tone row of the piece is introduced. The third movement, Moonshadows, is rather similar to the OXtet dance contest tune “Electronic Rondo.” Moonshadows, also known as Moonies, is also a popular dance club in Ithaca.

-J.O.

Grade Level: 5
Copyright: 2017
Number of Players: 1
Duration: 8:30
Publisher: C. Alan Publications
Category: Solo Works

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Instrumentation

Marimba (5-octave)