The Akropolis Quintet performs Jenni Brandon’s “Cane” featuring Monica Ellis of the Imani Winds at the Imani Winds Chamber Festival. The performance is Saturday, July 20, 2019 at 7:30 pm, Mannes School of Music, 55 W 13th Street, New York, NY 10011
The first concerto of its kind, “Cane“ tells a dramatic story of one bassoon reed’s journey from its origins as raw, organic cane, to the final joy of playing on the finished reed. The colors of the reed quintet and the virtuosic solo bassoon intermingle in this through-composed piece to take the listener through this vivid experience. Rhythm, lyrical lines, extended techniques, Afro-Cuban style music, jazz and fugue join together to remind us that this is an organic process. From making reeds to making music, we come together to create performance. Ever changing and ever evolving, every reed and every performance is unique, and “Cane“ promises to tell this story in a powerful and exciting new way.
There are several sections in this through-composed work, taking us on a journey that is the life of a bassoon reed:
o Split: short and percussive, like splitting cane
o Gouge: Rhythmic, steady and driving. Removing and leaving…
o Shape
o Profile: Mechanical, with a little bit of mischief
o Form: The cane becomes a reed (Internal/external sounds of transition)
o Scrape: In the style of Afro-Cuban music
o Playing the reed: Swing, sassy; thoughtful, reflective; with reverence; the reed plays…

Sheet music for “Cane“ will, in the near future, be available for purchase from Jenni Brandon Music.