Link to album: https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6757

Songs of Sea and Stone
Music for Clarinet by Jenni Brandon
Recorded by Jeremy Reynolds, Clarinet

with

Janaček Philharmonic in the Czech Republic
Corey Mackey, clarinet
Margaret McDonald, piano

Recorded by PARMA Recordings and Evergroove Studios

Release Date: August 8, 2025

From PARMA Recordings and Navona Records

Link to album: https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6757

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Sea Songs: California Coast

This three-movement work for Clarinet and Piano explores the fascinating ecosystem of fish and plants along the Southern California Coast. From rocks and crevices where animals hide and kelp forests drift toward the surface, to eelgrass and the sandy ocean floor, this magical world is full of life and colorful creatures.

I. California Spiny Lobster (Panulirus interruptus)
II. Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata)
III. California Moray Eel (Gymnothorax mordax)

Duration approximately 14:10

Sea Songs: Mobula Ray for Solo Clarinet in B-Flat

In this solo for B-flat Clarinet, the unique species of fish found in the Sea of Cortez is the Mobula Munkiana, or Munk’s Pygmy Devil Ray. This work explores them as they swim and leap from the water, showcasing the clarinet’s ability to be as acrobatic as the Mobula Rays.

This work is an expanded solo from the Clarinet Cadenza in Fin de la Tierra: Land’s End – Concerto for Clarinet with Chamber Orchestra (or with piano).

Duration approximately 9:12

The Mountain for Two Clarinets in B-Flat

The Mountain for two clarinets in B-flat is inspired by the poem “My Help is in the Mountain” by Nancy Wood.  This work describes going to the mountain to find healing, to draw inspiration from the rocks and streams, and to become one with all of the land, finding strength from nature and from within.

Duration approximately 12:53

My Help is in the Mountain
Poem by Nancy C. Wood

 My help is in the mountain
Where I take myself to heal
The earthly wounds
That people give to me.
I find a rock with sun on it
And a stream where the water runs gentle
And the trees which one by one
give me company.
So must I stay for a long time
Until I have grown from the rock
And the stream is running through me
And I cannot tell myself from one tall tree.
Then I know that nothing touches me
Nor makes me run away.
My help is in the mountain
That I take away with me.

Original poem © 1972 Nancy C. Wood, from Hollering Sun, courtesy of the Nancy Wood Literary Trust. For more poems by Nancy Wood please visit www.NancyWood.com.

Daydreams for Solo Clarinet in B-Flat

Daydreams for Solo Clarinet in B-flat tells the stories of walking, skating, singing, and dreaming of possibility.  The first three movements tell stories of movement and music.  “Walking” follows the path of a labyrinth, turning at the center and walking back in a meditative way.  In “The Figure Skater” the skater gets bolder and bolder in their routine, falling and learning to get up again, and finding triumph in the journey.  “The Singer” begins with a bel canto style melody, eventually becoming jazzier and sassier as they discover their unique voice.  In the fourth movement “Sleeping” these various themes return as the dreamer slips off to sleep, dreaming of their day of walking, skating, singing, and what they can become.

I. Walking: Labyrinth
II. The Figure Skater: Spinning
III. The Singer: Bel Canto Jazz
IV. Sleeping: Dreaming of the day

Duration approximately 13:30

Fin de la Tierra: Land’s End – Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra (version for Clarinet in B-flat and Piano available)

In this 20-minute concerto for Clarinet in B-flat with Chamber Orchestra, the diverse ecosystem of the Sea of Cortez and surrounding area is explored. The clarinet soloist serves as a guide, taking us on a journey through this UNESCO World Heritage site to observe the beauty and diversity of the landscape, the water, the animals that live in and around it, and their symbiotic relationship that requires a delicate balance of conservation and exploration.

This is a single-movement work with sections:
I. Where the Pacific Ocean Meets the Sea of Cortez
2. Rock Sentries
3. The World’s Aquarium

Duration approximately 20 minutes

Fish featured in this Concerto: