Thick Waters for Tenor Saxophone, Cello, Piano, and Three Voices | Jacob Nance

Описание: Program Notes:

"This piece came to me by accident. I knew I wanted to write something to perform with my friends, Eileen Snyder and Ayako Pederson-Takeda, but when I set out to write a poem based on my experiences in Oklahoma, a state I love and hold dearly, I found myself lacking something.

The something that I was lacking came to me in the form of a snippet of song from Diane Burns doing a poetry reading in New York in the 60s or 70s, which I was introduced to through Sky Hopinka’s wonderful film 'I’ll Remember You as You Were, not as What You’ll Become', which I first saw at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I take words and melodies directly from Diane’s mouth: 'I’m from Oklahoma I got no one to call my own, If you will call me honey, I will call you sugarpie way hi ya, way-a hi ya, way-a hi yie yo'.

You see, the part that I had been missing is that none of my experiences and memories in the state of Oklahoma were rightfully mine to have. My family is from Oklahoma, and they have been there since at least the early 1900s if not before, but they were all white folk who descended from people who, inevitably, must have stolen the land from Native Americans, both who were originally from the area, or relocated to Oklahoma through the Trail of Tears or other brutal expeditions, just to have the land they were granted yet again taken from them.

As such, I thought that there is no way to tell my story of my time in Oklahoma without acknowledging that behind every act and every memory I have of that beautiful, wonderful place, there are silenced Native voices. I made sure to include Diane Burns’s song throughout the piece, as it resonates with the themes of displacement, longing, and wistfulness that I aimed to achieve. I also believe that it is my duty to ensure that Native voices like Diane are not forgotten, but are heard throughout history, and if in any way I can aid in this, I will try my best.

Although I have my doubts that much might happen with this piece in terms of other performances, I hope that it will find a life of its own and that others will be willing to perform a work such as this one. If this piece ever finds a life outside of its initial performance/recording, know that any profits will be donated to the Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, whether through sales of the piece or online traffic it may garner. This music is not my music. I have borrowed beautiful music from a Native voice, and surrounded it with music of my own about my experiences in a land that my people had no right to. The least I can do is ensure that I in no way profit off of Native voices, but instead give to a cause that supports them and uplifts their communities.

That all being said, this is a love letter to Oklahoma and my time there, to Diane Burns and the wonderful art she shared with the world, to my friends who shaped my experiences in Oklahoma, and to the thousands upon thousands of Native peoples who were silenced and killed in order to make room for 'manifest destiny'. I feel you all with me constantly, and I strive to make something that can represent you all in a loving way."

Thick Waters (2024) by Jacob Nance.

Eileen Snyder, Piano and Voice
Ayako Pederson-Takeda, Cello and Voice @ayakopederson5013
Jacob Nance, Tenor Saxophone and Voice

Performed in Murray Recital Hall at Michigan State University.

Many thanks to Tyler Young for being the recording engineer for this session, Stephen Michaels for producing the session, and Jeffrey Allardyce for being a wonderful page turner.