Epic Bacon Funk
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solo alto saxophone and concert band (grade 3)
commissioned by SAMUEL FRITZ, director CENTER GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL CENTRAL BAND |
Recording
Samuel Fritz, solo alto and director, Center Grove Middle School
Program Note
As an American people, perhaps nothing unifies us more than our shared love of bacon. Our culture is epically obsessed with it! In fact, the average American eats 18 pounds of bacon per year. It fascinates me that bacon has progressed from being an occasional addition to scrambled eggs or burgers or salads or a BLT to now being found everywhere! Bacon donuts, bacon potato chips, bacon ice cream, chocolate covered bacon, even bacon flavored soda. Oreos has a bacon cream filling flavor and you can even find bacon flavored toothpaste and dental floss. The solo alto saxophone in this work is like the bacon - sometimes smooth and greasy, and other times crisp and crunchy - always asserting itself on top of whatever entree the ensemble is dishing up. I love bacon and yet I feel a tinge of guilt every time I eat it. We all know it isn't healthy for us! And so epic bacon funk enthusiastically celebrates and humorously questions America's love of bacon.
Perusal Score
| epicbaconfunkperusal.pdf |
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Note from commissioner
"Working with Ben on Epic Bacon Funk was an absolute blast for both me and my students! The piece was a true collaborative effort as he involved us in the planning and design of the piece from beginning to the premiere performance. Ben provided invaluable insight to the creative process so my students could embrace the true intentions of the piece. The saxophone part is written wonderfully using many extended techniques to bring to life our vision "concerto" for middle school band and soloist. Our intentions were to create a piece that was playable by junior high students without a conductor so I could play the part of soloist. The finished product was beyond our expectations and created a memorable work of musical art that is going to lead to many more Benjamin Taylor commissions in the future."
Samuel Fritz, band director Center Grove Middle School Central, Greenwood IN
Samuel Fritz, band director Center Grove Middle School Central, Greenwood IN