A Conductor’s and Performer’s Guide to Steven Bryant’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone - Chester Jenkins

118 move like that. Yeah, I think I can also see the shapes of the motive, motivic stuff, so I can tell at a glance that it’s related or I can see patterns or maybe different ways of putting things together. Linearly the line is very important, where we are going and why, and how long we take to get there, time rules all! And that’s what I spend most of my time doing, massaging things so that time flows exactly how I want it too! I don’t know that I provided any answer there, but that’s what I do. JENKINS: No, It’s good’s insight! Since obviously the work was written for Lulloff, and ultimately inspired too by his capabilities of improvisation as well, and obviously he is an amazing performer. But his ability to play both sides as an improviser and a classical saxophonist, maybe creates some challenges for some with this work, do you see that as a potential limitation or did you even worry about that? BRYANT: Yes, I’m usually very pragmatic and that comes from my teachers, and from Francis McBeth, my dad was a high school band director. I’ve written a lot of music for various levels and I make choices within that to keep it…this is not one of the pieces I was pragmatic. I said screw it! This is for him, and it needs to be a vehicle for him to be at the very limit of what it is to be Joe Lulloff! And because it’s for saxophonist, and you all occupy a special space, the ability to improvise much more widespread I think, among saxophonist then it is with a lot of other instruments. JENKINS: Sure BRYANT: I probably would have thought more about it if it had been a clarinet concerto, or a flute concerto. I wouldn’t have gone there, and I didn’t plan originally go there with the long improvised cadenza and the jazz influence. That was not my original plan, so much not so overtly, but it was when he was here and improvising over this 3 rd movement, which I had written and that’s all, and it just sort of opened it up. Oh ok, let’s go there! And that’s the moment I made that choice. We are going to go here and we are going to go here completely and it may rule out some players or scare them off. And I just decided ok, for this piece that’s ok! That’s just how it is, it needs to be that! JENKINS: Yeah BRYANT: But I also think there will be plenty of players who do play it or attempt it at least. (both laugh) JENKINS: I did a lecture recital on some of this last year, and so I’ve played through it. And I played selections of it on there, but obviously not to Joe’s level. This piece is a beast but the intensity of it is really unique and really cool! I’ve just kind of fallen in love with it! But like I said to you in one of the emails I sent to you, I’ve conducted a number of your works. I just did Nothing Gold Can Stay with our high school honor band thing that we just did… BRYANT: Oh cool, thanks!