One Day
One Day was commissioned by Celia Barnes in memory of her late partner Dave Dumolo. When Dave died suddenly aged 57 Celia wanted a living memory of Dave who was a big brass band fan. Celia wanted a concert piece that featured the flugel horn and contacted me about composing the piece for her.
The flugel horn is a great instrument for performing in both classical and jazz styles. It is the latter that I decided to compose this piece in the style of. I am very much a fan of the music of Pat Metheny who is famous for his easy listening jazz styles. One Day follows in the footsteps of Pat Metheny’s music.
It opens with a rhythmic feature played by the cornets and glockenspiel. With a light rhythmic jazz feel from the kit the soloist plays an easy-listening melodic phrase that develops throughout the composition. With some quasi-improvised passages in the middle section, the piece gradually ends the same way it started. Lead by the rhythmic motif from the cornets and percussion the music ends as they accompany the final phrase from the soloist.
Paul Lovatt-Cooper