Gregory Blues for full wind ensemble (2005).
When I began writing this piece, my intent was that it would be scored for string quartet. However, as the compositional materials presented themselves on paper, and as the opportunity for a wind ensemble performance arose, my perception of the work changed to fit such parameters. As with many of my works, Gregory Blues is made up of the reconciliation of styles that, at first glance, may appear to be in opposition to each other; Gregorian chant, known for its reverence and intensity, is blended with the looser and perhaps "irreverent" styles of blues and jazz. Yet a third element is derived from the properties shared by both the octatonic (alternating full and semi-tones) and blues scales.
