Variations on a Theme – October 1st

Variations on a Theme by Salvatore Pugliese

Randy Pingrey Trio – October 1st, 2009 at St. John’s Episcopal Church

First Variation

Second Variation

 Third Variation

Fourth Variation

Subsequent Variations

Randy Pingrey – trombone, piano, tape recorder, etc.
James Wylie – alto sax, tape recorder, etc.
Jerry Sabatini – trumpet, tape recorder, etc.

Feel free to download or stream all of these files.  Be aware: Subsequent Variations is quite a large file.

———————————

On October 1st, the Randy Pingrey Trio played this hour-long piece.  My goal was to create my first evening-length work, and in the spirit of past trio performances, I wanted the piece to reflect the vibe of the venue and of the performance opportunity.  We played in a giant, old church at night, with just enough light to see the written music.

The piece consists of oblique variations on a hymn, which is performed every year in Cambridge, MA during the Feast of Cosmos and Damien.  I originally learned the melody when I was playing at the feast from Salvi Pugliese, the musical director and lead trumpeter with the Roma Band – an organization which I play with a lot during the summer months.

Special thanks goes to Peter Terry for having us play, to James and Jerry for their excellent performances, and for all the people that came to check it out.