Space Dozen

This piece asks the following question: 'Can the blues be played without actually playing the blues progression?' There is an emotional progression that lies beneath the chord progression. The theoretical chords merely describe the emotional content. For example, during the solos in Space Dozen, the soloist is asked to play over the emotion in the fourth bar that leads to the fifth bar rather than thinking V7 of IV to IV7...the emotion found in the rhythm section must play an abstract emotional progression. Great for emphasizing that being able to make the changes is only a start. One must also understand the emotional impact of each note choice. To avoid tonality, the piece is baed on a 12-tone row. Ensemble sections are based on the row but are surprisingly consonant. A 12-tone shout chorus leads the way back to a full ensemble unison statement of the theme. A concept from Hagans' small group experiments expanded for big band. Solos for alto and trumpet but can be opened up for any musician. No doubles.