The Ravine [Study Score]

The Ravine was composed in 2013 and was inspired by the ravine in the northern part of Central Park (around 103rd St) and the surrounding North Woods section. As you enter through 100th St on the west side and go northward, past a small body of water, you begin to descend on a downward slope and you start to see the buildings recede from sight. Eventually sights of the city disappear, and you forget you’re in the middle of NYC… until some siren starts passing by. The ravine is like a small magical oasis, a place you can escape for a while and become one with the feeling of water. This piece was inspired by that.

There are points in this composition that feature aleatoric techniques, particularly to convey the feeling of being absorbed into the ravine. The beginning was partly inspired by the beginning of Ravel’s 2nd Daphnis and Chloe Suite (great score to check out). A section towards the end is inspired in part by Nine Inch Nails’ “La Mer” where a 3/4 meter motif is superimposed over a 4/4 drum beat, which I’ve always found to be hypnotic. And the melody is inspired by the windiness of the path through the ravine itself.

This was written as a feature for Ben Kono on Alto Sax, and it received the 2013 BMI Foundation Charlie Parker Prize for Jazz Composition, an award given at the end of each year of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop during the Summer Showcase Concert.

*This is a study score only (PDF format). For complete score and parts, go to the “Scores and Parts” section of the store. Once you download the file for the first time, you will have an additional 24 hours to access it.