Afrospire (2023)
Honorable mention for Ascap morton gould award, Recipient of the james E. Croft Grant for emerging wind band composers
For Concert band/WIND Ensemble - Grade 5
Duration: 5'
In the process of creating this work, I found it hard to place a label on it. This composition is a swelling-dance inspired by afro-cuban rhythms and grooves, most notably from Chick Corea’s “La Fiesta” and Stan Kenton’s “Malagueña”. While the harmonic language in the piece shifted over time from when the piece was first created in April 2022, the meaning and feeling of the piece never changed. When I started the work, I was going through a particularly challenging time in school, lacking motivation and drive. I had to dig deep inside myself to find a sense of motion and reason to go on. I turned to music, finding songs that instilled a fire in me. I found that the sounds of African drums resonated within my soul the most, making me feel connected to my African roots, and pushing me to go on. Afrospire encapsulates this feeling of being transcended from reality and being left in a trance or dream that tells you to keep going. The word itself is a combination of two words: Afro-, meaning relating to african diaspora, and Spir-, deriving from spirit.
- Bakhari S. Nokuri (2023)
PDF available here, printed Score & Parts available on Murphy Music Press
