Review

Antonio J. García
Two Dreams:
Trombone and percussion ensemble

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2021
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with other instruments

Commissioned in 2017 for the Virginia Commonwealth University Percussion Ensemble, Antonio J. Garcia’s, Two Dreams, is written in two movements and features a jazz trombone soloist throughout both. The first movement, entitled Bilita Mpash (An Amazing Dream), explores a variety of Afro-Cuban grooves. It is rhythmically active and complex, switching frequently between 6/8, 2/2, and 4/4 meters with a plethora of syncopation in each meter. Harmonically it consists mostly of II–V–I progressions without ever landing in one key center for too long.

The second movement, entitled Running with the Tigers, seems to be a much more straightforward AABA tune throughout. While the main groove of the A section is a 2+3+4 Samba written in 9/8 meter, the rhythmic structure is more constant and repetitive than that of the first movement. The bridge is written in 4/4 with lots of sixteenth note syncopation. The chord changes in the solo section are also a bit more predictable, particularly in the A section.

On the surface, the trombone part does not seem too difficult. Any trombonist with a reasonable jazz background should be able to navigate these styles and chord changes. The range of the written-out sections only exceeds b-flat¹ once, up to c-sharp². However, the interplay between the percussion parts and the trombone part could make this more challenging to put together with less experienced ensembles. That said, Antonio Garcia’s, Two Dreams, creates a unique opportunity for a jazz trombonist to collaborate with a percussion ensemble that will surely prove to be an audience favorite.