Louis Guarino Jr
                 Composer, Performer, Trumpet player

IMAGES OF MOVEMENTS THRU TIME AND SPACE

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Images is music composed and arranged by Louis Guarino Jr. 

with Guests: (click on names for more info)

Herb Wilson: Saxes

Michael Gregory: Guitars, bass, vocal

Jesse (Cheese) Hameen: Electronic Drums

Some Notes about the music not found on the CD:

 

FIRE IN THE HOLE

Is a standard warning, used in many countries in the world, indicating that an explosive detonation in a confined space is imminent. Used in the context of this piece, you have the beginning melody that is graceful, and peaceful. A precursor to the upcoming "explosive" nature of what is about to happen during the body of the music. Then, after the small shaker's intro, which represents the ignition spark, you have the Fire. The central portion of this piece is improvised and full of Fire. It takes you all over but never lets you down. In the end, the beginning melody is heard again, but this time mixed with the Fire of the drums below it, as it fizzles out 

FOLDING TIME

Imagine what it would be like to Fold time! To play with it. To speed it up, and slow it down at will. This is a piece for trumpet and drums to play with time and each other. Check out the interplay between them. There is rhythm here, but no specific beat or pulse. It varies throughout the piece. Sort of folding and unfolding as the piece flows. All the while, the "flow" of the piece never stops.

GLASS BREAKS

This piece begins with the bass playing an ostinato along with a triangle following along. As it progresses along, there are a series of breaks in the rhythm, and each time that happens, it takes you somewhere else before it comes back to the ostinato. Some of the breaks are long, and some very short. After I composed it and listened to it, it reminded me of something Philip Glass would have done in a mimamalist style, so I named it Glass Breaks..

 

SAHARA'S SECRET SPACES

The Sahara Desert holds many secrets. Many of these secrets have to do with what happened throughout time, and what took place in different parts of it. It wasn't always a desert. So just imagine a musical journey through the Sahara desert with all it's secret spaces that might expose themselves to you. A true journey through time and space.

IN THE SHADOW OF PARADOX

What a place to be. In the SHADOW of Paradox. The dictionary defines a paradox as a statement or proposition that, despite sound reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory. Some years back, I went through a period of time where I was trying to solve a problem in my life that seemed like a paradox. I felt as though I was always in the "shadow" of that paradox, as it was hard to solve and took time. I eventually solved the problem and this piece is dedicated to that.

 

THE CYCLE CONTINUES

The poem within this piece says it all. I was thinking one day about "all the people" who ever lived and died , no matter how short of a time they had here, and how, as time passed, their memory from those who shared time with them and knew them eventually vanished completely and was totally forgotten. Over and over this cycle happens here, yet it still continues on. Time, Space, Life, Death. So tied together. 

This piece represents that cycle with many aspects of the music. The 3 bells at the beginning ring clear in my memory as I came out of the church from my grandmothers funeral service and heard them ring out, announcing a finality to her life. The clocks ticking at different times represent all aspects of our lives from birth to death. The guitar and trumpet represent all the different emotions we touch upon riding through life. Eventually the rhythm and pulse of life are introduced before the piece peaks during the string section, only to slowly, carefully, and gently fade out and stop just as life eventually does. This gives way to the poem at the end.