2. Andrew Ball “Forbidden Languages”

Despite coming all the way to the Netherlands to focus on this area of study, it is always nice to realise there are people doing great and imaginative things back home in Australia.  Andrew Ball is a saxophonist and composer from my hometown of Brisbane who is becoming an important and distinct voice in the contemporary classical music world since his debut 2018 solo release “Forbidden Languages”.  The album consists of 11 original compositions for solo saxophone (sop/alto/ten/baritone) and is a real Masterclass in modern extended saxophone techniques and the possibilities they open up for music making. 

What originally took me most when I heard this album was how there was no intention to use these techniques for novelty or textural value alone.  The compositions are extremely well written and diverse and in essence very accessible for the listener. 

Having attended the QLD Conservatorium of Music at the same time, Andrew and I know each other quite well and he was happy to share his scores with me to assist my studies.  To start with I decided to focus on one pieces he wrote for tenor saxophone (which is my main horn), called Jengu. *Note: This post will be a general overview and analyses of the track – I will document my attempts at learning the piece in a later post

Jengu is my favourite track from the album given the nature of the composition and the techniques used.  In essence the whole piece is based around one continuous 16^th note ostinato that is repeated over and over again with changing bass notes to create a 6 bar cycle (in 14/16 OR 7+7/16).  This creates the driving pulse and structure for the piece that is then developed further by utilising the physics of the saxophone through overtone manipulation as well as various extended articulations to create unique and functional sounds.  With the fingering pattern being so repetitive and quite straightforward, the real challenge and purpose of the piece is to showcase the full sound spectrum of the saxophone. 

In order to successfully be able to perform this piece of music, the performer must have a good understanding and mastery over certain extended techniques that include; circular breathing, slap tonguing/tongue ramming, overtones/harmonics/false fingerings, textural fingerings.  I intend to go into each of these techniques separately in follow up blog posts. 

Jengu begins by setting up the ostinato percussively only with the sound of the saxophone keys striking the horn only without any air.  After a couple of cycles the “bass notes” start via use of tongue ramming a technique, which gives the note a “thudding” quality and then some more notes in the ostinato are accentuated with a slap tongue articulation which is more percussive and harsh.  It is very difficult to consistently go between these two styles of extended articulation (I will discuss my efforts in a later blog post).   After this set-up, the melody finally comes in and is achieved by opening keys that are located in the higher part (physically) of the instrument whilst maintaining the rhythmic ostinato.  This is quite an effective tool as the listener hears both a (distorted) melody note as well as the ostinato continuing.  After further development, Ball then utilises harmonics/overtones to alter the audible sound of the notes in the ostinato whilst maintaining the same finger pattern.  The piece also utilises a style of “hammer-on” slap tongue effect later in the piece. 

There is clear influence from saxophonist Colin Stetson with regard to the structure of the piece and some of the techniques used, particularly circular breathing and repetitive ostinatos as the basis for a piece. The mix of different types of slap tonguing articulations also reminds me of Derek Brown albeit used with a different intention. Brown has grown in popularity doing solo “beat-box saxophone” covers of pop songs, utilising these articulations to mimic the sounds of a drum-kit.

Through utilising the saxophone in this way, Ball was able to occupy rhythmic/percussive, harmonic and melodic functions simultaneously as well as independently.