Baritone sax feature: This requires someone with high skill, who is willing to let go and delve into sonic worlds beyond more traditional jazz language.
The flute in tenor 2 is very minimal and completely optional. But, the doubles in the first two reeds are important. If finding an accordion player is completely impossible for you, vibes is possibility, and while a completely different sound, it could cover the parts, bringing a different sonic world. For the guitar, pedals for ethereal affect are very important. The guitarist must be geared for that. (no pun intended).
Recorded on Data Lords, "Sputnik" conjures up images of the new space race, now between corporations, that are sending thousands of satellites into orbit around our planet.
The theme first presented by piano goes through essentially 12 short variations, that could be seen as mirroring the 12 lunar cycles in a year and/or the 12 zodiac signs. It is all rubato, requiring that the conductor grasp the right sense of pacing. The drummer is a colorist in this piece and has to experiment to find colors that enhance each variation rather than compete. Every player has their hands full, most especially the guitar player, who has to find transparent, ethereal, almost angel-voice sounds. It will take time to arrive at the right shape for this piece, but with the help of the recording, it's far easier to grasp what is needed. But in the end, the essential ingredient is a very special and daring baritone player who can think beyond traditional jazz language. This is no ordinary jazz feature to say the least.
See full selection of Scores & Parts, categorized by difficulty, doubles, and solos.