Makyo

American composer Alastair Hood (1935-2003), originally from Portland, Oregon, spent most of his life in Seattle, Washington. Hood played many roles in his musical life: composer of concert music, respected jazz pianist and free improviser, and teacher to a generation of Seattle jazz musicians. Makyo was composed in 1980 for Michael Davenport, and performed numerous times by the two musicians, who also collaborated as an improvisatory duo. The expressive one-movement piece alternates sections of precise notation, spatial notation, and improvisation. For the improvised sections, the composer allows the performers much freedom, within the context of developing the preceding composed material. The second of the three improvised sections asks the bass clarinetist to improvise with multiphonics. Because of the composer's use of spatial notation, both performers are provided with a score. The piano score (spiral bound) presents the bass clarinet at sounding pitch. The bass clarinet score (loose leaf to prevent page turns) presents the bass clarinet in B-flat.