Traditions

This piece was, first and foremost, inspired by the generosity and soul in Zachary’s playing. His command of theinstrument—the ability to draw out every shade of emotion while faithfully embodying stylistic flair from Romantic to the Modern—left me grateful. I listened to him sing through the melodies of Yoshimitsu’s Fuzzy Bird, then tear through the dazzling virtuosity of Pulse. I wanted to create a vast, expressive landscape for the saxophone to shine in every light—for Zachary to become, in turn, an improviser, a singer, and finally a virtuoso bursting through brilliant runs, all within a single formal breath.

Thus, Improvisation – Song – Tradition, the original title of the piece, was born - an opening improvisation, followed by a song, and finally a roaring ‘Sanjo’—a traditional Korean form built upon an incessantly intensifying rhythmic gesture.

At first, I imagined these as distinct episodes through which a soloist might reveal their voice, to test their meddle. Yet, as I continued writing, the boundaries between these sections began to feel blurred, almost frivolous. I felt that a continuity, unbeknownst to me, emerged, as if the material itself resisted compartmentalization. Gestural, motivic, and harmonic threads entwined themselves across the sections, shaping the once-separate movements into a single, continuous architecture.

I also came to realize that “tradition,” originally assigned only to the Sanjo, implied a narrower cultural and musical boundary than the piece itself wanted to claim. Improvisation and song are, after all, living traditions of their own—renewed and reimagined with each performance. This realization led to the title Traditions—now plural, endowed to tie together the disparate ends that the original title conveyed, and to reveal unity in the music itself. The mini saxophone concerto became not a collection of disparate forms and musical interests, but instead a kind of quilt, humbly attempting to weave together experiences, musical customs, and of course, traditions.

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So ultimately, I hope this piece acts as a bridge: connecting the sounds, places, and people that have made me fall in love with writing music, and illustrating my ever-continuing endeavor of finding the shared story between classical and Korean traditions.

Thank you, Zachary, for your faith in this process and for shaping these notes into something alive. Your playing is not only a gift, but a reminder of why I love composing—to listen, to connect, and to keep our shared tradition of sonic storytelling - what makes us us - alive.