Vibe Rant (2016)
(for flute, clarinet and vibraphone)

Vibe Rant not only refers to the abbreviated form of vibraphone: ‘vibes’, but also ‘rant’, which originally comes from the Dutch word ‘ranten’: to talk nonsense, connecting with my interest in Lewis Carroll’s nonsense literature. Together these words form ‘vibrant’, which is the overall mood of the piece. Like its earlier sister trio, Frogstomp (also written for Ensemble Offspring), Vibe Rant sets up a series of juxtapositions, creating a stylistic patchwork that embraces influences from vernacular genres including jazz, pop, hip-hop, dance, rock, and metal. Vibe Rant is written with three main moods in mind: rambunctious and cheeky, pitted against glimpses of a lighter, more ethereal and, perhaps, ‘cuter’ sound-world, and a darker passage inspired by rock and metal elements.