Big Band (5/4/4)

• Style: ECM / Straight 8ths
• Grade 6: Collegiate / Professional
• ~6:30
• Soloists: Female Vocal and Guitar

This tune came to me one night through a dream. It follows the story of a person (the vocalist) who is running from a tornado, and somehow manages to escape it. The tornado represents an ominous, dreadful entity in one’s life, whether that is a person, a thing, or an idea. Musically, the tornado is personified by the electric guitar. The guitar slowly intensifies its involvement throughout the chart until the solo, when it finally catches up with the person. After the solo, a shout chorus represents the fear and high intensity of the disaster and its effect on the person, until the tornado eventually goes away and the weather settles, leaving the person traumatized. “Vortex” is an angsty, dark song that highlights an intense emotional journey.

– Julie Coggiola

This chart includes extended technique for the horns as well as pedalboard effect for the guitar. It also has some tricky metric modulations, transitions, and conducting moments at the bookends of the chart that will need to be sorted out by the conductor, vocalist, and drum set player.