tuba, percussion, and piano (about 8 minutes)
Nashville Nightlife (2020) was commissioned by tubist Chris Combest as a part of his "Under Tennessee Skies" project involving one Tennessee-inspired work each from six composers. Written for tuba, piano, and percussion, Nashville Nightlife is a series of episodes depicting post-twilight festivities for what the New York Times in 2013 referred as the "It city." The work opens with the hustle and bustle of downtown Nashville, with music emanating from multiple honky-tonks, bachelorette parties crowded on "pedal taverns," and tourists milling about the sidewalks. Transitioning outside of the lower Broadway area and into the surrounding neighborhoods, the nights are quieter, with couples going on romantic walks, friends catching up in a coffee shop, or people attending concerts and plays in various locales. Interspersed about the bustle of downtown and the surrounding quiet, speckles of excitement from a minor league baseball game, a fall Titans game or the country Christmas festivity of the Opryland Hotel contribute to the texture of Nashville at night.
Score and parts available for purchase from Cimarron Music Press.
Recording available from Amazon or iTunes.