Hillside Sunrise performed by the Wilton High School Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlGPoI_3-NY
This is the band playing my song! Features me on alto sax playing a custom solo instead of the usual bassoon/clarinet solo. I would like to thank the band director and the band for being able to play my piece as it was such a great honor and it sounded great! I do not know why he spelt it as HillSide but that's pretty funny. Enjoy!
In a Sentimental Mood by Duke Ellington featuring Arnav Pandey:
Performed in the Darien High School Jazz Jamboree, this solo ballad featured Arnav Pandey on lead Tenor Sax.
This has been my favorite ellington chart for a long time and I was happy that our band director finally brought this piece on our first day of jazz rehearsal and gave me a wink before putting the solo sheet on my stand. From day 1 of jazz rehearsal, I practiced this piece every day, finding new solos and new licks to try out during rehearsals and then competitions. This piece is what got me into jazz and encouraged me to continue not only in high school, but in college too. Take a listen to the chart below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgbT_si8F78
El Fuego de la Tierra by Erik Sherburne:
Also performed in the Darien High School Jazz Jamboree in Connecticut, this fast latin chart features two soloists, Cooper Matik on lead Alto Sax and Arnav Pandey on Tenor Sax.
The Wilton High School's jazz 1 tradition is always to have at least 1 latin chart and 1 funk chart built into their list. In my freshman year it was Muy Caliente by Erik Sherburne, sophomore year was Torque by Alan Baylock, and junior year was El Fuego de la Tierra also by Erik Sherburne. This chart was our hardest funk chart yet just based off of the speed of the song. Other than my solo, my favorite part had to be when bass, trombone 3&4, and bari sax had a lick that was exceptionally hard but at the same time played exceptionally clean and well. Take a listen to the chart below! P.S. even Erik Sherburne commented on this video which was mind-blowing to have a composer of a song compliment our band on the piece. Pretty cool right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_9eNU3z7bg
Holiday Jazz/Cheer -- Eagle Scout Project:
My Eagle Scout project was to bring Holiday Cheer to the community by the way of music. It was originally set for being performed at our local assisted living facilty called Meadow Ridge in Redding, Connecticut, but due to an outbreak of COVID, we were only able to send a video to have livestreamed on their TV. I met with Trackside, our local teen center, and set up an event for the holidays called Holiday Jazz. Our event was a huge success, even having my own composition called "Improvisation in G Phrygrian". My favorite tune other than my own composition had to be Autumn Leaves.
Below is a flyer for the event that I created to market it to the community.
Here is the link to the performance. My composition is at 35:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD8AgwL3sr4&list=LL&index=135
Breathe in Peace: Music Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXLtjVrfjWo
This was our health final project and we chose to do a music video. This took us an entire day and I composed the backing track. To made it not like a regular music, I threw in some different time signatures like 3/4 and even a measure of 7/8 with a trombone. This turned out to be a pretty good project and a good music video as well.
The Forgotten: Winner of the Connecticut PTA Reflections Contest
Theme of the contest: I am Hopeful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2OmDt_stPo
The Forgotten, is a piece for wind ensemble that is meant to send us a message of things that we are forgetting. This piece is meant to display the happiness and contentment that is derived from remembrance. Even when these memories can be difficult to digest, including the death of a loved one, or even a bad memory that keeps haunting you for years to come, it is best to make light out of the darkness. This piece serves as a reminder that we should remember the good things and take what is good from the bad things. If there is a death, recollection of the fun memories with that person can lead you to cherish more of the good things in life. The chords, and melodies that are illustrated in this piece help to convey the message of conquering the darkness and living in a world where there is only light. And even if you don’t need the light, you can be the light. Help people around you, and give them a reason to not give up and to remember the good things in life.
Shadows for Saxophone Quartet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hnm7q8clZU
This is a contemporary based saxophone quartet piece I wrote. This is only the first movement as I am working on the others as of now but feel free to take a listen!