Caribbean Nocturne 

Bryan Kidd
Grade 3

Caribbean Nocturne derives its inspiration from the lighter concert band arrangements of Glenn Osser and Floyd Werle. They combined tuneful melodies with rich jazz-influenced harmony and voicings. Listening to their orchestrations, one can not help but think that their concepts and ideas were rooted in the innovations of early big band writers like Duke Ellington, Bill Challis, and Ferde Grofé. This piece is a rhumba—a Cuban dance form. The clave (rhythm) forms the basic and foundational rhythmic pattern for this and other Cuban dance forms. The claves (percussion instrument) is the primary Latin-American instrument for this style, with others (as heard in this particular piece) being maracas, bongos, and guiro. As with marches or dance music, a persistent (if not understated) rhythmic pulse provides the groove over which the melody and harmony flow.

Audio Only: