Available Now! WindWorx Volume 1 - Frank's latest album showcases his woodwind skills on the whole family of woodwinds; Flutes, Oboes, Clarinets, Saxophones and Bassoons from the tiny Piccolo to the massive Contrabassoon and Bass Sax, with all new compositions by Frank in a variety of styles, from Classical to Modern Classical, Jazz to Experimental Jazz, New Orleans Second Line, Fusion Jazz, and features Brock Avery on Drums and Percussion. Frank composed and orchestrated for a 50 piece woodwind ensemble and played all the parts on the recording. Three time Grammy nominated and National Endowment of the Arts recipient Macchia produced the project and mixed it as well.

CREDITS

ALBUM CREDITS

Frank Macchia: Compositions, Orchestrations, Piccolos, Flutes in C, Eb, G, Alto Flutes, Bass Flutes, Contrabass Flutes, Oboes, English Horns, Bass Oboes, Bb Piccolo Clarinets, Eb Soprano Clarinets, Bb Soprano Clarinets, Eb Alto Clarinets, Bb Bass Clarinets, BBb Contrabass Clarinets, Eb Sopranino Saxophones, Bb Soprano Saxophones, Eb Alto Saxophones, Bb Tenor Saxophones, Eb Baritone Saxophones, Bb Bass Saxophones, Bassoons, Contrabassoons, Squeaky Toys, Mixing/Production

Brock Avery: Drum Set, Percussion including Udu Drums, Bongos, Tambourine, Shakers, Shimmering Percussion/Windchimes

TRACK LISTING AND LINER NOTES:

1- Rollercoaster - I wanted to create a music version of a rollercoaster ride and I thought this would be a nice “fanfare” to introduce the album. The average time of the typical coaster is 1:45 so I tried to simulate the slow crawl up, the initial rush and energy of the ride, including some loop-de-loops until we bottom out and slowly arrive back at home

2- Intervention – This is supposed to mimic an intervention between one person and several of his friends who keep trying to converse with him as he gets defensive. Many tactics are used by the group and the slow section is when someone tries to calmly explain things until he gets angry again.

3- Osmium – This is the heaviest element in the universe so I wanted to create a low, sonorous piece to explore what the heaviest element would sound like!

4- Ayahuasca – This is a live duet featuring Brock Avery on drums and myself on tenor sax. We’ve been getting together weekly and playing free improvisations, and I’ve learned so much about intuition and being present by playing with Brock. This particular piece really struck me as I feel we really connected on some deep level and I then composed and recorded an accompaniment to what Brock and I created with the woodwind group. It is titled after the mind altering drug that creates a sense of higher consciousness.

5- Finis Itineris – Latin for “final journey”, this was inspired by some recent choral music I’ve been listening to and I just wanted to create an emotionally moving piece.

6- Fat Tuesday – This New Orleans jazz romp is just a bit of fun, and I’m a huge fan of that second line stuff. Brock plays like a group of drummers marching down the street. Please feel free to jump up and dance along with this one!

7- Ascension – The title tells it all. A slow ballad that ascends upward until the final chord.

8- Obstacles – For those of you who like my odd metered tunes, I hope you’ll enjoy this one. Overall it’s in 13/8, and it all just came to me one night in a flurry of activity. Brock really played some great drum stuff on this one!

9- Bouncing Balls – My weird idea of what lots of random bouncing balls would sound like in a piece of music came to me as I watched the basketball playoffs and heard the random rhythms of the balls all bouncing as the players warmed up. I created a stop motion video of this piece that’s on YouTube. It’s pretty wacky!

10- Winter Morning – Boston, 1977 - I was an 18 year old kid from San Francisco and I had never seen or been in snow like this when we had the Blizzard of ‘77 in Boston. This piece recalls memories of the snow, and my shock at how much there was! The middle section portrays me carrying my alto sax case for several blocks, slipping and falling on the ice. Good times!

11- Skirmishes – Another weird tone row piece portraying a series of “skirmishes” between groups of woodwinds, embattled against each other for dominance. I think the contrabassoons and contrabass clarinets win at the end.

12- Charlie’s Day – My son Charlie is the happiest young man I know and I’m so grateful for that, as he brings me so much joy by his optimistic attitude. This is a bonus piece that I had composed for a smaller group of about 26 woodwinds and I include it as a dedication to him and my wonderful wife Tracy. I love you guys!

I’d like to thank all my friends and family for your support of my desire to create music in this ever stranger world we live in. I don’t know if there’s any need for this music but it helps me enjoy my time here and keeps me happy and amused. Thank you all!

Special thanks to

Brock Avery - Drums and Percussion – Your creativity knows no bounds!

Steve Hull - Photography – You are the best!

Tracy London - Support and ears for listening to the mixes and the love of my life!

REVIEWS

Coming Soon! Reviews!