Tea Time

Three movements for Alto Saxophone and Guitar, 5 minutes total. 

"Tea Time" came about after a suggestion by Jia-Yu Yang that I write a piece inspired by our shared love of tea. Jia-Yu proposed the first two movements: a Taiwanese oolong, in honor of her home country, and a Tong Mu Village tea representing Fujian Province blacks, which are among my favorites. I added a famous green tea to complete the delicious triptych.

1. Jin Xuan - 金萱

“Golden Daylily,” one of the most famous Taiwanese teas. Jin Xuan’s dazzling floral notes intensify as the leaves gradually unfurl over repeated infusions; likewise, the florid sax line grows increasingly wild with each repeat of the guitar vamp.

2. Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong - 正山小種

“Authentic Mountain Small Cultivar,” the original black tea from Tong Mu Village in the Wuyi Mountains of China, traditionally smoked but also produced in unsmoked varieties. The music is a spacious contemplation of the tea’s mysterious and profound depths of flavor and aroma, which reach far back into memory and consciousness.

3. Liu An Gua Pian - 六安瓜片

“Liu An Melon Seed,” a roasted green variety from China’s Anhui Province. An airy introduction gives way to a promenade, measured but buoyant, mimicking the tea’s elegant balance of savory, citrusy, and herbal flavors.