New Kid on the Mountain - Program Notes

"An Irish traditional dance tune" is most likely never the response for the word "trombone" in word-association psychoanalytic tests. Neither is it the responded association for "electronic music". The combination of all three elements - trombone, Irish dance music, and electronic accompaniment - however, is not intended to create psychological abnormalities in the mind of the listener or of the courageous trombonist who chooses to perform this technically challenging piece. Besides its humorous aspect, the goal in composing "New Kid on the Mountain" was to successfully produce a hybrid of these three unrelated elements, thus requiring a special sensitivity from the composer and the performer while producing a unique sound. Despite the seriousness of the challenge, however, the listener should not regard this piece with an intellectual ear, but with a rather cheerful and playful manner appropriate for a dance tune.