Simple Song

Simple Song was composed upon learning of the death of my dear friend, Dr. Fredrick Hemke.  As an icon of the classical saxophone world Fred was revered by all, but what made him so special was that he had as much love and respect for those he mentored and inspired as those folks did for him.  For me personally, Fred was a great champion.  As a piano student at Northwestern he inspired me weekly when I would play for his students and as a composer, he commissioned my work and was instrumental in making my saxophone music known throughout the world.  He gave without ever expecting anything because he was already full; full of light, life, and so much music, abundant to share with all those he encountered.  Simple Song was a simple gift where I could express the fullness of my gratitude in a way my words never could.

As for the piece itself, there is little to explain other than the fact that I was responding to Fred’s intense love for pure, unadulterated melody.  The piece embraces this until near the very end where there is a quotation of Debussy’s “Voiles” (“Sails).  I’m not absolutely certain why this music came to me in that particular moment, but it may have had something to do with remembering Fred’s image on the cover of “Simple Gifts” where he is pictured on Lake Michigan, his constant backdrop, and imagining him sailing into a mysterious eternity, full of love and never ending.