Pasa Pasa for solo Clarinet (2021)

Commissioned by the University of North Carolina Greensboro Clarinet Consortium

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Pasa Pasa was inspired from a well-known dancehall event, or street dance/gathering that started on Spanish Town Road in the Tivoli Gardens section of Kingston, Jamaica in 2003. Still a popular event today, the dance occurs on a Wednesday night, many times finishing at 8 a.m. Thursday morning.

 

In the context of Jamaican vernacular however, it means to chat, converse, gossip or talk about something; any incident or time marked by drama, scandal, confusion or conflict.

 

I evoke both meanings in tandem throughout the piece: The idea of conversation using one of the prominent features of Jamaican music which transcends our culture, and speaks to that of our African ancestry- the call and response. While simultaenously depicting the Jamaican music used in the Pasa Pasa dance... the end of the piece is indictive of the attendeeds heading home at daybreak and as they move away from the dance site, the music plays on.

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Duration: approx. 9 mins.