Atlantic Breeze

Walter Mertens

General Info

Year of Published: 2014
Publisher: Edition Svitzer
Difficulty: Advanced
Duration: 00:06:00
Cost: €30.00

Instrumentation

Player 1: Vibraphone & Triangle & Wind Chimes & Suspended Cymbal
Player 2: Marimba & Triangle
Player 3: Marimba
Player 4: Cajon & Conga & Wood Block (Pedal)

Description

Atlantic breeze is a perfect blend of a smooth melody and a driving, but restful groove on the cajon and the triangle. A more dramatic theme on the marimba and the vibes interrupts this flowing motion. At the end, the main theme brings us back. Take a walk at the seaside.

​Review

This delightful five+ minute work has hints of light calypso and island music, and will nicely fill the “easy listening” slot of a percussion ensemble or chamber percussion concert. Three keyboard players, two with small extra instruments, and a percussionist (cajon, conga, and pedal instruments) are all kept busy throughout, with the melody moving between keyboards, and the percussionist providing the groove.

The straight-forward ABA form consists of grooves in 7/8 and 4/4. In the 7/8 section, one marimba lays down a rhythmic ostinato with the cajon and triangle, and the other marimba plays a charming melody full of short rising passages followed by longer notes. A number of “tricky” rhythms occur, notably a quintuplet over the last three eighths of the 7/8, with a rest on the first note, but the constant underlying groove and repetition of these rhythms alleviate the difficulty considerably. The 4/4 section features rolling triplets, while the percussionist plays a rather sparse conga groove. The other marimba and vibraphone take turns with the melody, again including short rhythmic set-ups to long, breezy sustains. A bit of variation and counter melody are added to the return of the A section.

If the pedal instruments are accessible, I believe an average high school percussion ensemble can put this together. College students should have no trouble. The piece is scored well, such that balance issues will take care of themselves, at least until dealing with conceivable nuisances of a specific performing space. I also see potential for “opening up” some of the repeated passages for improvised solos, if desired

Works for Percussion by this Composer

Snare Drum Works

Side by Side
Mellow March
Marka
Something Else
Taptoe, Toreador, Tango Targa
Chatooga
Posanita, Chasity
Valse di Nargal

Timpani Works

Battle
Marcia Maestoso
Lancelot
Bascobert
Garbi
Crorac, Kerloti
Tessotto
Polter
Mendara
3 Little Timpani Stories

Drumset Works

Sendrum
Kerrylou
Tarciel, Jolama, Traboel, Mlako, Cilex
Double or Nothing

Mallet Percussion Works

Vibraphone

Passages
Time for a Coffee Break
The path before me
Home alone in 2020
Papilio Hilari

Xylophone

Xylofravo
Mallets on Stage
Cassiopeia

Marimba

Toccetto
Villa Barca
Bany's Waltz

Multiple Percussion Works

D.D. in the mix
Mini-Matti-Suiti
Chosenass

Concerto

Song for the Open Road (Vibraphone Concerto)
Concertino Batta

Recital Pieces

Recital Pieces for Timpani I
Recital Pieces for Timpani II
Recital Pieces for Timpani III
Recital Pieces for Timpani IV
Recital Pieces for Timpani V (Batsco)
Recital Pieces for Snare Drum V (Dagmar Feyen composed the Piano part)

Percussion Ensemble Works

A Fly in the desert
Aride
Asian Trip
Atlantic Breeze
Bamdrasch Procession
Centurio's March
Drummer"s Symphony N°1
Drummer's Symphony N°2
French Coffee
Kelbodus
Play Samba
Percussive Typhoon
​Petrol Zuid
Place de la Gofâ
Playing together N°1
Playing together N°2
Prelude, toccata & fuga
Ripalata
Scenes from the earth
Spring is Coming
Synbad
The Kansalla Story
Tierra del Fuego
Tower in the Cloud
Triptichon