title: All we could see from the window was water
instrumentation: trombone, piano
duration: 5 minutes
written in: 2019–20
In 2018, Jen Wang put together a project in which people could commission short pieces by donating to RAICES, an immigrant and refugee advocacy organization. Trombonist William Lang‘s contribution led to the birth of All we could see from the window was water, which I wrote for him and pianist Anne Rainwater.
One of the first questions I ask collaborators is what music they’ve been excited about lately. Will mentioned Lana Del Rey and Pet Sounds, and you’ll hear a bit of the former’s rich reverberant sound-spaces and the latter’s sense of long-line melody in my piece — as well as the distinctive three-note tag that appears at the end of classic Beach Boys lines like “I know there’s an answer,” “I can hear so much in your sighs,” and “where did your long hair go?”
(Fun fact: a few years ago I did an arrangement of Lana Del Rey’s “Ultraviolence” for a friend’s wedding. It might appear on this site sometime soon!)
The title refers to a trip I took as a kid to family friend’s house on Cape Cod. At this point, all I remember is that from the second story, it looked like we were adrift in the ocean — but this image has made a permanent home in my brain, and often shows up in my dreams.
Watch
William Lang, trombone
Anne Rainwater, piano
Live at Maybeck Studio, Berkeley, CA, 1.12.20
Listen
(same personnel as above)