The Painted Desert

The south-western US state of Arizona has more than its fair share of stunning landscapes natural phenomena and National Monuments. Best known is the Grand Canyon but there are also numerous deserts a petrified forest extinct volcanoes and the huge Sunset Crater. Not surprisingly it has featured as the backdrop to many Western movies.The Painted Desert is a narrow crescent-shaped arc about 160 miles long which begins near the Grand Canyon and varies in width from 10 to 35 miles. It is largely void of vegetation and years of erosion by wind and rain have exposed sedimentary layers of rock up to 250 million years old. Chemical differences in the various layers result in aneffect not unlike a multicoloured layer cake with contrasting hues of red orange and pink blue grey and lavender creating a silent and barren landscape which looks like it has been hand-painted. As with much of the planet’s stunning landscapes all the observer can do is stand and stare.

Jazz Charts with Guitar Transcriptions-15 songs are presented in jazz charts with guitar transcriptions including: Avenida Del Mar * Black Diamond * Caribbean Breeze * Drive * Rain * Stories of the Painted Desert * Taos * Under a Spanish Moon * Villa by the Sea * and more.

The descriptive piece draws its inspiration from the American west the music first depicts a scene of wide open spaces and the quiet landscape of the painted desert. The second section is more animated in character. You will hear references to the cowboy era complete with gunshots and the sound of the rodeo.

Juste quelques-uns des merveilleux sites à voir dans l'Arizona sont représentés dans cette suite. Incroyable Arizona!, Le premier mouvement, est un hommage à l'Etat dans son ensemble avec un son grandiose et majestueux. Le deuxième mouvement, Painted Desert Jazz, peint aux couleurs du désert avec une improvisation de blues-comme. Sons de la forêt pétrifiée, le troisième mouvement, crée un son mystérieux avec quintes à vide et gammes chromatiques, le tout dans une tonalité mineure. Grand Canyon Rag, le dernier mouvement, les sons et se sent comme un classique chiffon de Scott Joplin et a, un son énergique joyeuse. / Piano