Period Bassoon
Sonata in C Major — Johann Friedrich Fasch
Baroque Bassoon and Basso Continuo
Ann Arbor, Michigan // 2005
I performed this for a concert sponsored by the Academy of Early Music. I overdubbed the basso part in 2025 to enhance the fullness of the sound.
Sonata Terza à 2 — Johann Rosenmüller
Recorder, Dulcian, and Harpsichord
Ann Arbor, Michigan // 2006
This was part of the 25th Anniversary Gala for the Academy of Early Music. I hope to perform for the 45th Gala in 2026.
Dances — Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde
Recorder, Dulcian, and Harpsichord
Ann Arbor, Michigan // 2006
From the same program as Rosenmuller
Sonata in A Minor, RV 86 — Antonio Vivaldi
Recorder, Baroque Bassoon, and Harpsichord
Ann Arbor, Michigan // 2005
From the same program as the Fasch
Modern Bassoon
Sound Bytes
For a complete listing of pieces included in this audio file, click here.
I created this sampler in the late 1980s by sequencing a number of diverse excerpts and transferring them to a multi-track tape recorder. I then cross-faded them back to cassette tapes hoping to create unusual transitions between the excerpts. Had I been smarter and wiser I would have made a 2-track version, but I was concerned with adding additional tape generations (which degrade the sound quality). In some cases, longer versions exist elsewhere on this page, in other cases only the clips survive.
Pentacycle for Bassoon and Four-Channel Tape — William Allgood
Bassoon and four-channel tape
Ann Arbor, Michigan // 1971
A revelation to me in 1971 that took me well outside my comfort zone. Four speakers surrounded the audience immersing them in the textures of the electronics track. I had never heard of location modulation (moving sounds between speakers with control voltages) before nor had I experienced multi-tracked bassoons (later commonplace).
The Melancholy Clown — Malcolm Forsyth
Flute, Clarinet, and Bassoon
Sarnia, Ontario // 1997
Malcolm came across my radar in the late 1980s after the Essex Winds commissioned his "Quintette for Winds(or)" and invited me to produce their debut recording of it (nominated for a Juno award in Canada). I performed this trio as well as a solo bassoon piece of his for the 1999 conference of the International Double Reed Society in Madison, WI. I met him briefly in Banff in 2002.
Pastorales de Nöel — André Jolivet
Flute, Bassoon, and Harp
Ann Arbor, Michigan // 1971
Lovely work which I didn't appreciate as much then as I came to in later years.
Trio in F, Op. 32 — Kaspar Kummer
Flute, Clarinet, and Bassoon
Sarnia, Ontario // 1997
Years after I recorded this trio (which I had thought stand-alone) I discover two other movements to it. They were wretched, perfectly dreadful. Kudos to the editor for his sagacity in publishing only this movement.
16 Valsas para Fagote Solo — Francisco Paulo Mignone
Bassoon solo
Morgantown, West Virginia // 2001
Performed in August on a 95-degree, 95% humidity afternoon in a venue where the air-conditioning had broken down that morning, I walked onstage with a towel draped over my shoulder to combat the sweat. The reed, of course, turned into tissue paper and intonation presented a unique challenge. My hat's off to the audience who braved the elements.
Sonata for Bassoon and Piano — Blake Stevenson
Bassoon and Piano
Sarnia, Ontario // 2009
This recording has had a somewhat checkered history. Blake wrote it for me to premiere at the 2004 Melbourne, Australia, IDRS conference. Due to the vagaries of two nations separated by a common language, that performance was never recorded. After a few years of licking our wounds, we took both the Sonata and the Trio into a recording studio and laid down tracks for both works. At the end of that session, we received the usual reference file (sans balancing or effects) but the studio folded before we could do a final mix and the files with the piano and wind parts on separate tracks disappeared. Some years (and some tech breakthroughs) later I was able to process the reference file through an AI portal and get enough separation between the piano and the winds to salvage the recording and do a remix.
Trio for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano — Blake Stevenson
Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano
Sarnia, Ontario // 2009
Premiered in Provo, Utah, in 2008 and again, we could not obtain the recording. We processed it the same as the Sonata.
Preludium of Voorspel — Jacob van Eyck
Bassoon Solo
Madison, Wisconsin // 1999
Shamelessly pillaged from the recorder repertoire, this is the opening piece in his compendious "Der Fluyten Lust-hof."
Five Tableaux for Solo Bassoon — Tanis Tramontin
Bassoon solo
Madison, Wisconsin // 1999
This is the premiere performance recorded at the 28th IDRS conference. Tanis proved a very collaborative composer, and we worked well together to fine tune this for the bassoon.
Pop Music
Dance of Gopali — Roberto Kuypers
Recorders, Bassoons, 2 Percussions, Synthesizer, electric guitar and Soprano Saxophone
Detroit, Michigan // 1982
I provided the bassoon/recorder "orchestra" for the call and response sections as well as the intro and coda for this piece. I also acted as recording and mixing engineer.
Unhappiness — Jack Kartush
Bassoon solo and Synthesizer
Detroit, Michigan // ca.1980
A minor miracle that this survived. Jack and I worked on this bassoon solo (fusion bassoonin') version of his piece and, while creating backing tracks for a performance at Henry Ford College, I recorded a bassoon part to make sure it worked. One shot, direct to cassette. There it sat for forty some years until I found it when I started digitizing materials for this site.
Healing Song — David Schreiner
Bassoon, electric guitar, electric piano, electric bass, synthesizers, percussion, drums
Detroit, Michigan // 1979
I never composed much - I realized early on that I would never be prolific enough and most of the music floating around in my head was either written by someone else or all too pedestrian. Fortunately, I had very able collaborators for this mid '70s production where most of the arrangement was worked out in rehearsal. The process expanded the piece from my original conception and captured a unique mood.
Time Changes — Michael Talley
Electric bassoon, electric guitar, electric piano, electric bass and drums
Ann Arbor, Michigan // 1975
I was not a particularly gifted improvising soloist, so I treasure those serendipitous moments when I got it even vaguely right. It helped that I was comfortable with the electronic sound I developed for this piece. I was always more interested in expanding the sonic possibilities of the bassoon rather than trying to create an amplified analog of an acoustic bassoon sound.
I Have Dreamed About You — Michael Talley
Voice, electric bassoon, electric guitar, electric piano, electric bass and drums
Ann Arbor, Michigan // 1975
A recorded performance, I played synthesizer on this track as well as bassoon.
Dream of Your Own — Tanis Tramontin
Voice, electric bassoon, electric guitar, electric piano, electric bass and drums
Ann Arbor, Michigan // 1975
Just what the world needed - a pop song with bassoon and electric guitar obbligato. Deftly arranged by the composer, this unfortunately never saw much traction having been recorded at the height of the Disco Era.
What Do You Know About Loving — Tanis Tramontin
3 Voices, electric bassoon, electric guitar, electric piano, electric bass and drums
Ann Arbor, Michigan // 1975
Within the texture of this I perform a bassoon quartet, but it was mostly (and rightfully - it's not intended to feature bassoons) buried in the mix. I also acted as recording and mixing engineer.