Marc Mellits
Tight Sweater Remix is a piano and marimba version of Tight Sweater arranged for Jeff Meyer and Paul Vaillancourt. Tight Sweater was originally scored for Cello, Piano, and Marimba and commissioned by ‘Real Quiet’ and the Muzik 3 Foundation. Of the six original movements, three seemed to work quite well for piano/marimba duo. This is music that is tightly composed, with rapidly shifting patterns of notes and rhythms. The two instruments combine, mix, and remix in ways that present each one as half of a combined larger instrument. Linear melodic lines are formed from vertical sounding harmonies; funky bass lines can dictate harmonic textures while chordal sounds can inspire melodic writing occurring between the two instruments. [M.M.]
Marc Mellits was born in Baltimore, Maryland and is one of the leading American composers of his generation, enjoying many performances throughout the world. Mellits’ music is often described as being visceral, making a deep connection with the audience. It is eclectic, all-encompassing, colorful, and always has a sense of forward motion. Mellits’ music has been played by major ensembles across the globe and he has been commissioned by groups such as the Kronos Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Sergio and Odair Assad, Bang On A Can All-Stars, Eliot Fisk, Andrew Russo, Canadian Brass, Nexus Percussion, Real Quiet, New Music Detroit, Musique En Roue Libre (France), Fiarì Ensemble (Italy), and the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. Mellits also directs and plays keyboards in his own unique ensemble, the Mellits Consort. He was awarded the prestigious 2004 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Award, and has studied at Eastman, Yale, Cornell, and Tanglewood. On CD, Mellits’ music can be found on Black Box, Endeavour Classics, Cantaloupe, CRI/Emergency Music, Santa Fe New Music, Innova, and Dacia Music. Marc Mellits lives in upstate New York with his wife and two daughters, and spends significant time in Romania. Listen to his other work at https://www.marcmellits.com/.com/.