PROGRAM NOTES FOR THE BUSHWAKKER SIX PACK by Elizabeth Raum
The Bushwakker Brewpub is a place where friends gather to have a good time, talking, eating, and indulging in the wonderful varieties of brews that make it one of the favorite brewpubs in Regina. Each movement of this suite is named after one of the beers brewed and served at the Bushwakker Brewpub. I’ve always found these names to be so imaginative that they invoke scenes and people: Stubblejumper Pilsener (two crusty old farmers getting together for a beer and an argument); Northern Lights Lager (quite minimalist with the shifting chord patterns like the shifting colors of the Northern Lights); Screamin’ Mosquito Chili Beer (a bit of “Tex/Mex” bothered by a pesky mosquito); Last Mountain Lager (the grand panorama of the Rocky Mountains); MacGregor’s Wee Heavy (ending with a Scottish reel), and India Pale Ale (the steady rhythm of the raga broken by an occasional flourish of individual instruments). Due to requests by a number of musicians, there are the following versions of this piece with piano: Trumpet & Horn; Trumpet & Trombone; Trumpet & Clarinet; Trumpet & Oboe; Clarinet & Saxophone; Clarinet & Horn; Clarinet & Trombone
