Clarinet performed by Margaret Archibald
Audio production by Robert Archibald
Russell Pointer is a young British animator living in Bromley and this is his second video for Everyone Matters in the “Music Links” series. Margaret Archibald suggested “Paquito” to Russell after she’d worked at Andy Scott’s music while coaching a group of amateur clarinet players during an online course at Benslow Music in November 2020. It was huge fun working at the piece, albeit remotely with players distributed across the UK in lockdown, and Margaret decided to record all 8 parts to assist the group.
Andy Scott composed “Paquito” for the British Clarinet Ensemble that gave the first performance conducted by Charles Hine at the University of Maryland, Washington DC in July 2004 as part of the Clarinetfest of the International Clarinet Association. Originally scored for 12 clarinets, Andy subsequently made an arrangement for 7 Bb clarinets and bass clarinet and that is the version performed here. “Paquito” is a fast salsa that pays homage to the brilliant composer-saxophonist-clarinettist Paquito D’Rivera.
Andy Scott, saxophonist, composer and educator, has a lifelong passion for music and over 30 years experience of initiating creative projects. He is a highly versatile contemporary musician, with a distinctive saxophonic and compositional voice that encompasses elements of jazz, world and contemporary classical styles:
Andy’s music is published by Astute Music:
In a series of WhatsApp messages Margaret watched with fascination as the video evolved from Russell’s first idea, through his shot sheet linking the storyline to precise moments in the score, to tiny clips of moments captured in his studio, often in the early hours of the morning and using props that included many re-purposed household items.