Program notes
Fuzz was commissioned by Dr. Debra Tanner Abell to honor the memory of her father, James Tanner. Mr. Tanner was a talented jazz musician from Philadelphia—a vivacious trumpet player whose nickname, “Fuzz,” came from his characteristic fuzzy sound on the instrument.
One of the major chapters of his life occurred as a Black American GI stationed in post–war Germany in the early 1950s, where he played jazz for four years with the U.S. military band. For a Black jazz musician at that time, Europe represented creative opportunity and a new sense of freedom, far from the overwhelming prejudice he experienced in the United States. He remembered those years as the best of his life. It was there that he met his love and future wife, Irmgard Achatz, a German woman eager to embrace a new country and a new life. They moved to the United States, settled, and had two children, one of them, Debra. She has kept his memory alive, as well as the memory of a childhood shaped by challenges, transcultural experiences, and the remnants of a war that did not want to be forgotten.
Throughout these difficulties, Fuzz remained a model of enthusiasm and happiness. Unfortunately, his death was accompanied by the loss of all his arrangements and compositions. Debra’s wish in commissioning this work was to keep her father’s voice alive.
Fuzz was written for solo trumpet and strings. It has four sections: A–B–C–A′. Section A presents an introspective, slow atmosphere in which the trumpet sounds somewhat suffocated—not very clear, like a voice that emerges from the past. Section B introduces jazz elements that interact with the strings, creating a more defined and present character. Section C is based on salsa rhythms and a festive mood, merging a celebration of his life with his love of music. Finally, the last section returns to a nostalgic, interior space in memory, where loved ones long gone remain a little fuzzy, yet intensely present.
— Susana Amundaraín
Instrumentation & duration
Instrumentation: Trumpet and string orchestra (trumpet & piano reduction). There is also an oboe and
string orchestra version (oboe & piano reduction), and a separate concert version for trumpet & piano. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
Duration: ca. 7:30 (trumpet & strings); ca. 7:15 (trumpet & piano version).