Mikel Kuehn - Works

Karikatur (2018), for tenor saxophone and prepared piano

Program Note

Karikatur (German for caricature or cartoon), for tenor saxophone and piano, began with the intuitive creation of small musical “sketches” similar to how one might draw or doodle absentmindedly while performing an unrelated task (e.g., talking on the phone). I then mapped various drawing techniques, such as feathering and shading, onto the musical canvas in order to juxtapose and combine these elements in a more fluid way. The final composition has the qualities of a cartoon in terms of its simple shapes and, at times, fleeting and absurd narrative elements. The overall work is cast in three sections: the outer sections are related in a general arch form where the material from the first part is revisited in the last but in reverse order. The middle section is much more fluid and dramatic, playing on repetitive and energetic elements. Karikatur was written in the winter and spring of 2018 for saxophonist Jeffrey Vickers for the 18th World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia.