Sneak Peak: Program Notes for Jeff Paul's "Desert Wind" | Lakota Music Project Premier

The inspiration for “Desert Wind” comes from an atmosphere that ties together both physically and emotionally, and is largely introspective.

That atmosphere is loneliness.

Loneliness is both depicted and dealt with in the piece, and in the end the “loneliness” becomes “aloneness” which provides more opportunity for one to find beauty, comfort, and enlightenment in it—overall a very positive outlook on a landscape that appears barren and desolate on the surface. We are meant to revel in it, finding peace and even warmth inside ourselves.

I first decided to explore this idea musically after having lived in South Dakota for a year or two, before which I was in Southern California for most of my life. I was fondly remembering my various road trips that happened frequently through late high school and college, and even during my family’s move to the Midwest. The desert landscapes of the California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah interstates were always particularly poignant to me, and I was surprised to discover that the high plains and prairie landscapes in South Dakota were really quite similar (after you factor out the temperature) and that the feeling I got from the Dakotan prairies was intimately related. I came up with the piece, and was hopeful that the melody would be able to reach anyone who has had a certain intimacy with the prairie environment, including Lakota communities. I felt that the sound of my piece and the sound of traditional Lakota song, though very different, would complement each other profoundly, and have been working hard to weave and integrate the two together in my new expansion.

Formally speaking, the piece is mono-thematic, and I have sewn together a sort of consilient theme and variations, being extremely careful not to abstract the theme very much, as my intent is to maintain the singularity and clarity of the melody and atmosphere with only the most minute changes. It might be better described as a “Theme-and- Varied- Repetitions” sort of thing. I have drawn notable inspiration from the music of Neil Young, and some from Flamenco guitar music. My textures are intended to toe the line, sometimes crossing from one side to the other, between the constant and constantly changing winds (physically), and some of the feelings you might get from them, from the solemn to the invigorating, all the while maintaining the fundamental oneness beneath the variations.