Imani Winds expanding woodwind reach, repertoire

When Imani Winds hit its 10th anniversary a few years back, the group decided to stretch the celebration over several years.

"Three years ago, when we had our 10th anniversary, (founder and flutist Valerie Coleman) felt we needed to come up with a big project to mark the occasion," bassoonist Monica Ellis said in a phone interview with the Deseret News.

That was how the ensemble's Legacy Commissioning Project began. "This is a five-year plan where we commission 10 composers to each write a work for us," Ellis said. One of those works, Jason Moran's "Cane," will be on the program when Imani Winds plays in BYU's de Jong Concert Hall on Friday.

"Jason is an innovative and interesting composer who hadn't written anything for woodwind quintet before," Ellis said.

"Cane" is a biographical piece that was inspired by his heritage and details the life of one of his ancestors who came to the United States from Togo as a slave.

"Each movement represents a different part of her life," Ellis said. "And Jason traces that life to his own time today. It's a moving and emotional piece and beautifully written."

Imani Winds recently recorded "Cane" for an album of new music that is scheduled to be released this fall.

The Legacy Commissioning Project is more than just a vehicle for the group to celebrate its first decade, Ellis said. "It's a way to increase the woodwind literature and repertoire." And they've approached composers from a wide range of musical backgrounds, not just classical. "We're looking for different genres and backgrounds, everything from jazz to classical. We definitely want to keep things diverse in respect to musical areas and composers."

And that's also true for their concerts as well. The program they're playing at BYU is representative. Besides "Cane," there are two other newer pieces, including Coleman's "Red Clay Mississippi Delta" and a quintet by Daniel Schnyder.

"Valerie has written a lot of works and has done a lot of arranging for the group," Ellis said. "The piece we're playing is her latest. It's a reminiscence of her own people from Mississippi. It's a wonderful scherzo style piece with a classical format."

Schnyder's, on the other hand, is a work immersed in jazz. "Daniel is a sax player with a jazz background. He wrote this quintet several years ago. It wasn't written for us, but we love playing it. It has complicated melodies and harmonies. It's sophisticated but very accessible."