Rick Dior’s Wiggle Room is an homage to all of the great jazz fusion groups of the last five decades. This fast driving, funky composition draws its name form the main melodic motif which “wiggles” through several iterations getting longer with each repetition. True to jazz, there are ample solo opportunities for certain members of the ensemble. Although some of the solos are notated, the performers may feel free to improvise their own solos during the solo section and repeat the form several times if desired.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
• Glockenspiel
• Xylophone
• Vibraphone
• 2 marimbas—(2) low A
• Electric piano (optional)
• Bass Guitar (or synth bass)
• Drums (horizontal kick drum, timbales, tom-toms (4), drumset, congas, bongos)
• Cymbals & gongs (hi-hat, ride cymbal, crash cymbal)
• Accessories (one-shot shakers, cowbell, high pitched metals (2))
“Wiggle Room” is six-and-a-half minutes of pure energy! This piece for percussion ensemble and rhythm section has a funky, jazz fusion feel throughout and features complex grooves, seemingly relentless keyboard licks in spots, and ample opportunities for soloing. Rick Dior states that the title “draws its name from the main melodic motif, which ‘wiggles’ through several iterations getting longer and longer with each repetition.”
The opening section is characterized by this motif, which features highly syncopated group hits and unison licks in the keyboard instrument parts. The B section is a written-out xylophone solo followed by a written-out marimba solo. Dior says that these solos can be improvised or lengthened as the performers see fit. A middle section switches to 7/8 time and features all non- pitched instruments. A return of the main motif finishes out the piece with an exciting finale. Any programming of this work requires a very strong and stable rhythm section, as well as xylophone and marimba players with some chops to be able to execute many fast, sixteenth-note passages accurately.
I highly recommend this piece for an advanced percussion ensemble. It is sure to be a crowd-pleaser on any performance. The work put into performing this piece would be well worth it. As previously stated, a strong rhythm section is foundational to this piece and would really blow the roof off any performance venue.
—Justin Bunting
Percussive Notes
Vol. 58, No. 6, December 2020
Rick Dior’s Wiggle Room is an homage to all of the great jazz fusion groups of the last five decades. This fast driving, funky composition draws its name form the main melodic motif which “wiggles” through several iterations getting longer with each repetition. True to jazz, there are ample solo opportunities for certain members of the ensemble. Although some of the solos are notated, the performers may feel free to improvise their own solos during the solo section and repeat the form several times if desired.
This piece comes as a professionally printed and bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for printing or for tablet viewing.
• Glockenspiel
• Xylophone
• Vibraphone
• 2 marimbas—(2) low A
• Electric piano (optional)
• Bass Guitar (or synth bass)
• Drums (horizontal kick drum, timbales, tom-toms (4), drumset, congas, bongos)
• Cymbals & gongs (hi-hat, ride cymbal, crash cymbal)
• Accessories (one-shot shakers, cowbell, high pitched metals (2))
“Wiggle Room” is six-and-a-half minutes of pure energy! This piece for percussion ensemble and rhythm section has a funky, jazz fusion feel throughout and features complex grooves, seemingly relentless keyboard licks in spots, and ample opportunities for soloing. Rick Dior states that the title “draws its name from the main melodic motif, which ‘wiggles’ through several iterations getting longer and longer with each repetition.”
The opening section is characterized by this motif, which features highly syncopated group hits and unison licks in the keyboard instrument parts. The B section is a written-out xylophone solo followed by a written-out marimba solo. Dior says that these solos can be improvised or lengthened as the performers see fit. A middle section switches to 7/8 time and features all non- pitched instruments. A return of the main motif finishes out the piece with an exciting finale. Any programming of this work requires a very strong and stable rhythm section, as well as xylophone and marimba players with some chops to be able to execute many fast, sixteenth-note passages accurately.
I highly recommend this piece for an advanced percussion ensemble. It is sure to be a crowd-pleaser on any performance. The work put into performing this piece would be well worth it. As previously stated, a strong rhythm section is foundational to this piece and would really blow the roof off any performance venue.
—Justin Bunting
Percussive Notes
Vol. 58, No. 6, December 2020