I originally composed Laconic Pentatonic for young saxophone players, with the aim of creating a short work that would be engaging to play without being overly difficult. The result is a compact, energetic piece—fun, groovy, and concise—that still makes a complete musical statement despite its brevity.
In March 2018 I had the privilege of recording the work with the outstanding Tel Aviv Saxophone Quartet, thanks to the Israel Composers’ League. After the formal session, we found ourselves with half an hour of studio time left. I suggested that the quartet improvise freely on the first theme—which I described as lying “somewhere between Coltrane and Lachenmann”—and asked Yaron Aldema to keep the microphones running. The improvisation was so inspired that I decided to incorporate it into the piece as an ad libitum section, making spontaneity and freedom an integral part of the work’s identity.