Washington Statements is a musical travelogue through the state of Washington. Cities of the Sound, the fourth of its five movements demonstrates the remarkable mixing of cultures found in the cities that surround Puget Sound. People from the eastern and southern states have migrated west bringing European influences, while the cultures of Asia have flowed across the Pacific to produce a stir-fry of flavors from all over.
This movement, the longest of the five, is a theme and variations and is by far the most diverse stylistically, which lends itself very well as a stand-alone piece, as presented here. After the full statement of the theme in traditional style there are five distict variations before the concluding epilogue section which restates the theme, with some brass band traditionality. The first variation is All That Jazz, representing the softer side of the nightclub scene scattered throughout the region. Variation two is East Meets West, an Asian style section making use of the pentatonic scale found in East Asian music. Variation three is The Grunge, or at least the best attempt that can be made using a brass band. (True grunge is heavily distorted guitars and depricating lyrics, neither of which can be easily replicated in the band!) After the intensity of the rock section and in stark contrast, follows Master Classical... very calm and serene, in a modified Bachian style. The musical culture of the Northwest would not be fully represented without the final variation, Native Waves, where the drum and chant-style, non-verbal song melds with the original theme as do the cultures of the area. The Epilogue, which could be considered yet one more variation, but which diverges from the true "Cities" relationships, was intended as a restatement of the original theme in the context of competitive music that might be found in the traditional brass bands of Europe, hence something of a geographical departure from the local scene. Overall this piece is full of the varieties and colors of musical and cultural life found all along the shores of Puget Sound.