The Blue Bag

This mysterious title is short for “blue bagatelle,” meaning a short concert piece influenced by the Blues. Hailstork has written of the work, “In the back of my mind, I carried the images and music-making of four classy-sassy ladies of song: Nancy Wilson, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, and Aretha Franklin.” While the clarinet part is almost completely written out, there are a few brief spots inviting blues-style improvisation. THE BLUE BAG was composed for clarinet legend Anthony McGill.