Phoenix Music Publications

In the summer of 1979, I was employed on the Mayan Ranch in Bandera, Texas, located about sixty miles south of San Antonio. It was there that I encountered all of the excitements as well as the hard work associated with ranch life. Cooking breakfast out on the trail for ranch guests, cleaning out ancient tarantula-ridden bunk houses, and chasing away rattle-snakes and water-moccasins were some of the typical duties I had to perform. It was here that I experienced the traditions of the Old West that were to later influence my compositional style. Bandera for trumpet, horn, trombone, and piano is a tribute to these people who keep alive the venerable cowboy life.

- Kerry Turner

The Pocono Mountains of northern Pennsylvania have always been a rich source of creative inspiration for me. The basic concepts of many of my works germinated there during quiet weeks spent on vacation. Probably the most striking thing is the abundance of wild life. Within 24 hours of your stay there you will encounter deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, raccoons and, if you are lucky, bears. While composing The Pocono Menagerie, I stood outside in the woods, or took long walks down to a pond and dreamed up each episode while literally watching these animals move about and carry on about their business.