Blues for D.D. - OB/EH

Blues for D.D.
for oboe and English horn
by Jeffrey Agrell - American composer and hornist

Blues for D.D. was written for oboe virtuoso Diana Doherty at her request. It starts slow and easy, and then takes off, transmogrifying the blues through sections of catchy swing, lilting Latin, and blistering bebop before crashing to earth with a nearly three octave chromatic swoop and concluding with a sassy bit of tongue in cheek.

The piece was designed to be fun to play and fun to listen to, and to test the outer limits of the possible in oboe technique. Thus, the principal requirements for undertaking this piece are a sense of humor and considerably more technique than God. The Blues is an oboist’s Everest. The English horn is the musical sherpa here, accompanying the adventurer, but the oboist must climb the whole way themself, and only an elite few are capable of making it to the top. A live performance of Blues for D.D. is a breathless and thrilling experience for all concerned. (Be sure to check out Diana Doherty’s CD Blues for D.D. with two versions of this piece (ABC Classics ABC4657822).

For the original version for unaccompanied oboe click HERE. 

For the version for oboe and piano, click HERE.

For the version for oboe and bassoon, click HERE.

For the version for oboe and English horn, click HERE.

About the Composer

Jeffrey Agrell was horn professor at The University of Iowa School of Music 2000-2021 after a first career as professional symphony musician. He has won awards as both a writer and composer, with dozens of compositions published, recorded, and performed worldwide, plus over one hundred articles and nine books, including Improvisation Games for Classical Musicians (2008) & Vol. II (2016).