PIMPIN’, Jacob TV

Repertoire

PIMPIN’ is one of the outstanding works of the repertoire for baritone saxophone. If you like modern music, you will enjoy playing this work a lot.

The Composer

JACOB TV (Jacob ter Veldhuis, The Netherlands, 1951) is nowadays one of the most performed European composers. He started as a rock musician and studied composition and electronic music at the Groningen Conservatoire. His music is a kind of fusion of different styles, which includes very critical comments on some present-day subjects. The self-proclaimed “avant-pop composer” Jacob TV has successfully connected with all kinds of audiences.

Click here to read more about the composer.

Details of the work

Publisher: Donemus Publishing (NDL) / Boombox Holland, Doorn – Jacob TV online store
Duration: 8:32
Range (written): A2 – E6
TECHNIQUES: Wide range of dynamics and timbres. Tonguing accuracy. Diversity of articulations and vibratos. Very fast excerpts. Altissimo register. Bend. Growl.
PERFORMANCE: Scenic attitude. To play with a modern groove.

Meaning and Structure of Pimpin’

Composed between 2007-2008 for baritone saxophone and tape, this work is dedicated to two very good friends of Jacob TV: American saxophonist Connie Frigo and the great Dutch baritonist of the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, Willem van Merwijk.

PIMPIN’ is divided in six parts with no interruption: MOUTH LIKE AN UZI / CHARISMA / WHY AM I DOING THIS? / THE FULL 100% / LIKE PICASSO / HAHAHAHA. The lyrics are sung, rapped and spoken in the USA pimps’ slang. Every part showcases different (funny, hilarious but also rude, hard and even sad) moments of their way of living. It is easy to see how hard and difficult is this life.

Jacob TV asks that the audience can follow the lyrics in order to understand what is being said because voices are often spoken and sung very quickly. With no doubt, a good solution would be to buy the video version. Before the composer gave this option, I created my own video version (as some other baritone players did), and I play it live in concert.

Watch it above…

The piece is technically very demanding. You should play it with lot of energy: there is no time to relax in its 8:32 minutes length! The role of the baritone is varied and important: sometimes it doubles the voice and/or the double-bass and acts as an independent line. You will find very fast excerpts, some of them with long ties between intervals and in the altissimo register. However, I think that the main technical difficulty of PIMPIN’ is the rhythmical precision and the character.

In my opinion, the work on the piece would be much easier if you know how to play modern music in terms of feeling, sound, etc. There are not many character indications in the score. So, the listening of modern music (funk, rock, rap, etc.) will help you a lot to perform PIMPIN’ successfully. You won’t need a beautiful classical sound (like a cello) but the groove and the articulation and colors of the voice, the double-bass or a wind section will be more useful.

Don’t be shy and let yourself go with this powerful music!