VISION QUEST was written during the summer of 2002 as a work for myself to play, as I had not written a work for bass in many years.

Many of my works are taken from an improvisation to a greater or lesser degree.  This work is developed from a keyboard improvisation, however, it bares little resemblance to the original as the transformation has been extensive.  The original improvisation served as more of a springboard for the inspiration and the development of the piece.

The term "vision quest" is usually associated with Shamanism, and refers to a period of solitary fasting and chanting in the wilderness in search of a spiritually defining vision.  The work, however, is not particularly sectarian or partial to any particular religious tradition.  The work is meant to represent an ecstatic religious experience in a more abstract sense.  Neither is the music particularly Native American in character, though the ending "vision" section does bare a passing resemblance to the music associated with traditional Peyote ceremonies.

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