Zip’s Blues for Two is named after my chipmunk friend Zippy, who is in her third season of keeping me company on my back porch since the pandemic began. The mood and energy of the piece certainly reflects her own whether she is running around gathering food or sitting in my lap and playing the harmonica.

It is a short, flashy piece modeled after traditional blues harmonies and structures. It was commissioned by Flute Specialists specifically for the uncommon (but brilliant) pairing of the unusual (but also brilliant) Eb and Bb Flutes, for their presentation at the 2022 National Flute Association Convention in Chicago.

Zip’s Blues for Two makes use of the entire ranges of both instruments, in both lyric and energetically driving sections. It is approximately three and a half minutes in duration.