Stormy, Husky, Brawling

SKU: PR.114418410

ISBN 9781491133644. UPC: 680160641932. 9 x 12 inches.

Stormy, Husky, Brawling takes its name from the 4th line of the poem Chicago, written by Carl Sandburg in 1916 when Chicago was the heart of the meatpacking and railroad industries. When bass trombonist Sun He commissioned Garrop, he mentioned a deep love for Chicago, adding, “I remember the first time I walked on the street in Chicago, by the corner of Michigan and Roosevelt, and how I felt the energy of this city almost brought my blood to a boil...” Those images inspired Garrop to write a piece that conveys the beating pulse of the city, as well as its grandeur.
Stormy, Husky, Brawling takes its name from the 4th line of the poem Chicago, written by the American poet Carl Sandburg. Dating from 1916, the city of Chicago at that time served as the heart of the meatpacking and railroad industries. The poem’s lines mingle the dark underbelly of the city:And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the faces of women                      and children I have seen the marks of wanton hunger.with immense pride felt by its inhabitants:        Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive          and course and strong and cunning.As a Chicagoan myself, I find much of Sandburg’s unabashed view of the city very appealing and still relevant over a hundred years later.When bass trombonist Sun He commissioned me for a solo trombone piece, he mentioned his deep love for Chicago. He wrote to me in an email:“I remember the first time I walked on the street in Chicago, by the corner of Michigan and Roosevelt, and how I felt the energy of this city almost brought my blood to a boil...”His words inspired me to write a piece that conveys the beating pulse of the city, as well as its grandeur. Carl Sandburg’s poem became the perfect inspiration to tell the story of the pride Sun He and I have for Chicago.Sun He has dedicated Stormy, Husky, Brawling to Jane Addams and the Hull House of Chicago. Ms. Addams (1860-1935) was a distinguished sociologist, social worker, philosopher, and author, who opened the Hull House in 1889. She provided many services to immigrant families at the Hull House, including kindergarten, day care, an employment bureau, and classes in English, citizenship, music, theater, and the arts.