Point Blank (score/parts) - REED5

Point Blank
for reed quintet: oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, bass clarinet & bassoon
by Logan Rutledge - American composer

Point Blank is a brief piece in memory of Trayvon Martin that displays his innocence as a child while still maintaining brief glimpses of the grim-natured person and society that took his life away. I came up with the idea for writing Point Blank as I became disgusted when, time after time from Trayvon in 2012 to Stephon Clark just days before writing this, another black male was killed by police officers or vigilantes without society at large standing up for them.
I am a white man, and in 2012 when Trayvon Martin was killed, I was living in Florida. The headlines were swarmed with his story and the court case was publicized and broadcast live on television. Florida had just enacted the "Stand Your Ground" Law, a law that enabled citizens to use deadly force when they felt in danger. This law made the racially charged killing of innocent black people ambiguous in terms of legality, as what some saw as an obvious homicide could be ruled as a person using deadly force in self-defense. This precedent set by the Trayvon Martin case sent a rage into the African-American community similar to that of Rodney King in the 90's. I was also in shock; to me, there were no words or means of understanding how a white man could kill a black child in public with no reason other than the subjective feeling of endangerment.
Point Blank is meant as an homage to Trayvon and a message to the government and society that we need to care for each other. We need to weed out the bigots and racists in
power. White people need to be quiet and listen to African-Americans speak out so that real, compassionate change can occur.
- Logan Rutledge, March 31st, 2018

From the Akropolis Quintet Collection

A maverick of new wind music, Akropolis is committed to showcasing the vast possibilities of the reed quintet through our adventurous repertoire spanning over 400 years of musical history. Having premiered over 50 works for the unique combination of oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bass clarinet, and bassoon, Akropolis is devoted to expanding the existing reed quintet repertoire with imaginative arrangements and the continued development of new works by emerging and established composers.

From the dozens of professional reed quintets actively performing around the world, to the hundreds of student ensembles forming at universities around the United States alone, we hope this collection of our ever-growing repertoire continues to help inspire reed quintet growth around the globe. In the collection below, you’ll find works Akropolis has commissioned and arranged, plus works commissioned or arranged by other artists from around the world we consider important contributions to the standard repertoire of the reed quintet.