At the time I was planning to write a piece for La Banda Elástica, a group of free jazz musicians in Mexico City, my dearest friend and wood sculptor Laurie Josephs passed away in London. A man of great knowledge on life and great lover of music without any preferences for a style, country, or culture. So it seemed to me that to write a piece for such an eclectic and open group like La Banda Elástica, was a chance to pay homage to him. The instrumentation was given by the group and also to some degree, the choice of the material. My aim was to try to explore all possibilities and potential of the group, as well as to bring forth their unique qualities. The shape of the work was determined by the idea of a tribute to my friend Laurie: the first piece is evocative and tries to portray a pilgrimage by means of the low huehuetl. The second piece attempts to give voice to all instruments (except the tabla), as a way to give space to each one of them to express their own voices. And finally the third piece is a celebration of life, with the tabla introducing the new voice, a new pitch (C sharp) and a new piece. Tres Piezas in Memoriam L.J. (1998) was commissioned by La Banda Elástica with funds provided by Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes.

- Hilda Paredes