The debut album of Sqwonk, includes Jonathan’s compositions “KlezDuo,” “…and the Beast…” and his arrangement of Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue.”
“In a certain sense, Sqwonk came into existence some time in the spring of 2005. This is when Jon Russell and Jeff Anderle started playing bass clarinet duets together, leading up to a joint recital in May, the discovery of the name Sqwonk that autumn, and History soon thereafter. In another, deeper sense, Sqwonk has always existed, in the fiery heart of the volcano, in the primal scream of the pterodactyl, and in the laughter of small children and rodents. This, our first and greatest CD to date, came about from our desire to create a repertoire of new works for bass clarinet duet that captured the Sqwonk aesthetic – music that is at once fierce, vital, and humorous, drawing on the precision and depth of classical music, but infused with the vitality and boisterousness popular and folk styles. We hope you enjoy it. Features works by Jonathan Russell, Ian Dicke, Damon Waitkus, and J.S. Bach.”