I have always been drawn to the sounds of early American jazz. Sud Buster’s Dream is the title of a work by 1920’s Chicago band leader Tiny Parham. The music of that period is full of a volatile energy and it communicates the exuberance, and spirit of a rapidly changing time. There is a wonderful zaniness and humor that feels unguarded and spontaneous. I wanted to respond to the pure joy and infectious rhythms that spill out of the music. There is also often a kind of nostalgia and sadness in the music reflecting a culture being disrupted by its own aspiration and innovation. It was much like today a time of great disparity of wealth and opportunity. There were definitely winners and losers. In researching the period I became interested in the world of the American Sideshow with its colorful but fraught implications. It’s wild narratives and characters still retain a powerful hold on our imaginations. I wanted to reference this world which surfaced in response to the anxiety and intoxication of a period of great change, as we come to terms with the fears and fascinations of our own rapidly shifting time. -David Shimotakahara