Wink by Mark Ford

Wink is a duet for alto saxophone and marimba that was written for my sons Austin (marimba) and Kevin Ford (saxophone). Premiered by saxophonist Ann Bradfield and myself in January of 2011, Wink was designed to be a groovy-hip collaboration that explores three main themes: a syncopated melody, a floating assertion and a waltz-like phrase. Wink gradually builds to an adaptation of the opening statement to end the work. The title refers to those beautiful moments between fathers and sons when words are not necessary, just a wink and a smile.