This concerto had its beginnings in 1997.  It recalls the dance music of my teenage years.  When I was about 16 I joined with some high school friends to form a dance band known as the Clefs.  During our junior and senior years the music we played was in high demand.   We played both summer and winter for church, school, and community dances in Star Valley and surrounding areas.  For our repertoire of about 30 songs we turned to the tunes that were popular at the time—the swing music of the 40s and 50s.  It included upbeat jitterbugs and slow to moderate blues, ballads, and waltzes.  Our idols were big band leaders like Glenn Miller.  George Gershwin was at the time my favorite composer.  I remember listening to an abridged version of Rhapsody in Blue on a little 45 RPM record player.  The blues melodies of this famous piece stuck with me, as anyone familiar with them and this concerto can attest.