Seed Keepers – A Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra commission in 2024, Seed Keepers was written for a jazz big band ensemble. Part of the guidelines for this commission was to compose music that would be accessible for students to learn, I composed for a senior level high school jazz band. Listen to the full demo of Seed Keepers below:

Special thanks to the Galloway/Cade Big Band for the demo recording!

If you would like to purchase Seed Keepers (pdf form) for your jazz band to play, please send me a message: monica.c.jones@gmail.com

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About Seed Keepers:

“We do not own the Seeds, we borrow them from our children.” -Mohawk Proverb

When I wrote “Seed Keepers” I was inspired by Georgia Anne Muldrow’s song: Seeds (2012); and also inspired by the work of Vandana Shiva. “A seed is a promise, one of the oldest promises we know. When you plant a seed, that seed should grow.” This piece was composed with two sections in mind, a serious section at the beginning and end with a more joyous section in the middle. The composition opens with the trombones, beginning like a seed gradually opening up in spring and building upon itself with the addition of more instruments. The melody starts with two voices and gradually more join in, this an elaboration on Muldrow’s original melody which asked a question: “Who’s on the lookout for the seeds?” As I evolved on that melody and although there aren’t any lyrics here, I imagined the melody to instead state: “We’re on the lookout for the seeds.”

As I composed the first part of this piece I was reflecting on the state of seeds in our world today. The disappearance of biodiversity, seed patenting, genetically modified seeds and people’s rights to seed freedom was weighing heavy on my mind. As a mother of two, I worry more than ever now about the state of the world we are leaving to future generations. As this section builds with a feeling of urgency, my hope is to empower people, especially the younger generations to take action. But because I truly believe in the healing capabilities of music I wanted to have a joyful and celebratory side to this piece as well. The first section then opens up into a funky section where we celebrate life, seeds, future generations and remember that we are all Seed Keepers. We shake the seeds in rhythm and they too become part of the music. We then move back into the opening section and “Seed Keepers” ends just like it began, a reflection on the circle of life and the seed itself.

~Monica Jones