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Hah!
I could've sworn I mentioned this *great* CD on a film music forum before but it may not have been this one. I know that I played it for some of my film music friends in person some years back: I remember Jon Broxton and Christian (Kuhni to his friends, not Clemmenson) being particularly impressed with it I think. Everyone was so into it that we just stayed in the car to hear the whole thing.
I've had this album for almost ten years now and I still enjoy listening to it. I also promoted it heavily when I worked at Joel's Classical Shop. I got in touch with Jett Hitt himself (very nice guy) who distributes his own CD and reordered it a number of times, getting 5 copies each time, so that tells you it was a pretty decent seller among the 10,000 classical titles we had in stock. I would pop it on the speaker and convinced many people to buy it. Wish I was still there to keep promoting such a great piece!
Unfortunately the composer isn't interested in writing Hollywood scores and in fact enjoys his day job which is giving tours of Yellowstone. He still does write music in his spare time (he has a doctorate in composition -- as well as German I think -- but he spends his time basically as a cowboy/tour guide!) He told me he was working on another concerto but as far as making a recording, who knows? It's been years since this one came out.
I must give some credit where credit is due: I probably would never have run across this CD were it not for my grandfather, who heard it on the radio in Prescott, Arizona. Knowing my love of film music (not really his thing but he loves classical, especially opera) he recommended it to me as sounding in a similar vein. I took his advice a year or so later and ordered it off Amazon and it was a great buy. I highly recommend it to everyone else!
If you go to Hitt's website you can learn more about him and I think there might be some other pieces available in MP3 (at least sound clips of them):
http://www.yellowstonewilderness.com/
Yavar
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That mockup sounds pretty good; thanks for linking me to it. I hope he's able to record it with an orchestra some time. Now that I think about it I'm sure he mentioned being in the process of writing the piano concerto, and having some interest in doing a cello concerto too.
I suggested to him that he should also really consider writing a guitar concerto considering he's so good at that "western" sound. (I listened to Yellowstone many times while reading the novel Lonesome Dove, along with Poledouris's amazing work of course). He shot the idea down, saying he really didn't know how to write for the instrument!
I told him that one of the greatest composers of all time felt the same way -- Elmer Bernstein -- yet by consulting with his friend (and dedicatee) Christopher Parkening, he was able to write a really excellent one. I meant to send him a copy of it (since it's out of print sadly), but I think in the craziness of getting ready to move to Santa Fe and become a full time student again it moved to the bottom of my list of priorities and I never did it. Perhaps I'll still get a copy out to him one of these years, or maybe he just picked himself up a copy...
Yavar
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I really hope one of the friends I played this music for in Los Angeles chimes in so that you and I aren't the only ones discussing Dr. Hitt's wonderful music... Jon? I think back then you said you were going to buy yourself a copy (and perhaps even review it on your site?) Did you ever pick it up?
Yavar
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Yeah, but I don't think that's the case with Hitt. I mean, he wrote a piece, dedicated it to Anne-Sophie Mutter, and then probably personally funded a recording of it (with an Eastern European orchestra)...so he's got some perseverance. I think he just really enjoys the life he leads in the beauty of Yellowstone and wouldn't want to leave it for a stressful career in Hollywood.
And yes Bob, I own that classical Holdridge disc on Citadel and it's great. I only wish we could get another with some of Holdridge's other concert works...say the mysterious Violin Concerto No. 1 for instance?
Always thought it was a pity Goldsmith never wrote a full guitar concerto after hearing the awesomeness that is Bajo Fuego...(and Rio Lobo and his Toccata for Solo Guitar show he had great affinity for the instrument too.)
Yavar
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Awesome, hehe! I totally forgot you took that picture...didn't you post it somewhere else shortly after you took it? Was it MMUK?
Thanks for chiming in old friend. 
Yavar
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Well, I hadn't heard anything from this composer, but the YouTube link above sent me over to the composer's site to order the CD ($19.99: $16.99 + $3.00 S/H in the United States). This was just beautiful, and I thank everyone on this thread for alerting me to this work.
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Double Post
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Anyone in Houston might still be able to find a copy at Joel's Classical Shop for cheaper (I think we were selling them for $14.99 or at least $16.99 but that may have changed.)
I also recommend dealing with Hitt directly rather than paying inflated prices on Amazon. Really interested to hear what people think when they get it and listen!
Yavar
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