Calypso for Leo

by Chelsea Tinsler Jones

Medium Marimba Solo

Instrumentation:

• Marimba (low A)

Calypso for Leo by Chelsea Tinsler Jones is a medium-level marimba solo that blends a relaxed calypso groove with approachable four-mallet writing.

Drawing on rhythms commonly associated with calypso music, the solo challenges performers to coordinate contrasting rhythmic figures between the hands while maintaining a steady pulse, promoting hand independence as its central focus.

Several appearances of the main melody encourage thoughtful phrasing and dynamic shaping, while a contrasting middle section offers a change in character resulting in a musically rewarding solo that balances technical development with an inviting, groove-oriented style.

This solo also appears in Sequential Studies for Four-Mallet Marimba Book 3 by Julia Gaines-Montag. It ships as a fully bound score.