Spontaneous Combustion (1991), was commissioned by and is dedicated
to saxophonist Timothy Timmons, and is the ninth in a series of
works that combine soloists with a computer-generated
accompaniment that is comprised solely of sounds from the solo
instrument. The effect is rather like a concerto for performer and
him/her self, exhibiting all the dramatic relationships of any
concerto, such as solo and “tutti” passages, changing relationships between the participants (leader, follower, antagonist, partner), etc.
The saxophone sounds were recorded, edited, and stored on a 386 machine, manipulated and mixed using Csound software, and
converted using Micro Technology Unlimited’s DS16 ADA
converter.

The title describes the volatile, unpredictable, and highly charged
character of much of the piece, which is built on horizontal and
vertical layerings of small ideas that interact and interlock to form
a whole which is, I hope, greater than the sum of its parts.