Tag: personal

New – Easy Access to My Music Videos!

Posted on 2026-08-01 Written by D. Lee Jackson Leave a Comment

If you’re looking for videos of my works for Band, Orchestra, or Chamber Ensembles, there’s a new easy access page on my website just for you!

I’ve set up a central page which will direct you to a pair of YouTube playlists, one for Band/Orchestra works, and another for Chamber Ensemble works. You’ll find a link to it at the end of this post. Scroll down until you see the “My Compositions on YouTube” box and click on it.

I’ll be updating the playlists as I release new works. Please check back occasionally to keep track.

Thanks for visiting!

My Compositions on YouTube

World Premiere Announcement – Elegy 137

Posted on 2026-07-03 Written by D. Lee Jackson Leave a Comment

I am honored to announce that the San Antonio Community Wind Ensemble (SACWE) will present the world premiere of my newest work, “Elegy 137,” on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 2:30 p.m., in the auditorium at Texas A&M University–San Antonio.

“Elegy 137” was written in memory of those who were lost during the devastating July 4th weekend flooding in Central Texas in 2025. At the time I wrote the work, 137 people lost their lives, with two people missing (some counts now list 139 deaths from the flooding). The tragedy struck close to home for me. I grew up in Austin, and many of my childhood days were spent in the countryside near Marble Falls — areas affected by the flooding. This work is dedicated to the memory of those lives, and to their friends and families, whose lives were forever changed by that weekend.

The premiere will be performed by SACWE, an ensemble whose musicianship and spirit make them uniquely suited to introduce this piece to the world. Their recent 10th anniversary concert, available on YouTube, showcases the ensemble’s exceptional blend, sensitivity, and energy. SACWE is part of the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps’ umbrella organization, Crossmen Productions, Inc., a group with a long tradition of excellence. The ensemble brings together musicians from across the San Antonio metro area — students, educators, professionals, and lifelong players — forming a dynamic and passionate musical family whose collective voice reflects a wide range of experiences and perspectives.

I am deeply grateful to Mr. Albert Aguilar, SACWE’s Music Director, for agreeing to program “Elegy 137” and for granting permission to share this announcement. His leadership, vision, and trust are remarkable, and having SACWE premiere the work is an honor I value profoundly.

More details will be shared as the performance date approaches, including additional program information and recording availability. Please watch this space for further announcements.

If you are in the San Antonio area on October 25th, I warmly invite you to attend the premiere and join us for this special moment as “Elegy 137” is performed for the very first time.

P.S. – If you wish to support ongoing recovery efforts, please consider donating to the Central Texas Flood Recovery Fund. Thank you.

Heart Issues Under Investigation

Posted on 2022-12-29 Written by D. Lee Jackson Leave a Comment

Human Heart Amidst all of the health issues I’ve had to deal with in my life, I never thought I’d have to deal with one this potentially serious.

I’ve been diagnosed with something called “Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction,” or HFpEF for short. I learned of this at a consultation with a cardiologist today, in which we followed up on an echocardiogram I’d had run earlier this month. That test showed I had the signs of HFpEF, one of which was an enlarged left atrium. The cardiologist said HFpEF is a form of heart failure where the heart “stiffens” while building up fluid, if my memory is correct.

Have I had a heart attack? Not that I know of. Most likely not. I have had chest discomfort and shortness of breath lasting several hours. Recently, I had some stinging sensations coming from the left side of my chest. I’m confused as to how to interpret them.

What lies ahead? Well, first up is a nuclear chemical stress test to see more clearly what’s going on. I’ll get that in a week or so, then I’ll have another follow-up with the cardiologist. I’m also going to have some more blood tests to check on my kidney functions and other things.

Some of this is, incidentally, leading up to another medical situation: the long-awaited repair surgery of the tear of my right shoulder’s rotator cuff. I’ve got to have cardiac and medical clearance in order to have the surgery done. Said surgery, tentatively scheduled for January 19th, is going to be tough, and is going to be hell from which to recover. Estimated physical therapy/recovery time is around a year, at least. Still, anything’s got to be better than sleeping upright in a chair and taking massive doses of painkillers every 4 hours. I really hope this surgery works. I really do.

Commissions, Hospitalizations, and a New Single Upcoming

Posted on 2022-04-23 Written by D. Lee Jackson Leave a Comment

Geisterwolken Head Solo This has been a month of mixed news so far. As the post title would indicate, I’ve completed a couple of commissions, been in the hospital a couple of times, and I’ve got a new single due to be released soon. First things first, though, we’ll cover the completed commissions.

To be precise, I’ve completed two commissions since my last blog update. The first was for Mr. Corey Burton of Australia, who commissioned a piece that I’ve named DeadBeard Fantasia. The other was commissioned by Mr. Dan Douglas in the U.K., who is working on the “Duke Smoochem” mod project. His work is titled Double Decker Chase, and can be heard right now on Mr. Douglas’s YouTube work-in-progress post. Both pieces will eventually appear on my Commissions page in full, hopefully sometime in May. I want to heartily thank Mr. Burton and Mr. Douglas both for commissioning me to write their songs!

Onto the health matters. I’ve spent more than my fair share of time in the hospital this month. On April 15th, I was admitted to a local hospital for extreme swelling in my legs, as well as for severe pain in my right arm related to my neck surgery (radiculopathy). I was given intravenous diuretics, and over the course of the next few days wound up losing 17 pounds of water weight from my legs. That’s over two gallons of water! I was also given strong painkillers for my arm, which is still bugging me after my release from the hospital.

A few days later, I underwent outpatient surgery to remove a screw from a toe on my left foot. It had been implanted to correct a “hammertoe” condition in my big toe last year, and was in the process of trying to work its way out through the tip of my toe. The doctor removed it without problems, but my arm began acting up on me again in the recovery room. Time for more painkillers. Sigh. I’m told that physical therapy will help my arm, so I’m going to start it as soon as I can.

My final note concerns a new single I’ve got coming out on Friday, May 6th. It’s called Geisterwolken, which translates to “Ghost Clouds,” and it’ll be released on Bandcamp, Amazon, Spotify, and all other major streaming platforms. I’ll announce it here when it’s out. In the meantime, allow me to leave you with a preview of the cover art for the song. I hope you will enjoy it!

Geisterwolken Preview