This coming Wednesday, cellists Rufus Cappadocia, Trevor Exter, Claude Lamothe and  Jody Redhage will appear at the Living Room in Manhattan.
Â
Wednesday, June 3rd from 7 to 10pm
The Living Room
152 Ludlow Street
New York, NY
Free admission (tip jar for musicians) RUFUS CAPPADOCIA has appeared with Aretha Franklin, Odetta, Cheick Tidiane Seck, and Vernon Reid, former guitarist of Living Color. He is a world-class artist with a world-spanning musical reach.
Â
“Adventurous cello songstress JODY REDHAGE“, (Time OutNY) is “a new music dynamo…Redhage is cultivating a growing repertoire of indie art song that breaches genre boundaries and makes for stirring listening” (Musicworks magazine).
Â
Music composer for television, theatre, and cinema, CLAUDE LAMOTHE is, beyond everything, a cello virtuoso. After studying at the Music Faculty of the Montreal’s University, he became a member of I Musici, the chamber orchestra of Montreal (1983) directed by the cellist Yuli Turovsky. Around the end of the 80’s, he joined the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne and played as a soloist at the Carnegie recital Hall of New-York, the National concert Hall of Madrid and at the Konzert Gebow of Amsterdam.
Â
TREVOR EXTER was born in Ithaca, NY. He always played different things, but kept coming back to the cello. He sits with the cello and sings, but he plays it weirdly, like a tiny bass or aquatic guitar. He also hits it sometimes. He’s been a sideman with many artists around NYC, and he almost won “NYC Soundtracks” in 2008, which is sort of like American Idol for buskers in the New York Subway (but cooler).
Western PA’s Black Moth Super Rainbow hasn’t abandoned a psychedelic aesthetic by any means on Eating Us, their latest LP for Graveface. Joined by producer David Fridmann (Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips, Mogwai), they create indie pop soundscapes that swarm with trippy effects; this is especially evident on “Born on a Day the Sun Didn’t Shine.â€Â Â
But despite these sonic artifacts, there’s little of the languor sometimes associated with psych in their new compositions. On “Dark Bubbles†and “Iron Lemonade,†there’s a focused determination to the proceedings. “Tooth Decay†and “Twin of Myself†explore additional electronic elements in some of the band’s most fetching and accessible work to date. Indeed, one might suggest that the band has poised itself to gain wider currency and, one hopes, more frequent airplay. Meanwhile, “Gold Splatter†and “Fields are Breathing†prove them still capable of fertile jamming.
Thus, with Eating US, BMSR maintains a venturesome spirit while creating music with pithy punch and versatile appeal.
In 1999, I was invited to June in Buffalo for a second time. My string quartet was slated for premiere by the Cassatt Quartet: an excellent opportunity for a composer at any age, but particularly exciting for a young pup still in grad school!
The piece mixed aspects of 12-tone writing with swing-era jazz, and finding the correct balance between these two different demeanors was a tricky compositional and interpretive challenge.
Fortunately, the Cassatt members were very generous with their time. I met with them in New York City to rehearse the quartet, and things went quite well.
But when I arrived in Buffalo, I learned that their cellist had fallen ill and wouldn’t be able to play on the concert; the festival’s opener. While having any ensemble member cancel is concerning, it was particularly worrisome that the cellist was unavailable. I’d written the quartet in such a way that the cello served as the de facto ‘rhythm section’ of the piece, frequently articulating the pulse with walking bass lines.
But into the breach stepped Christopher Finckel; an excellent new music player who was also playing at the festival. Chris learned, rehearsed, and performed the quartet in one day. His pinch-hitting rescued the concert and earned a young composer’s lasting gratitude.
Two of the happiest experiences I’ve had as a composer were back to back summers (’98 and ’99) at JUNE IN BUFFALO. Held at SUNY Buffalo in upstate New York, the weeklong festival is a chance for ‘emerging’ composers to hear their music performed by top notch musicians and to have it critiqued by master composers.
By the end of the festival, they’re likely to have gotten a good tape of their piece, met performers and new music ‘movers and shakers,’ listened to nigh a hundred hours of contemporary fare, gathered tons of ideas for new works of their own, and made some lifelong chums among the other emergent creators. To this day, I keep in touch with many folks I met at JiB.
This year’s festival runs from Monday, June 1 through Sunday, June 7. The senior composers are MARTIN BRESNICK, BERNARD RANDS, MATTHEW ROSENBLUM, HARVEY SOLLBERGER, and festival director DAVID FELDER. Ensembles include the Buffalo Philharmonic, Slee Sinfonietta (JiB’s in-house new music orchestra!), Meridian Arts Ensemble, Verge Ensemble, and the New York New Music Ensemble.
SUNY Buffalo has recently boosted its online presence in the new music community. The university’s Robert and Carol Morris Century for Twenty-first Century Music has launched a website offering programming from the past two years of JiB and other SUNY Buffalo new music activities. Alongside this is an addition to the blogosphere, entitled Edge of the Center.
There’s plenty to be excited about this year, but next year’s festival celebrates twin anniversaries: the thirty-fifth anniversary of JiB’s inception and its twenty-fifth since David Felder resurrected it from hiatus. Should be a loaded week!
While it’s been a while since I’ve gone to JiB, I have a few suggestions for attendees.
Bring extra copies of scores, parts, and recordings
Â
Make enough business cards to share with performers, composers, etc.
Â
That said, don’t force any of the above on anyone. Unlike some venues, the spirit at JiB is more about ‘building a new music community’ and less about ‘sharp elbowed angling for commissions.’
Â
Bring non-perishable food: power bars, H2O, etc. Between lectures, seminars, rehearsals, concerts, and socializing, opportunities to eat are few and far between.
Â
Leave yourself far more time to get out of the dorm than you think will be necessary. That place is a labyrinth!
Â
Be polite to your performers and to the JiB staff. The week is a gauntlet: they are unbelievably busy!
Â
Be a good colleague to your fellow composers. If you have something to say about their music, be constructive. Don’t use the masterclasses as an opportunity for one-upmanship.
Â
Keep open ears. You may not like a certain style now, but getting a chance to hear all sorts of music at JiB may provide stimulus for projects or avenues of inquiry that you can’t yet foresee.
Â
Don’t expect to get any new music written. The festival’s days start early and end late. Soak in the sounds. Get out and meet people.
Â
Enjoy – you’ll never forget June in Buffalo.
Tomorrow, I’ll share some anecdotes from from JiB ‘98 and ‘99.
It’s hard to believe that Bob Mould is now fully twenty years into his solo career; it’s been thirty years since he founded Hüsker Dü! Some fans may prefer a specific style or period of Mould’s output over others; from his acoustic guitar-playing circa 1989’s Workbook to the electronica elements of 2002’s Modulate, his is indeed a varied corpus of work. But Life and Times doesn’t fit neatly at either stylistic extreme. Instead, it reminds us that Mould can still rock.
And boy, can he! Songs like “Wasted World,†with its visceral, shredding guitar solos, and the jaunty vocal snarls replete in the title track both serve as ample evidence. “City Lights (Days Go By)†features subtle layering of guitars and synths; but there’s still plenty of bite in the electric guitar solo breaks.
The whole album’s been in heavy rotation since it arrived, but one song in particular has been repeated the most. “I’m Sorry Baby, but You Can’t Stand in My Light Anymore†doesn’t pertain to my current, happy, domestic situation; but it’s a power pop ballad I’d have been glad to bring to bear during lousy adolescent dating situations. Simultaneously an expression of self-empowerment and a scathing indictment of an estranged lover, it’s easily one of the best hooks I’ve heard thus far in 2009. Anti is on a roll; in 2008, my favorite song was Billy Bragg’s “I Keep Faith!â€
I’m honored to have the Locrian Chamber Players perform my music this week. They’re one of New York’s best-kept secrets.
The concert announcement from LCP’s co-director David MacDonald is below. If anyone needs directions or more information, the group’s website is here.
Dear Friends,
You are cordially invited to a concert of the Locrian Chamber Players on Thursday, May 28 in Riverside Church (10th floor performance space).
We will be joined by guest artists, The New Hudson Saxophone Quartet.
The Program:
Roger Reynolds
Elliott (United States Premiere)
Roger Reynolds
ImagE/cello (New York Premiere)
Melissa Hui
Solace (New York Premiere)
Elias Tanenbaum
Sax Quartet
Christian Carey
Flourishes (World Premiere)
David Macdonald
How Firm a Foundation (World Premiere)
The Players:
Calvin Wiersma and Conrad Harris, violin; Daniel Panner, viola; Greg Hesselink, cello; Diva Goodfriend-Koven and Jill Sokol, flute; Ben Fingland, bass clarinet; Paul Cohen, Avi Goldrosen, David Demsey, Jim Ruedeman, saxophones.
In the spirit of Harry Smith’s anthologizing of American roots repertory, Art Rosenbaum has spent over fifty years making field recordings of traditional music-making. In this, the second boxed-set installment of his work from Dust to Digital, lavish care is paid to Rosenbaum’s half-century long labors of love. An LP-sized box, it includes a large booklet with copious liner notes, reproductions of Rosenbaum’s paintings, and many photographs (by Art and his wife Margo). These provide historical, often indeed musicological, details about the recordings.
Four CDs of music are included here: a Survey disc, Unaccompanied Ballads, Accompanied Ballads, and Religious music. There are so many gems contained herein that it’s difficult to choose favorites among them. AoFR II instead invites a smorgasbord approach to listening – wading in, indeed basking in, a wealth of Americana. The participants range in age from seven to ninety-four. There’s an authenticity here – these are not polished studio renderings but recordings caught in the midst of the participants’ daily lives; this is attested to by the ambient noises of work, conversation, et cetera, that ‘antique’ the sonic experience.
The offerings often begin with brief interviews, in which the participant(s) discuss the history of the song or piece at hand. Many of these are fascinating aural postcards from another place, time, and way of life. The performances themselves, unadorned by studio trickery, are an unvarnished look at the music-making of dedicated amateurs. Sure, there is the occasional wonky harmony or bum note; but the considerable beauty of the performers’ ardent commitment and performance energy proves ample compensation for any such ‘imperfections.’
Composers ranging from Ross Lee Finney and Ruth Crawford Seeger to Gavin Bryars and Steve Reich have drawn significant inspiration from field recordings. One imagines that Rosenbaum’s collection will prove similarly influential for many burgeoning artists today. Dust to Digital projects a third installment in the Art of Field Recording series: fingers crossed!
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Singer/songwriter Jay Bennett, formerly of Wilco, passed away yesterday. Circumstances are currently under investigation; early reports indicate that Bennett died in his sleep.
Bennett left Wilco in 2001, but was a pivotal element of the band’s sound on albums Being There, Summerteeth, and, perhaps most famously, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. After his departure from the band, Bennett continued to record as a solo artist; he was currently at work on his fifth solo CD.
When one thinks of great nineteenth century repertoire for piano four-hands, the first composer likely to come to mind is Franz Schubert. Remember Robert Schumann’s review of his four-hand sonatas – describing their “heavenly length?†While certainly not a household name like Schubert, pianists Elizabeth Buccheri and Richard Boldrey make a good case for the pieces of French composer Georges Onslow (1784-1853). Both of his sonatas for four hands are presented here. While Onslow’s harmonic language is merely serviceable early Romanticism, he excels at the registral choreography necessary for successful pieces in this genre. In addition, the sonatas are dramatically very well-shaped.
Three of Max Reger’s bombastic six Burlesques (Op. 58) are given a zesty reading by the pianists. The duo is even more impressive when given better pieces with which to work, such as Franz Liszt’s finger-popping Grand Valse di Bravura and Edvard Grieg’s supple Norwegian Dances (op.35). Buccheri and Boldrey included only two of the latter, leaving one wishing for the whole set.
A curiosity that alternately intrigues and repels is Richard Wagner’s Polonaise, which, although played with technical command and hefty enthusiasm, still sounds like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Far better is the Polonaise from Mily Balakirev’s Suite for Piano, which matches muscular rhythmic articulations with suavely-phrased, Eastern European-inflected melodies.The suite’s Chansonette is considerably charming as well – a bit reminiscent of Rimsky-Korsakov in its harmonic shadings. The work is rounded out with a thrilling Scherzo.
Buccheri and Boldrey are a well=matched pair, given to ardent interpretations; I’d greatly value hearing them tackle the Schubert sonatas next!
Joe Morris Bass Quartet
High Definition Hat Hut hatOLOGY 670
Â
Listeners may be more familiar with Joe Morris as an ace free jazz guitarist; but since circa 2000 he’s also regularly performed and recorded as an upright bassist. Joining him on his latest CD for Hat Hut, High Definition, are trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum, saxophonist Allan Chase, and drummer Luther Gray.
The quartet is capable of fulsome free jazz full frontal assaults; their collective might on “Morning Group†creates a massed swath of atonal counterpoint that is truly something to behold. Conversely, they’re an egalitarian collective; each player gets a chance to shine in extended solos; the rhythm section on equal footing with the horn players. Gray’s powerful drumming on “Topics†is a standout for the percussionist. Morris’ walking lines create melodic pathways and a propulsive, dancing groove on “Skeleton.†Later in the tune, Bynum creates a self-contained, angular dialogue between the upper and lower registers of his trumpet; two solos for the price of one! Chase adds an extra bass voice by playing baritone here; his blurting interjections are a nice contrast to Morris’ fluid, walking lines.
High Definition references more traditional jazz elements as well. “Land Mass†contains a swinging, almost West Coast style, tune, which is presented as a conventional head. Still, the players chaff at staying entirely in the pocket; Chase and Bynum distresses the tune with skronky angularity and breathy sound effects during the solo sections. Eventually, these roles take on a juxtaposed relationship; the saxophonist breaks into a Parker-esque alto solo, while the trumpeter continues to tread avant terrain. In lesser hands, this might seem like a schizophrenic duality; but the duo here play these signatures against each other with wit and musicality. “All-in-One†features a memorable head, played tutti, which could have drifted off the bandstand during the 1950s, were it not subjected to present-day permutations during the solos.
The recording ends with “The Air has Color.†Free in form and further out in style, it features adept duo interplay from the horns that’s occasionally reminiscent of Ornette Coleman’s early, post-tonal melodies. Morris grounds the proceedings with emphatic underpinning down low; while Gray alternates between more assertive percussive interjections and tastefully articulating a reminder of the pulse with textural flurries around the edges of the phrase.
 Thus, containing a panoply of avant-jazz playing styles without abandoning swing or bebop as touchstones, High Definition is a stirring example of contemporary players successfully integrating tradition and innovation.
Â
Entries (RSS)