Monkey Town? This Monday at 8:30 p.m. Hybrid Groove Project plays in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The set will feature music by Jacob TV, Eve Beglarian, Philip Glass, and Erik Spangler, plus improv along with some Dubble8 originals. We’ll also be joined by ICE-cicle, trip-hop vocalist, and gu zheng master Du Yun. Bets are currently being placed about whether DY will roll around on stage. You’ll have to come and see for yourselves. Here’s some more info and directions.
We’re off to Rome today, a trip which will include sightseeing, relaxation, merriment, and of course, a concert of some very hard music. (Sadly, though, the Giro will be nowhere near us.) Don’t know if blogging will be possible from our pensione, so in the event that it’s not, ciao for a week. In the meantime, here are some photos from the 4/25 show at An die Musik LIVE! courtesy of my lovely assistant.
Okay, first let’s play a bit of catch up. I have to keep reminding myself that this happened just over 2 weeks ago since it already seems like last year, but I did in fact play a recital in Baltimore at An die Musik LIVE!, a cool little performance space upstairs from the best classical music record store in the city. We were fortunate to be graced by the presence of three of the composers featured on the program—Alexandra Gardner, whose piece Tourmaline has easily become one of my favorites, Michael Dupstrom, whose piano playing prowess rivals his considerable compositional talent, and Erik Spangler appearing as his ultra-hip alter-ego DJ Dubble8, the dedicated turntablist of Hybrid Groove Project. I was also aided by the rock solid, yet sensitive, percussion playing of Phil Kiamie and three virtuoso crystal glass players on David T. Little’s descanso (after omega), another one of my all-time favs. Many thanks to everyone who came out the show and subsequent “unnofficial” CD release party, especially to those who travelled from far and wide just to be there.
I was able to get a little R & R in after the show and immediately fled to NYC, where I finally got to meet Jerry Bowles, the patriarch of Sequenza21 and the reason I write online today, live and in person. We had a splendid lunch at Ralph’s and Jerry shared many stories about the good ‘ol days. NYC-ness continued the following weekend in the form of a performance at the Look & Listen Festival, where I once again trotted out Alex’s wonderful work Tourmaline. And although the event’s come and gone, you can still read the really nice preview from Time Out NY.
Just last weekend I was up in Boston performing music of the microtonal variety as Non-Zero teamed up once again with the ensemble NotaRiotus to perform Hillary Zipper’s the time of insects at the Boston Microtonal Society’s spring concert.
This weekend will be spent practicing feverishly in anticipation of a week-long sojourn to Rome which will culminate with a performance of music by Rome Prize winners Ken Ueno and Andrew Norman at the American Academy. whatWALL? comes out of hiding for its Rome-debut, Non-Zero conjures Rasheid Ali and John Coltrane in WATT and Andrew Norman joins me on piano for a reading of his work The Garden of Follies. With all this music to have under my fingers I’m having trouble appreciating the fact that I’m going to Italy, but luckily I’m traveling with a companion who will no doubt remind me to relax, look around, and enjoy my surroundings.
Still looking for the perfect gift for mom this Mother’s Day? Allow me to suggest an evening of microtonal music presented by NotaRiotus, the house band of the Boston Microtonal Society tonight beginning at 5pm at the First Church in Boston. Non-Zero once again forms like Voltron to offer a reading of Hillary Zipper’s crystalline the time of insects, which will be kind of like the quiet before the storm.
The 2007 MATA Festival has come and gone and SLN has been delinquent in posting about the event. I performed Alexandra Gardner’s Tourmaline on the Tuesday night’s “Solitary Confinement V” concert at the Brooklyn Lyceum, which featured works for solo performers w/ or w/o electronics. I had quite a journey that day, flying in from Dallas extremely early that morning, heading straight to the venue, sound checking, and then playing the show. Rather than making me tired, the day’s journey had more of a romanticizing effect and the performance went wonderfully. A comment was made to me to the effect of, “It’s been a while since I’ve been to a new music concert where all the pieces were great.” Indeed. It was a splendidly enchanting evening, made a just little sweeter by the review in the Times.
Marathon day approaching rapidly. Tomorrow, as it will unfold in a perfect world:
+ Rehearsal in the morning.
+ Quick, get back to Baltimore to catch Acela to NYC.
+ Arrive NYP @ 2:45pm.
+ E train to 5th Ave / 53rd St.
+ Enter Yamaha Piano Salon.
+ Take out saxophones.
+ Run through music and hope everything works.
+ Eat.
+ Play concert of music by Miyuki Ito, Kumiko Omura, and Lyudmila German.
+ Exhale.
+ Enjoy.
Seth Williamson of The Roanoke Times had some nice things to say in his review of Monday’s concert with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.
For nine straight years, the Music at the Anthology Festival has been an important catalyst for emerging contemporary composers from around the world—it’s like the Whitney biennial, but for new music, and every year. I’ll be playing a piece by one of those composers at this year’s festival—Alexandra Gardner’s Tourmaline for soprano saxophone and computer sound. Concerts are at the Brooklyn Lyceum. Full schedule here.
I’m in Roanoke, VA this weekend performing with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. In honor of Valentine’s Day, our program is titled Dance and Romance and features its fair share of saxophone. (Because what instrument’s more romantic than saxophone? Really?) Truth be told, it’s the most playing I’ve ever done on a single orchestra gig. Two by Bernstein—perennial favorite Symphonic Dances from West Side Story coupled with hidden gem On the Town—along with the amorous Bolero by Ravel, in which I play both the tenor and soprano parts. I normally don’t have a problem with nerves on any concert I play, but having only 5 beats rest to put down the tenor and pick up the soprano and play both lines equally beautifully is seriously challenging my nervousness-free performance record. Not to mention having to have the perfect reed for three horns at the same time—actually, check that, because I need to have all four horns (add baritone) ready to go because of an upcoming concert in NYC. More on that later. I need to deflate.
There's more where that came from. Music, videos, and albums by Brian all inside.
