Numinous The Music of Joseph C. Phillips Jr. |
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 Reviews of Vipassana sometimes cite Steve Reich as a general and Music for 18 Musicians as a specific influence. Indeed while there are moments in some movements where the comparison is apt (and very flattering), the totality of Vipassana, in particular the second and the final movements, are much removed from Reich and 18. Whereas 18 is built on the repetition of churning short overlapping rhythmic cells, "Stillness Flows Ever Changing" flows from weaving chains of larger melodic passages. Often these melodies are temporally distinct from one another: a melody of longer tones slowly moving in counterpoint against a more rhythmically active one. This happens throughout the piece. Two examples are: in the middle of the piece, Ben Kono's soprano saxophone floats on top of slow waves of melody from the strings with the piano, clarinet, and guitars moving at a more judicious pace; and near the end, with the trombone melodically heralding above a sweeping, long lined string melody, pulsing vibraphone and piano, and undulating flute, harp, tenor saxophone, glockenspiel. Another moment to directly illustrate this is from early in "Stillness" (shown below in a transposed score, minus the voices and a few other instruments): the English Horn throughout this section is moving at a much gentler pace than say the guitar and piano, who are spinning out a much faster, snakier melody and the violins and violas in a more middle ground between the two. The languid resultant effect is something akin to watching the evening sky during a crisp fall sunset, where you might see the high wispy cirrus clouds moving and changing slowly, while the lower puffy cumulus ones are moving and changing more rapidly. It is fitting that the first day of fall is our performance of Vipassana because to me the two inner movements, "Stillness Flows Ever Changing" and "Into all the Valleys Evening Journeys" always had an autumnal fragrance about them. Numinous performs Vipassana Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM $10 Brooklyn Lyceum 227 4th Avenue Park Slope Take the M, R Train to Union Street Learn more about Vipassana by reading the other installments of the Inside Vipassana series: 2010 series Inside Vipassana #11: Vipassana Reborn (recap of the 2009 Inside Vipassana series) Inside Vipassana #12: Bang a Gong with Jared Soldiviero (Numinous percussionist Jared Soldiviero speaks about Vipassana) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 2:39 PM
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2010
Now there are no gongs in Vipassana but percussion is an important aspect of the composition. Whether it is adding rhythmic energy and drive or coloristic effects, there is a wide range of the function of percussion in the piece. There is a balance between things being written out completely (where I'm very specific to what I want instrument-wise as well as musically) and places where I give instructions on the effect or type of color I'm looking for, but the percussionist is free to choose how to make that happen. So this is why having someone who is classically trained, but able to play in a more free and loose way is very important and I'm lucky to have people who can do both equally well. Numinous percussionist, Jared Soldiviero is one of those type of musicians and so to find out what's it like banging and shaking his way through Vipassana I asked him some questions about the experience. Tell us something about your background as a percussionist. My first musical memories were of my parents record collection, a treasure trove of classic rock, blues and soul from the late 50s onward. I loved records and there are photos of me when I was 2 or 3 years old with big headphones on, holding onto John and Yoko'sDouble Fantasy album ("Watching the Wheels" was my favorite song.) My dad played guitar as a hobby and I naturally took to the rhythmic side of music. To make a long story short, I started taking drum lessons in the 3rd grade and started learning more classical percussion in high school. Now I play mostly orchestral percussion or contemporary music. I love big setups with lots of different percussion instruments, because I'm still a drummer at heart. And next year, I'll finally get to play drums again, so things have come full circle. What are some of the many different instruments you use in performing Vipassana? what challenges does that pose to you in the piece? There are a large range of percussion instruments, from metals to drums and even some woodblock. I use cymbals, triangles, many different shakers, a djembe (African hand drum), a cajon (a wooden box played with hands), and woodblock, to name a few. The challenge in the piece is to find the right sound to match the right moment. Sometimes the piece will call for a shaker, but it's up to me to determine what kind of shaker sound fits for that moment in the piece. If there is a loud moment I'll need a shaker that can project through that sound, whereas there are moments where I'm the only person playing and I need to make the softest sound possible. On the more practical side, I need to count very carefully during the piece because there are moments where the percussionists are allowed to be totally creative and improvisational. But I still need to know where I am so if there is a big musical change, I can be right there with everybody else. What do you like about Vipassana? My favorite thing about Vipassana is the fact that it is very difficult to categorize. The musicians must be comfortable having their feet in many worlds at once. Improvisation is important but there are written melodies that need to be played beautifully as well. Everyone in the group must have extremely tight rhythm to keep the huge piece moving forward. You can hear the influence of so many composers/musicians and the joy is in recognizing those influences and bringing out special things about each one to make the piece feel alive. Personally, I enjoy playing in a large group where it feels as though everyone really believes in the music. The sense of togetherness onstage during a performance of Vipassana is something I don't get to feel so often, especially in a traditional orchestra! What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)? I grew up on Staten Island and have been a city boy all my life. Beauty for me is not only in nature but also in architecture and design. I love cities for this reason. One of my mantras is 'simple pleasures' since I can find as much beauty in the enjoyment of watermelon, for example, as I can in listening to the St. Matthew Passion! Speaking of baroque music, the most beautiful kind for me is from the early Baroque period, particularly the opera written in Venice at the time. Nature: when I was in Vermont this past summer, there were nights when I finally got to experience something I missed growing up in New York: "big sky." After some of our outdoor concerts, we would stay and wait for the crowd to leave. Once all the light was gone on the ground, we could see unobstructed sky: planets, satellites, shooting stars, everything. I was telling my friend, I can't believe it took 30 years for me to see sky this clear and unblemished by ambient light on the ground. Truly marvelous. Who are your musician heroes? First and foremost, Bach. Then, Francesco Cavalli, a composer of some of the most melodious and beautiful opera from the 17th century, filled with humanity, humor and soul. To enter a completely different world, I would say that Michael Jackson was a prime influence on me, growing up. I have vivid memories of listening to each album of his as they were released, knowing all of his dance moves from all of his videos and playing drum set along with his records. Having my parents record collection at a young age exposed me to bluesmen, classic rock and even 80s music. One of my favorite songs as a kid was "Walk of Life" by Dire Straits and that band is still one of my favorite rock bands of all time. Likewise, Kate Bush will forever hold a place in my heart as a truly original and incredibly creative and influential artist. In jazz, I'm a devoted Charles Mingus fan and Keith Jarrett disciple. I love choirs, from Bach cantatas to gospel to the Bulgarian Women's Choir to Percy Grainger to Mahler symphonies. What's your favorite Bjork and/or Gustav Mahler piece? why? I don't feel as though I could choose a favorite of either! But I always love Mahler scherzos. The 2nd movement of Symphony 1, the 3rd movement of Symphony 2, etc.. They are so schizophrenic! Going from a mysterious and slithering melody to a grotesque waltz in a split second. I love the contrasts he finds in structure, orchestration, melody, harmony or anything else. I feel Mahler was the last great symphonist and if it's said that a great symphony should be like an entire world in one piece of music, then Mahler's complete symphonies must be like an entire universe? I know you are a big Yankees fan, so if you could have been a member of any Yankee team in history, which one would it be and why? Tough question! But I would say with certainty that I'd have wanted to be on the 1996 team. Since I was born in 1980, it wasn't until 1996 that I knew how it felt when my team won the World Series (now I'm quite used to the feeling...GO YANKS!) Also, I'm glad to have grown up a Yankees fan, because it helps to deflect the criticism of grumpy baseball fans bemoaning the "Evil Empire" and all its twists and turns over the years. I was born a Yankee fan and will stay that way! What is a book(s) that have inspired you? The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks is inspirational in the sense that you can feel how much of a humanist the author is. His loving descriptions of his patients and their particular illnesses really highlights the fact that they are people first, case studies second. It inspired me to hold fast to the adage of not judging a book by its cover. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino inspired me to find beauty in cities wherever I go, to try and fully experience the culture, food, architecture, parks, personalities, quirks and everything else about any place I visit. What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something? I was visiting Mexico this past July and went to the ruins at Ek' Balam, a relatively small but beautifully preserved archaeological site. Standing on top of the largest structure (called The Throne), it's calm, quiet and serene. Looking out over the ruins below gives you that birds-eye feeling. And looking around in all directions you can see trees for miles and miles never ending. I was there on an overcast day so that beautiful grey light gave everything a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" vibe. It's so peaceful up there, one can take some time to just be. Or imagine what life was like when the site was populated hundred and hundreds of years ago. Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect? When I was a kid, I loved magic. I would always beg my parents to buy me those magic sets that come with a bunch of tricks to learn and I would use my dad's camcorder to do shows. I loved card tricks and used to know tons of them. I've forgotten almost everything now but I still watch magic videos all the time. One of the greatest card magicians alive now is Ricky Jay. Watch his work on YouTube, you'll be amazed! What's next up for you in your own music career? I'm looking forward to another year of varied musical experiences. For example, I'll be playing the music of Elliot Carter and John Adams with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Frank Zappa tunes and cartoon music with the amplified chamber group Fireworks, and the music of Christopher Rouse at Zankel Hall. I love being a freelancer because it gives me the same kind of feeling I had when I was a kid with my records. I could pull out a different record with a totally different kind of music and love it as much as the previous thing I listened to. I cannot wait to go from Carter to Adams: two composers who couldn't be any more different! You can find more info on Jared at www.jaredsoldiviero.com. Numinous performs Vipassana Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM $10 Brooklyn Lyceum 227 4th Avenue Park Slope Take the M, R Train to Union Street POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 8:00 AM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 In anticipation of the Numinous performance of Vipassana on September 22nd, I'm reviving my series Inside Vipassana. Posted every few days leading up to the concert, the series features insights into the music as well as interviews with the performers. To start off the 2010 edition of the series I thought I would look back to last year's series to give everyone a little refresher on Vipassana. If you missed any or would like another look, see below for the links, with the new entries beginning tomorrow. Numinous performs Vipassana Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM $10 Brooklyn Lyceum 227 4th Avenue Park Slope Take the M, R Train to Union Street Ben Kono, Rob Mosher, Ed Xiques (woodwinds), Phil Rodriguez (trumpet/flügelhorn), Deborah Weisz, (trombone), Tom Beckham (vibraphone), Megan Levin, (harp), Amanda Monaco, Mike Baggetta (electric guitars), Carmen Staaf, Aaron Kotler, (keyboards), Jared Soldiviero, Nicola Cannizzaro (percussion), Charenee Wade, Nicky Schrire, Sara Serpa, Jean Rohe, Becca Stevens (voices), Ana Milosavljevic, Scott Tixier (violins), Nick Revel, Brian Lindgren (violas), Will Martina, Lauren Riley-Rigby (violoncellos), Steve Whipple, (bass), Joseph C. Phillips Jr., (conductor, composer) Learn more about Vipassana by reading the previous installments of the Inside Vipassana series: 2009 series Inside Vipassana #1: The Silent Treatment (how did I come to Vipassana) Inside Vipassana #2: Seeing the forest for the trees (where the Vipassana cover photos came from) Inside Vipassana #3: Harping with Megan Levin (the story of how a harp came to be in Vipassana and an interview with Numinous harpist, Megan Levin) Inside Vipassana #4: Finding More than the Red Lights of Amsterdam (the inspiration behind Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing on the Earth) Inside Vipassana #5: Eight is Enough, Ben Kono on Woodwinds and Vipassana (woodwind specialist Ben Kono speaks Vipassana) Inside Vipassana #6: Inside the studio, no man is an island (photos from the Vipassana recording session) Inside Vipassana #7: Voices Carry, part one (how voices came to be on Vipassana; interviews with Numinous singers Julie Hardy and Sara Serpa) Inside Vipassana #8: Voices Carry, part two (interviews with Numinous singers Amy Cervini and Wendy Gilles) Inside Vipassana #9: When Ms. Guðmundsdóttir met Mr. Mahler (what do Björk, Gustav Mahler and Vipassana have in common) Inside Vipassana #10: Also sprach Joe (Joe interviews Joe) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 10:00 AM Returning to the scene of our last revival of Vipassana, Numinous will again be performing Vipassana at the Brooklyn Lyceum on Wednesday September 22nd from 8pm to around 9pm (one set only). The Lyceum is located at 227 4th Avenue in Park Slope and tickets are $10 at the door or in advance at the Lyceum website. And like last year, starting in September on the blog, I'll be posting my Inside Vipassana series in which I pull the mask off and give you a peek behind the music. The series also includes interviews with some members of Numinous in order to get a player's perspective of performing the music, check back in September for all-new installments! Bring a friend (or two or three, the Lyceum is pretty spacious after all) and come experience the clarity and insight of Vipassana for yourself... Numinous performs Vipassana Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM $10 Brooklyn Lyceum 227 4th Avenue Park Slope Take the M, R Train to Union Street (photo credit: Donald Martinez) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 10:00 AM WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2010
Next Monday, June 21st at 5:30pm at the Apple Store on the upper West Side of Manhattan (1981 Broadway New York City, NY 10023) is the last chance this school year to hear Face the Music perform "Liquid Timepieces", the piece they commissioned from me (the piece will make its appearance in a Numinous version on a performance this fall). Seeing as how I (along with seemly all the Apple fan boys and girls in the Western world) spent much of my time Tuesday, on-and-off throughout the day, trying to break through AT&T's server issues to pre-order the iPhone4 (the battery on my old geezer original iPhone 1.0 has reached the end of its life, so I'm actually someone that actually really needs the new iPhone...really....Really!). It would have been great if the concert and the pick-up date were the same but alas, Steve Jobs couldn't work his magic that way so I'll have to go back to pick up my new phone (if they haven't run out; despite my reservation I'm a bit skeptical after the events of the iPhoneapocalypse). Anyway, you can still come out to the Apple Store and hear Face the Music and maybe get a whiff of the new iPhone or at least the iPad while listening to the new music stars of the future. At the Apple Store performance you can also hear Face the Music perform Graham Fitkin's "Mesh", which they will also be playing at this year's Bang on a Can Marathon on June 27th at 2pm. POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 6:51 PM Tomorrow night, June 2nd at 7:30 pm it's showtime at the Apollo!!! The 321 Band performs at the famous Amateur Night!!!
update: here's a link to the May 27, 2010 New York Times article about the Teacher's Night at the Apollo POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 12:00 PM THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2010 Next Thursday and Friday Numinous will be participating in a works-in-progress performance of To Begin the World Over Again, my collaboration with choreographer Edisa Weeks and her Delirious Dances Company. Although I've only been publicly talking about the project beginning last summer, Edisa and I have been in the planning stages of the project for about three years. So for us it is wonderful to be moving forward to the DEFCON 2 writing music-choreographing stage. Here's the official short blurb about the project: To Begin The World Over Again is inspired by the writings of Thomas Paine who was influential in the forming of the Declaration of Independence and who through his spirited advocacy for freedom and democracy inspired people to fight for independence. To Begin The World Over Again (whose title comes from a quote from Paine's Common Sense) fuses the vision of composer Joseph C. Phillips Jr. and his ensemble Numinous, and choreographer Edisa Weeks and her company Delirious Dances, to explore: what is the relevance of Paine’s words to America today? How are freedom and democracy packaged and promoted? What is the “Promise Of America” that Paine so fervently believed in and wrote about? Is America living up to that promise? June 3 & 4, 2010 8pm Tribeca Performing Arts Center – Theater 2 FREE Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) 199 Chambers St. NYC 10007 by the West Side Highway; walk up the ramp and enter through the glass doors. Theater 2 is on the right. For the June 2010 performances we will be showing two short sections: "These are the Times that Try Men’s Souls" and a shorter interlude entitled "Reel Liberty", followed by a Q & A. I will be conducting Numinous featuring: Ben Kono, Dan Willis (woodwinds); Stephanie Richards (trumpet); Amanda Monaco (guitar); Mike Baggetta (guitar); Megan Levin (harp); Deanna Witkowski (keyboard); Aaron Kotler (keyboard); Charenee Wade, Sara Serpa, Melissa Stylianou (voices); Jared Soldiviero (percussion); Ana Milosavljevic (violin); Will Martina (cello); Shawn Conley (bass). "These are the times that try men's souls" is the oft quoted (and more oft misappropriated) stirring opening to Paine's The American Crisis. These words were written by Paine in 1776 as he was traveling with George Washington's troops on their long retreat from the Battle of New York, just steps ahead of enemy soldiers; and just before their famous Christmas night crossing over a frozen Delaware River in order to surprise the British and Hessian soldiers. The story is that Paine wrote these following words by campfire on the head of a drum: These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and women. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly--'tis dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to set a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated. The project received a grant from the American Music CenterLive Music for Dance Program in order to commission me to write the music and to help pay for the costs of the live Numinous musicians to perform it. The full evening performance of To Begin The World Over Again will premiere in June of 2011, which will include a symposium with leading historians, scholars and thinkers on democracy, social justice, and where America stands now in relation to its promise. But for now, we would love to see you on June 3rd or 4th, as your input would be invaluable in helping shape the evolution of the work. (Photo credit: Thomas Paine from http://www.thomaspainefriends.org/paine-portraits-and-images.htm) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 8:00 AM A week from today on June 2nd I'll be participating in the New York City Department of Education Teacher's Night at the famous Apollo Theater's Amateur Talent Show Night with some of my colleagues from P.S. 321: Frank McGarry, guitar & vocals (1st & 2nd grade music teacher); Adam Lane, bass (3rd, 4th, 5th grade music teacher); Elizabeth Heisner, violin (2nd grade teacher); John Allgood, mandolin and vocals (kindergarten teacher); Bill Fulbrecht, banjo and vocals (kindergarten teacher); me, bodhran and various percussion (kindergarten music and math teacher). Back in January 2010 I chronicled the 321 Band's audition and I can't believe that next week I'll be on the old grand dame stage of Harlem. Come and cheer for us as we go old timey on the Apollo crowd with our rendition of John Dawson'sGlendale Train. Tickets can be purchased at the Apollo Theater box office. Should be lots of fun!!! POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 10:00 AM Face the Music will again be performing my "Liquid Timepieces" this Thursday May 27, 2010 6:30 pm at Merkin Concert Hall (129 West 67th Street, NY, NY). The concert takes place just before the new music ensemble Signal's concert featuring music from two of contemporary classical music's prominent voices: the world premiere of Stabat Mater by Nico Muhly (he of the recent and past controversy) and the American premiere of Sir Harrison Birtwistle's The Corridor.
POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 8:00 AM A few years ago my wife and I took a trip to Malaysia. It was a 14-hour flight from JFK to Hong Kong, a wonderful layover in Hong Kong where we spent some time in town and then another 4 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur. We only spent our first and last day in KL, with the remainder of our time going around to different states on the peninsula. It was a wonderful time with many lovely adventures including tropical islands and beaches, tea plantations, wild monkeys, exotic culture, food, and people. When we came back to the USA, those adventures proved fruitful inspiration, for it spawned two compositions. The first was a piece called Rihla written for our Pulse project, Sihr Hilal. The second composition was Kelip-Kelip. Kelip-kelip is a Bahasa Malay word meaning "twinkle" and is used to describe fireflies. One of the Malaysian states we visited was Kuala Selangor and the village of Kuantan, where we took a late night ride on the Selangor River in a small boat called a sampan. Along the banks of the river were millions of fireflies lighting the "quiet darkness." However these were not the lightning bugs I grew up with, but rather fireflies that twinkle not in a greenish-yellow light but rather in a blue-ish LCD-like soft glow. And what was more amazing was that these fireflies did not flicker with a lazy stochasticity but rather in a beautiful synchronicity. When we came around a river bend in the pitch blackness and silence of the night to see the trees lit up and flashing together like Christmas trees lights was a moving and magical experience. Kelip-Kelip was written for a Numinous performance at Roulette's Children's Concert back in 2007 and I had the kids simulate the flashing of the kelip-kelip. Here is a video of the performance: Numinous
May 24, 2010 9pm Tea Lounge 837 Union Street Brooklyn, NY 11215-1308 (718) 789-2762 Donations (please be generous!) featuring: Ben Kono, Dan Willis, Ed Xiques (woodwinds); Stephanie Richards (trumpet); Ernest Stuart (trombone); Tom Beckham (vibraphone); Andrew Green (guitar); Megan Levin (harp); Jared Soldiviero (percussion); Ana Milosavljevic, Scott Tixier (violins); Will Martina, Lauren Riley-Rigby (cellos); Shawn Conley (bass) Be prepared, check back later for more... (Photo credit: Kelip-Kelip from visit-to-kl.com) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 10:29 PM Thousands of years ago on the plains of Africa, one of our human ancestors gazed upward toward the night sky and began to wonder what those flickering lights were and how they came to be. Such thoughts on the origin of the universe (and humans’ place in it) have enraptured philosophers, theologians, and scientists since that first ancestor’s gaze skyward. Every society and culture has a creation story to explain how they and their world began. From the creation chants of the Maori people of New Zealand, to Hindi and Buddhist texts, to the Christian Bible, thoughts on the origin of the universe are usually sacred in nature. Elegant and sublime, these religious thoughts were the prevailing doctrine of the West until the rise of the scientific method in the seventeenth century. The twentieth century saw science develop its’ own elegant, sublime, and often exotic, thoughts on the origins of the universe.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, quantum theory was developed: a by-product of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. While the general theory of relativity describes the force of gravity on a large scale, quantum theory describes the universe on an extremely small scale. Neither theory, however, completely and accurately describes the observable universe, so today physicists search for a complete unified theory, one that weds the general theory of relativity with quantum theory. Quantum theory is a foundation of cosmology, the study of the origins of the universe. In 1926, Werner Heisenberg unveiled his uncertainty principle: “the more accurately you measure the position of a particle (of matter), the less accurately can you measure its speed” and vice versa. An observer can never really know the 'true' position of a particle. A particle can be in no place, all places, or even in two places at once! Thus 'empty space' can never be called empty. Subatomic particles can come in and out of existence by borrowing energy from energy fields. This quantum fluctuation takes place in a cloud or 'foam' of probability, which may have lead to an inflation of space and resulted in the big bang and the beginning of the universe. My Quantum Fluctuations opens with the percussion and bass laying down a high energy drum and bass type groove with Ernest Stuart's trombone soloing over top (the bass line here comes from Miles Davis' "Helen Butte" from the album On the Corner). Soon various 'quanta' bleep and blip in and out of the texture, while the solo continues. Eventually a melodic figure enters, is repeated, and built to a 'big bang' moment. Coming out of this event horizon another slower groove begins to emerge eventually surrounded by various clouds of intervalic structures leading to Ben Kono's non-chordal based alto saxophone solo. The alto solo is joined at the end with the trombone and Jared Soldiviero's percussion until climaxing with a unison melodic figure. Numinous May 24, 2010 9pm Tea Lounge 837 Union Street Brooklyn, NY 11215-1308 (718) 789-2762 Donations (please be generous!) featuring: Ben Kono, Dan Willis, Ed Xiques (woodwinds); Stephanie Richards (trumpet); Ernest Stuart (trombone); Tom Beckham (vibraphone); Andrew Green (guitar); Megan Levin (harp); Jared Soldiviero (percussion); Ana Milosavljevic, Scott Tixier (violins); Will Martina, Lauren Riley-Rigby (cellos); Shawn Conley (bass) Be prepared, check back later for more... (Photo credits: talklikeaphysicist.com; map.gsfc.nasa.gov; NASA from firstgalaxies.ucolick.org) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 2:50 PM Next up in the Numinous Crib Notes series: Race Race was originally written for the Pulse project, The Eloquent Light back in 2006. If you don't know, Pulse is the composer 'federation' I lead and it also features composers Darcy James Argue, Jamie Begian, JC Sanford, Joshua Shneider, and Yumiko Sunami. The original version of Race was for a 10-person chamber ensemble, in addition to the soloists John McNeil on trumpet and Pete McCann on guitar. The composition takes its' name from my researching and viewing historical photos of Olympic runners going all the way back to the 1920 Olympics. It was wonderful to learn about and see photos of the great runners of the past such as Carl Lewis, Edwin Moses, Jesse Owens, Michael Johnson, Flo-Jo (Florence Griffith Joyner), Kip Keino, Paavo Nurmi, and Joan Beniot, all whose photos and more were used in a slide show that accompanied the original performances of Race. There were two photos that initially captivated me (above): one was a photo of Wilma Rudolph from the 1960 Olympics in Rome (I love the joy she has on her face as she crosses the line and without knowing her painful childhood and of course the oppressive racial environment at the time, one can imagine that she never knew of such hardship and disappointment); the other photo was a shot of Marion Jones from the 2000 Olympics in Australia (No matter what you think of Marion Jones, I just found the photo shares with the Wilma Rudolph one, an accurate depiction of the happiness running (and winning) can bring out in someone and that is one feeling I wanted Race to give to the listener). At the opening of Race, the guitar plays only three pitches (Bb-Eb-F) in an arpeggio pattern shifting between groups of three and four. This beginning is both harmonically (is it the key of Eb? F? Bb? or any number of other possibilities) and rhythmically ambiguous (the shifting pattern floats over the 3/2 metric stresses) and leads to the entrance of the harp playing (F-C-Bb), also in an arpeggio leading into the trumpet and trombone melody a few bars later. At this point I can imagine the stretching and preparation before the start of an early morning run or runners milling around before the start of a race. As the composition progresses there are various overlapping or "chasing" patterns between instruments of differing rhythmic groupings, with the trombone more melodic, often foreshadowing various intervallic permutations that are heard later in other instruments. The trumpet solo enters playing on top of various "streams" of melody, moving at different rhythmic rates until the tuba and cello enter with a more "funky" bass line. A brief interlude (I call it a "second wind") picks up some of the previous material heard in the trombone and, much like the final lap of a race, pushes it into a slightly different gear leading into the guitar solo. The end of the guitar solo smoothly leads into the last section which harmonically starts like the beginning, however now more rooted in various modal configurations of Eb (although there is never an Eb in the bass); the trombone and trumpet, again melodically dance around each other one last time before finally fading out, leaving the harp and violin as the last statements in the piece. At a Pulse rehearsal a couple of years ago, I told the musicians this section was like running through the finish line and finally beginning to catch your breathe as you wind down. Overall, like John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine or Micheal Torke's Javelin or Run, I wanted Race to be a portrait of motion; a linear progression of movement to the end, much like an actual race. However there were no images of runners in my mind as I was composing the piece. Only after looking back on Race, and this sense of movement was I able to explore running as a metaphor. Here's what I said about Race in the program notes: Running is one of the oldest and most basic of human impulses. It can be a utilitarian exercise or save you from immediate danger. Also, as demonstrated by ‘Dan’ in World Record from the film Animatrix, running can be a vehicle to enlightenment as well as a delightful endeavor in and of itself, as any young kid in a playground would illustrate. My composition, Race, is inspired by that child-like joy of movement: of testing your body and spirit against others and against yourself. For inspiration, I used various historic images of runners from the Olympic Games that I felt were avatars of this drama, but also representative of the beauty and exultation of the race. Numinous May 24, 2010 9pm Tea Lounge 837 Union Street Brooklyn, NY 11215-1308 (718) 789-2762 Donations (please be generous!) featuring: Ben Kono, Dan Willis, Ed Xiques (woodwinds); Stephanie Richards (trumpet); Ernest Stuart (trombone); Tom Beckham (vibraphone); Andrew Green (guitar); Megan Levin (harp); Jared Soldiviero (percussion); Ana Milosavljevic, Scott Tixier (violins); Will Martina, Lauren Riley-Rigby (cellos); Shawn Conley (bass) Be prepared, check back later for more... POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 10:46 PM crib notes (from Urban Dictionary): a small instrument used to aid in the art of cheating. It is generally small pieces of paper with answers to a test, or just notes on a specific topic; notes for cheating on exams written on small and easily concealable pieces of paper with stealth in mind. Called "crib" notes because of the manner in which you hold the notes under your left hand/arm while writing with your right arm, keeping them concealed from teachers/professors with wondering eyes; notes written on the hand, arm, or leg to assist in cheating on quizzes and exams. In anticipation of the upcoming Numinous concert on May 24th, in the spirit of my Inside Vipassana series I did last fall, over the next week leading up to the concert (as time allows with all of the preparations) I thought I'd give you some brief insight to some of the compositions we'll be throwing down at the Brooklyn's Tea Lounge... First up, Madame Press Never Had to Holler at Morty Morton Feldman is one of my inspirations. In college, I remember vividly studying a number of his works in 20th century Music Theory and was astonished at how his music and approach was so distinct and beautiful with compositions such as deKooning, Rothko Chapel, For Franz Kline, Coptic Light, For Samuel Beckett, Only, among many, that I loved (and still love). Even at that time I made a connection between Feldman's evanescent ethereal clouds of sounds and bare sonorities with Claude Debussy's sonic liberation of harmony and quest for Symbolistic understatement. After many years of listening to their music and reading about their respective musical philosophies, they continue to hold a particularly special place for me. So when I started the writing of Madame Press Never Had to Holler at Morty, I treated it as a mash-up experiment: a 'what if?' project in the great Marvel comic tradition. This was my first attempt at fusing Feldmantonian elements with more funky, jazzy grooves (a few years later, my Quantum Fluctuations would be the second). Here's what I said about the piece in the program notes on its premiere in May 2001: American composer, Morton Feldman (1926-1987) wrote a piece for his former piano teacher entitled Madame Press Died Last Week At Ninety (1970). In that piece, which I first heard on John Adams’ 1991 recording American Elegies (Nonesuch 79249-2), Morton Feldman’s typically soft and subtle shifts of sonorities and colors are there, but the piece also features, atypically for Feldman, a recurring motive (a downward major third)-one of the first of his pieces to feature repetition. In my composition, as a starting point, I took Madame Press Died Last Week At Ninety and a quote from Feldman’s Essays (1985) speaking about how Madame Press was not a disciplinarian. Then asking myself what would happen if Morton Feldman listened to too much 70’s funk and soul (by way of 1996’s "Makes Me Wanna Holler"" by Me’shell Ndegéocello) and brought that to his lessons with Madame Press: would she still not be a disciplinarian? So you have this bass line from "Makes Me Wanna Holler" (transposed): coexisting with Feldman's falling third motif: with me adding my own take, combining to form (transposed): To get your ears ringing for the 24th, here's a video of a stripped down and edited version I did for a Numinous performance at a Roulette Children's concert in 2007 with Dan Willis (tenor sax), Amanda Monaco (guitar), and Deanna Witkowski (piano): Now for the Children's concert I took out a few elements from the original which allowed me to shorten the length of the piece while still keeping the general sense of the piece. However on the 24th, we'll be doing the original version.
Numinous May 24, 2010 9pm Tea Lounge 837 Union Street Brooklyn, NY 11215-1308 (718) 789-2762 Donations (please be generous!) featuring: Ben Kono, Dan Willis, Ed Xiques (woodwinds); Stephanie Richards (trumpet); Ernest Stuart (trombone); Tom Beckham (vibraphone); Andrew Green (guitar); Megan Levin (harp); Jared Soldiviero (percussion); Ana Milosavljevic, Scott Tixier (violins); Will Martina, Lauren Riley-Rigby(cellos); Shawn Conley (bass) Check back later for more Crib Notes... (Photo credit: Morton Feldman with John Adams by Betty Freeman from www.newmusicbox.org) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 6:16 PM Face the Music will be giving another performance of their concert "Beating Down the Doors" next Wednesday May 12th at 8:00 pm at the Brooklyn Lyceum (227 4th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn; take R, M to Union Street). Tickets are $10 at the door. This is a repeat performance of their successful April 15th concert at Simone Dinnerstein's Neighborhood Concert Series and will include my own Liquid Timepieces, which was commissioned by Simone for the series and received its premiere last month.
Face the Music is a wonderful student ensemble performing some great contemporary music (on May 12th, pieces by Nico Muhly, Graham Fitkin, Marcelo Zarvos, and Jacob TV) so I hope you come out to support these musicians, before you have to pay Lincoln Center prices to hear them! POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 2:49 PM Tomorrow night, April 15th (yes, tax day as if you didn't know!), is the last in the 2009-2010 season of Simone Dinnerstein's Neighborhood Concert Series. Thursday's performance features the wonderful student ensemble Face the Music. Among the recent new music compositions by Nico Muhly, Graham Fitkin, Marcelo Zarvos, and Jacob TV, Face the Music will be premiering my own Liquid Timepieces, commissioned and written for them. The concert takes place at P.S. 321 (180 7th Avenue between 1st and 2nd Streets in Park Slope, Brooklyn) with all proceeds benefiting various programs at the school. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.ps321.org or at the door.
This morning Face the Music gave a spirited preview performance of three works, two of which will be on tomorrow night's concert. And from the sounds of it and the reaction of the packed audience of P.S. 321 students and faculty, Thursday evening's performance will be quite exciting. Hope you can join us. (Photo credits: scenes from the Face the Music preview performance at P.S. 321 April 14, 2010) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 2:49 PM Next Thursday is the premiere of my composition, Liquid Timepieces, commissioned by pianist Simone Dinnerstein for her Neighborhood Concert Series. It was written for and will be performed by the wonderful student group Face the Music on April 15th 7p.m. at the P.S. 321 auditorium. The years 2010 and 2011 are the anniversaries of Gustav Mahler’s birth (1850) and death (1911). I wanted to celebrate these so-called ‘Jubilee Years’ by writing a work that honors the profound influence Mahler’s music has exerted on my own musical development and thinking. Liquid Timepieces is my own musical encomium to him and despite some subtle references to musical moments from Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, No. 3, and No. 9, Liquid Timepieces is not meant to sound like Mahler. Rather, I hoped, through my own distinct musical expression and language, to create a similar resonance to the protean spirit of life and the world that permeates his works. The evocative phrase, "liquid timepieces," comes from a line in the poem "Designer Kisses" by Major Jackson. I heard Major Jackson recite the poem himself last summer at the 2009 River to River Festival Poets House tribute to Meredith Monk. I didn't remember much from the poem at the time except this one phrase that stuck out and I wrote down: By morning, We’re laid out like liquid timepieces, each other’s exercise In perpetual enchantment, for there is that beach in us that is untranslatable Liquid Timepieces, scored for Flute, Bb Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Electric Guitar, 2 Electric Keyboards, and a small string section (violins, violas, cellos, bass), opens with a declarative concert G# played in various octaves by all of the instruments (see above photo of the first page to the score). This iteration of the G# becomes a recurring character throughout the piece: sometimes as a waylayer, sometimes as an interrupter, and other times as a something that just needs to be heard amongst other things. A 'steady state' eighth note pulse begins in the keyboard (which you can also see above) and can be felt in various instruments throughout the first half of the composition, generally in the guise of little cells of rhythmic activity. This forward momentum continues until a longer lined melodic figure slowly becomes emergent; at first only in the cellos and bass, then more prominently in the violins and violas, and later the woodwinds join in as the sweeping melody builds to a higher yet softer place and as the rhythmic motion begins to lengthen, we arrive at a moment of slower repose. Earlier I mentioned some connections to Mahler's music buried within Liquid Timepieces. At this median point in the music I wanted to highlight one of those connections which is decidedly on the surface. The counterpoint in the above trio (in concert pitch and in 2/2 meter) between the flute, clarinet, and violin is consciously reminiscent of moments in Mahler's Ninth Symphony where the full orchestral texture is dropped for a more chamber music-like atmosphere. And the melody played by the clarinet above, comes directly from the wonderfully exalted horn melody in the last movement of Mahler's Ninth: This melody, shown above in concert pitch in its first appearance, is generally marked in the score "stark hervortretend" (in marked prominence). Heard slightly different the few times in the Mahler movement it comes up, this phrase slices through the symphonic background texture like a fiery prophet coming out of the wilderness heralding wisdom and insight at precisely the moment needed. However, in Liquid Timepieces I use the melody more as a wise sage that modestly offers insight clothed as advice in personal choice and direction: it functions either as a sort of cantus firmus, just one part of an egalitarian melodic scheme (see above trio) or as an effect much like a musical palimpsest, where 'ghosts' of the Mahler melody are layered on top of each other to create a texture of weaving melodies. In the below excerpt from my score you can see I'm asking the musicians to gradually improvise with either a version of the actual Mahler melody (Synth 1 and Cello; Violin 2) or a modified retrograde version of it (Synth 2 and Viola). Not improvisation in a 'jazz' sense where the soloist tries to create variations on an original melody often not actually stating the melody, but rather improvisation where the musicians keep the melodic shape and tones intact, but change their rhythmic and temporal approaches to playing it. The floating texture continues and builds as a simple bass melody enters, but gradually fades as rhythmic pulses, whiffs from the earlier steady state incarnation, begin to break through to the foreground from its background origin. Soon the eighth note pulses and a short, repeating musical cell that is a canon between the keyboard 1 and alto saxophone, clarinet, and keyboard 2, along with a spasmodic occurrence of that octave G# I spoke earlier about, all overlap each other and grow in intensity and excitement. This energy is dissipated somewhat by a final string melodic coda (a distance relative of the Mahler melody above) while insistent eighth note cells are heard in the woodwinds and keyboard 1. However, the melody and pulses soon escalate into a final resplendent flourish on G#.
I've been to a few of Face the Music's rehearsals of Liquid Timepieces, and while this is difficult music, the students are doing a wonderful job tackling not only the technical challenges but the musical and conceptual ones as well. I hope you can make it to next Thursday's premiere performance to hear for yourself. POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 7:00 AM Who likes tax day? Well maybe you will this year. April 15th, is the next performance, and last until the fall, in pianist Simone Dinnerstein's Neighborhood Concert Series. Each concert has been successful, both musically (with performances by Simone, American Contemporary Music Ensemble, and Clive Greensmith of the Tokyo String Quartet) and financially (each concert was filled to capacity with all the artists donating their services so all the money from ticket sales go to benefit programs at P.S. 321). This upcoming concert is especially exciting because it is the first that features kids as performers and secondly, I'm directly involved.
Simone Dinnerstein's Neighborhood Concert Series Thursday April 15th, 2010 Face the Music “Beating Down the Doors” featuring the premiere of, Liquid Timepieces by Joseph C. Phillips Jr. (commissioned by Simone Dinnerstein and the Neighborhood Concert Series), along with music by Nico Muhly, Graham Fitkin, Marcelo Zarvos, and Jacob TV P.S. 321 Auditorium 180 7th Avenue, Brooklyn 11215 7 p.m. Tickets: $15 available at the door or www.ps321.org As regular readers know, in addition to my composerly duties I teach kindergarten music (and math games) at P.S. 321 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, one of the finest elementary schools in the entire New York City school system (public or private). And this is how I came to meet and know Simone, since I taught her son when he was just a wee lad. So when Simone wanted to start the concert series, I told her I would help in any way I could. But really, she has been the one to organize, curate, oversee advertising, and overall manage the Neighborhood Series in spite of her busy performing schedule. And it shows her commitment to the importance of connecting the community to classical music. So when she asked me to help by writing a piece for a wonderful ensemble she wanted for this inaugural season of the series, I was extremely honored. I had first heard that ensemble, Face the Music under the direction of Jennifer Undercofler, when they performed Phil Kline's Exquisite Corpses on a WNYC/WQXR broadcast at the opening of the Greene Space in April of 2009. I enjoyed the performance and when it was announced that Face the Music is "an ensemble of 20 classically-trained musicians ranging from sixth to twelfth grade dedicated to performing today’s most compelling and creative new music," I was doubly impressed. And little did I know at the time that I would be writing a composition for them a year later. Later in the week I'll write more specifically about Liquid Timepieces, but from the official press release here's a bit more about the concert: “Beating Down the Doors” brings Face the Music’s youthful energy to works by five living composers. The centerpiece of the concert is the world premiere of Liquid Timepieces by composer and PS 321 faculty member Joseph C. Philllips, Jr. Commissioned for Face the Music by Simone Dinnerstein and PS 321 Neighborhood Concerts, Mr. Phillips’ piece is cinematic in its intensity and expansive sound. The teen members of Face the Music will also present four of their favorite works: Graham Fitkin’s sax-heavy Mesh (1992); Marcelo Zarvos’ foot-stomping “Memory” from Nepomuk’s Dances (2002); Nico Muhly’s stop-and-start How About Now (2006); and Jacob TV’s Lipstick (1998), with a playback mix based on clips from American talk shows. Face the Music’s young players will talk to the audience between pieces and take questions at the end of the concert, making this an excellent opportunity for families with children. It will be a fun and compelling evening of music; a great way to wind down after dealing with your taxes (if you are one of those last minute filers). If you can't make the April 15th concert, you'll have a few more chances to catch Liquid Timepieces and some of the other pieces when Face the Music performs at the Brooklyn Lyceum on May 12th, Merkin Hall on May 27th, and June 21st at the West Side Apple Store. You can also catch them at this summer's Bang on a Can Marathon on June 27th, where they'll be performing Graham Fitkin’s Mesh. I hope you can come out and support the wonderful student musicians of Face the Music at one (or all!) of the performances. POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 11:56 AM While I have been in bands since I was well under 5 feet tall, I've never actually attended band camp (although I was a worker at a DCI camp during one summer week in college but that's another story!). Despite this obvious deficit of culture, I have managed to soldier on in my musical life. Not so the vast majority of people who after years in band during their 'wonder years', no longer have any connection to such formative musical experiences. Sure you can go to almost any school district in the United States and if the music program hasn't been cut, you'll find many wonderful student, university, and community bands. And you CAN get your band fix that way. But really, how often do you get to hear an actual PROFESSIONAL wind ensemble perform!? If you live in Dallas, with the Dallas Wind Symphony, or in Tokyo, with the Tokyo Kosei Wind Symphony,ok, you might have some chance, but in New York City? Fuggedaboutit! ...until now!
Come out nextWednesday, March 31st to hear the New York City area's own home-grown wind ensemble, the Gotham Wind Symphony perform. Under the direction of Mike Christianson, the GWS features many of New York City's most talented and versatile musicians, including some Numinous members. The concert will take place at the Brooklyn Lyceum (227 4th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn; literally above the M, R subway train stop), with two sets at 8:00pm and 9:30pm ($10). The program Mike has put together for the show will include: Thad Jones- Northwest Suite Joseph Haydn- Divertimento #1 Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.- The Gates of the Wonder-World Open Gustav Holst- Second Suite for Military Band in F John Hollenbeck- eternal interlude Frederick Delibes/Gil Evans- Maids of Cadiz Percy Grainger- Molly On The Shore Astor Piazolla/James Chirillo- Pulsacion #1 John Philip Sousa- Glory of the Yankee Navy Regular readers might notice that the piece of mine the GWS is performing is the NYC premiere of the same composition commissioned for and premiered at the University of Maryland last year in celebration of their 100 years of band. With some of the famous band conductors living long lives (William Revelli-92 years; Frederick Fennell-90 years), it proves that listening to band music can prolong your life. So come out next Wednesday March 31st to the Brooklyn Lyceum and extend your life by a few hours; you won't regret it... POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 8:55 PM All we care about is runway models, Cadillacs, and liquor bottles, Give me something I wanna be Retro glamour, Hollywood Yes, we live for the Fame, Doin' it for the fame. -The Lady Gaga of Germanotta Well just got the official word, that we are going to the Apollo! As I mentioned in a previous post in January, our PS 321 Faculty Band auditioned for our shot of teacherdom glory at the New York Department of Education's Talent Night at the historic Apollo Theater. And, we made it! Wednesday June 2, 2010 at 7:30pm is showtime; where we will have 3 minutes on the legendary stage to get our collective groove on. So mark those calenders now...more details to follow.
POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 7:43 PM This afternoon I attend the second in pianist Simone Dinnerstein's Neighborhood Concert Series at P.S. 321 in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. The concert featured Simone performing along with violinists Caleb Burhans and Yuki Numata, violist Nadia Sirota, and cellist Clarice Jensen of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME).
After a brief introduction from Simone, the concert began with the first two movements from Jefferson Friedman's String Quartet No. 3 written in 2005. Overall the work took various inspirational musical references and melded them into a cohesive and enjoyable whole. At times I was reminded of Henryk Górecki as the music took some prayerful, almost Eastern European-like reposes, at other times, as the strings were beautifully stretching into the upper registers, the music was reminiscent of Aaron Jay Kernis's string quartet, Musica Celestis. However, with its rhythmic twists and turns, the general atmosphere of the Quartet had a Bartok-ian perfume to it without being fully derivative (a tough trick to pull off successfully, which the piece did wonderfully). There were a number of interesting effects, some I'm planning to appropriate someday: the sul ponticello passages in the cello and viola which came out almost as an electric guitar distortion-like sound or the moment in the second movement where all the strings were arhythmically playing sliding high harmonics which slowly evolved into a more rhythmic passage. Next were the third ("The Blue Room") and fourth ("Tarantella") movements from Phil Kline's quartet The Blue Room and Other Stories. Originally written in 2002 for the string quartet Ethel performing with electronic live sampling pedals, the work was arranged in 2009 to be performed by a conventional string quartet. "The Blue Room" opened evocatively with a couple of strings playing a sul tasto, quietly undulating minimalistic eighth note figure while a melodic fragment sang above it. This little musical gesture, which briefly happened again later in the movement, was one of my favorite moments of the entire concert. The movement continued in a lovely melodic and singing way and after a brief pause lead into the fourth movement, which began with a loping, galloping rhythmic pad and a reaching violin melody and continued with a more frenzied and exciting pace until the end. For the final two pieces of the concert, Simone joined ACME in delightful readings of the first movement of Antonin Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81 and J.S. Bach's Keyboard Concerto in F minor (which Simone will also be performing with ACME on January 30th as part of Columbia University's Miller Theatre's all-Bach Concert). The Dvorak was performed with the lovely melancholic, Brahms-like winter-fireplace-hearth warmth that music requires while the Bach was clearly delineated with beautifully dispassionate passion. And the Bach's famous second movement, with its beautiful piano melody in an almost duet with the cello bass line, was another of my favorite moments from the concert. As I've mentioned in previous posts, all of the artist on the series are donating their time and efforts in order for all of the proceeds to benefit P.S. 321. And if the size and attentiveness of the audience is any indication (the auditorium was completely full with a number of people standing along the back wall), then the Neighborhood Series is a much needed and quite successful outlet for world class quality classical chamber music in Brooklyn and if you haven't checked it out yet, you are missing something wonderful. Remaining schedule for Simone Dinnerstein's Neighborhood Concert Series (all performed in PS 321's auditorium-180 7th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215) February 4th, 2010: The Chiara String Quartet April 15th, 2010: Face the Music, featuring premiere of the composition, Liquid Timepieces by Joseph C. Phillips Jr. (commissioned by Simone Dinnerstein and the Neighborhood Concert Series) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 10:01 PM |
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Thanks and credit to all the original photos on this website to: David Andrako, Concrete Temple Theatre, Marcy Begian, Mark Elzey, Ed Lefkowicz, Donald Martinez, Kimberly McCollum, Geoff Ogle, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., Daniel Wolf-courtesy of Roulette, Andrew Robertson, Viscena Photography, Jennifer Kang, Carolyn Wolf, Mark Elzey, Karen Wise, Numinosito. The Numinous Changing Same album design artwork by DM Stith. The Numinous The Grey Land album design and artwork by Brock Lefferts. Contact for photo credit and information on specific images.