Numinous The Music of Joseph C. Phillips Jr. |
The Numinosum Blog
This is shaping up to be quite the year of dance for me. In June was the premiere of one part of To Begin the World Over Again, a collaboration with Edisa Weeks and Delirious Dances, based on the writings of Thomas Paine (I will post the video from that showing later this month) with the full evening length showing including symposium, premiering June 2011 as a co-production with the Irondale Theater in Brooklyn. And now later this month will be a long-awaited collaboration between Takehiro Ueyama's TAKE Dance and the composer federation I founded and lead, Pulse.
The Distance of the Moon features the 6 composers of Pulse writing compositions for the 4 choreographers of TAKE Dance, performed live by the 6-musician Pulse chamber ensemble. From the official blurb: Ueyama pairs his "forceful, fluid movement" (Bloomberg News) with Joseph C. Phillips Jr.'s "The Distance of the Moon", a pas de deux depicting the love story between the Moon and the Earth (inspired by the short story "The Distance of the Moon" in Italo Calvino's phantasmagorical 1965 book Cosmicomics). Set to music creating a sense of wonder, mystery, and beauty, the work is a metaphor for two lovers, like the Moon and the Earth, slowly moving apart and never feeling closeness again. Ueyama's second work, "And Dance By the Light of the Moon", is a men's quartet portraying quasi-human creatures who discover the Moon set to the music of composer/saxophonist Joshua Shneider. Jill Echo, a former Paul Taylor dancer and founding member of TAKE Dance, brings two works that illustrate the various effects that the Moon has on us. In "Moonshine", theatrical choreography and funk-laced music by composer/guitarist Jamie Begian together portray the enigmatic influences the Moon has on a group of seven people. Add a bar scene with the effects of alcohol and you get a comedy of mayhem and uninhibited behavior. In contrast, Echo's second piece depicts the Moon's luminous beauty and its ability to ignite one's unconscious. Set to music by Japanese composer Yumiko Sunami, the piece is a reflection of the Moon's ethereal power on a quintet of women through four phases – "New Moon", "Ascending Moon", "Full Moon", and "Descending Moon". Similarly, choreographer/dancer Julie Tice, a fellow Paul Taylor alumnus, is also captivated by the changing phases of the Moon in a new piece entitled "Lunar Cycles". Set to music by composer/trombonist JC Sanford, it symbolizes the Moon's transformations and how they affect people's characters. Rounding out the program is the choreographic debut of TAKE Dance member Kile Hotchkiss. His section, "Imperfect Syzygy", features a quintet of dancers outlining the alignment and dissolution of a lunar eclipse. Moving with the principles of observation and obstruction, the dancers explore the measures of shadowed darkness from astral projections as well as from within. Topping the "Composer Rising Star" and "Arranger Rising Star" categories in the 2010 DownBeat Critics Poll, composer Darcy James Argue sets the tone with his much talked about "wickedly intelligent dispatch from the fading border between orchestral jazz and post-rock and classical minimalism" (New York Times). We hope you can come out and support us in this wonderful project. How often do you see and hear modern dance choreographed to LIVE music! You can order tickets at the link below or get them at the box office. And if you are able, we do have a Kickstarter page where you can donate; even a small amount can go a long way to make this possible! Spread the word: Take & Pulse Live is a big WIN! TAKE Dance and PULSE present the world premiere of THE DISTANCE OF THE MOON Featuring choreography by Takehiro Ueyama, Jill Echo, Kile Hotchkiss & Julie Tice Music by Darcy James Argue, Jamie Begian, Joseph C. Phillips, Jr., JC Sanford, Joshua Shneider & Yumiko Sunami October 14 & 15 at 8:00 PM Judson Memorial Church 55 Washington Square South at Thompson Street Purchase tickets online now at: BROWN PAPER TICKETS Help us meet our fund raising goal !!! visit our project at: KICKSTARTER DANCERS Kristen Arnold, Elise Drew, John Eirich, Kile Hotchkiss, Gina Ianni, Mariko Kurihara, Clinton Edward Martin, Nana Tsuda Misko, Jake Warren, Marie Zvosec MUSICIANS Woodwinds: Ben Kono Guitar: Pete McCann Violin: Ana Milosavljevic Cello: Will Martina Bass: Eva Lawitts Percussion: Max Jhin Jaffe For more information contact TAKE Dance info@takedance.org | 917.591.1413 (Photo credit Take Dance by Quinn Batson; Pulse by Marcy Begian) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 12:00 PM
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2010
Tonight!!! 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 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 speaks about Vipassana) Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness (behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing) Inside Vipassana #14: Electric Lady (Amanda Monaco, Guitar, and Vipassana) Inside Vipassana #15: The Dharma in Music (Vipassana, a journey of reflection) Inside Vipassana #16: 'Cello Song (interview with Numinous cellists Will Martina and Lauren Riley-Rigby) Inside Vipassana #17: Feel the Vibes with Tom Beckham (Vibraphone and Vipassana) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 7:03 AM Vibraphone has always been a part of Numinous. In fact before I even had a group, in those dark times when I was only just planning how best to execute dominion over the musical establishment, I dreamed of having a music ensemble that included the vibraphone. Now some people might think this is because of Steve Reich and Musicians. In reality Steve and his 'band' were only a small part of my thought process. It really was much earlier in my career, long before I even knew who Steve Reich was, that the love of the vibraphone began.
Most likely it began, where so many first loves began, in high school. The set of vibes the school had were always so tantalizing close where they sat in the percussion section of my high school band. I couldn't really touch them, since I wasn't a percussionist, but I always wanted to. Every time someone played them, my ears perked up and my desire grew. I can't really explain why I liked the vibes, perhaps it was the tintinnabuli sound since I think I am predisposed toward bells (a secret desire of mine (not so secret now) is to write for a hand bell choir! Hey out there bell choir world, I'm open to commissions...). But the vibes, with its warm and roundness of tone, only hints at bell-ness so I guess the real answer is I just liked how it sounded. Simple. So when Numinous began, the vibraphone was definitely going to be part of it. And years after the beginning, when I was writing Vipassana, I thought TWO vibes would be heaven! However, ever since last year, I have broken up my 'Noah's Ark' of instruments in Vipassana and replaced the second vibraphone with harp. Initially this was for pragmatic reasons, as chronicled in Inside Vipassana #3, but since then it is because I just love having the harp in the group. But the one vibraphone still has quite the heavy lifting in Vipassana, including a solo feature in "Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing on the Earth" and some intricate rhythmic work (with the harp) in "Into all the Valleys Evening Journeys". And since the beginning of this journey that is Vipassana, the person doing a wonderful job with the demanding vibraphone requirements is Tom Beckham. So I thought it would be fun to hear what it is like playing Vipassana from his vantage point. In Vipassana the vibraphone generally has a prominent role in the piece, particularly in the first and third movements. What kind of musical or technical challenges does the music create for you? The First movement is really fun to play because it has tight ensemble sections, some nice chordal passages for the vibes, and later, an improvised duet with vibes and piano. Stylistically speaking, it really has the best of both worlds. The third movement seems to be more technically difficult movement for vibes. The challenge has always been to be rhythmically articulate, precise, and relaxed-sounding. As a longstanding member of Numinous, how has performing Vipassana changed for you over the 5 years we've been playing it? As time goes by, I find it easier to hear and appreciate the different ensemble sections while performing the piece. The process of recording music, committing it to CD has also changed my perception of the piece. I definitely feel more familiar with it's narrative as a result of going through that process. What do you like about Vipassana? I like that it strives to combine different aspects or genres of music. It aims to challenge the listener. As a performer, the part I like the most is that feeling that I get of "having meditated" after performing the concert. It's that feeling you get after being involved in a thought process which is taking you outside of normal flow. I hope to feel this at the end of each performance--that feeling of being involved in a process–being transported. What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)? Everywhere, everything! Especially through my family and my two and a half year old daughter, but also including: animals, ocean life, trees/forests, twilight, certain food, art, sound, laughter, the list is endless. Hopefully, as artists, we are all trying to be a part of a process of discovering 'what is beautiful'. I think if an artist is not involved in that process then he or she should ask oneself what they value about the music they are drawn to, and how they would characterize it. Who are your musician heroes? My musical Superhero list would have to include the great vibraphonists Milt Jackson and Gary Burton. They have really done the lion's share of innovation on the instrument. Whatever I am doing today most likely has a connection to something that those two musicians have put out there in the world. What's your favorite Bjork and/or Gustav Mahler piece? Why? I really like "It's Not Up To You" from Vespertine because of the way this tune opens up. The voices help make it lift off. I also like "All Neon Like" from Homogenic--the melodic and harmonic choices are compelling, and the groove is organic, heavy, and deep. In addition to being a musician, you are a graphic artist so if you could have designed any logo/design what would it be (i.e. what graphic design do you find pleasing/inspirational)? Why? The Coke Logo (for obvious financial reasons, ha ha!, just kidding.). Seriously, I am inspired by good typography and type design of any period, as well as ornament and design from 1900-1979. I am also currently renewing my love for Dr.Seuss' and Charlie Harper's body of work. What is a book(s) that have inspired you? Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet. What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something? While driving my car at 55 mph with all the windows down on 4th avenue, Brooklyn, in January. Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect? I once played a gig on my instrument without a dampening bar. For all you non-vibists, the dampening bar is the thing that keeps the notes from sustaining. Not having one is like having someone pressing their foot down on the sustain pedal on a piano for the whole night. Anyway, for this particular gig, we were supposed to perform one of tunes from the "Blues on Bach" record by the MJQ. I had very little materials at the time to improvise an effective dampening system, so I eventually had to play the entire gig by muting the sounds of the instrument with either my hands, or with my mallets. It was an exercise I won't soon forget because it really made me think about the length of the notes that I would play, etc. What's next up for you in your own music career? Aside from other recording projects, I'm pulling my own music together for a vibes/guitar quartet project called "Slice", and I'm also continuing to fill out music for what will become the 3rd CD for my five-piece group. You can learn more about Tom at www.tombeckham.net 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 theInside 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 speaks about Vipassana) Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness (behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing) Inside Vipassana #14: Electric Lady (Amanda Monaco, Guitar, and Vipassana) Inside Vipassana #15: The Dharma in Music (Vipassana, a journey of reflection) Inside Vipassana #16: 'Cello Song (interview with Numinous cellists Will Martina and Lauren Riley-Rigby) (photo credits, from top to bottom: photo from the artist; photo by Marcy Begian) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 8:17 AM Cello is my favorite string instrument. In college during my methods classes (this is where we learned how to teach each instrument by having to learn to play each instrument) I remember that semester excitingly walking with my cello every day 2 miles from the university campus bus stop to my home in order to practice. In my methods class we had French horn players, singers, pianists, clarinetists, and saxophonists like me; and all of us trying to make sense of bow grips and left hand positions. But I remember it all being great fun. Our teacher was the cello instructor of the university, so she actually had pretty high expectations which was wonderful because she really expected us to know how to play. She had us write arrangements for cello choir, which we, as a class, had to perform. I remember (and still have copies of) a number of my little compositions and arrangements. I was especially fond of two pieces: one which referenced the opening of the 1st Symphony of Brahms; the other, my arrangement of the opening of the Prelude from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde! For my undergraduate senior saxophone recital I composed Urban Sketches for Alto Saxophone and Violoncello for a cello friend of mine and me to play (actually we used to have late night improvised jam sessions, the result of which lead me to actually composing a 'formal' piece, Urban Sketches, for us to play). I still love the piece (which you can hear at the above link) especially for how the cello and saxophone can be so sonically similar with a warmth of tone, as well as an easy flexibility and dexterity. One of the things on my 'to-do-someday' bucket list is to write a cello 'concerto' or a piece for cello choir or at least a major piece that features the cello in some fashion. Now Vipassana doesn't specifically 'feature' the cello, except in a few spots, but my love of the instrument does come through in various passages. And for a number of years now I've been fortunate to have two wonderful cello players (and great persons) playing those passages with beauty and excellent musicianship: William Martina and Lauren Riley-Rigby. So I asked them a few questions about their experience with Vipassana. Will Martina How did you come to playing the cello? I often read about musicians who had a compulsion to play - or felt drawn to - their instrument. That's not how it was for me. I was quite young when my parents suggested I take up an instrument. I was given the choice of cello or piano and had a lesson on each to see which one I preferred. The piano teacher was a bitch (from my six year-old viewpoint), so it was an easy choice to make. Both you and Lauren have played Vipassana for many years now, so how has performing it changed for you over the years? What challenges does that pose to you in the piece and how is it different (or similar) from other kinds of music you perform? What do you like about Vipassana? I often say that playing Vipassana is much like my experience of doing yoga. On the surface it appears serene and relaxed, but under the surface there's a lot of strain and energy. It requires me to use my body as efficiently as possible. The same could be said for the mental aspect. Counting, listening, and going for a rhythmically tight but sonorous approach/sound requires more effort than one might think. Each time I come back to play Vipassana, I find some physical and mental muscles that might have atrophied since the last time and need some working out and special treatment until they start working again. What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)? Everything, everywhere (or very near to it) has the potential to be beautiful, depending on one's ability to experience it. I do actively try to find beauty in the environment I inhabit (i.e. Queens). It's not easy. What's your favorite Bjork and/or Gustav Mahler piece? Why? I honestly don't have a favorite piece by either Bjork or Mahler, though I do like their music. If you had a chance to perform with any musician/group in any style, who would it be and why? I don't know where to begin. . . What is a book(s) that have inspired you? About ten years ago I devoured the novels of Herman Hesse, and while I don't have the same opinion about things now, they had an irreversible and positive affect on me at the time. Last year I read Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, and while it wasn't necessarily and 'inspiring' book, it clarified a lot of things I'd been thinking about, and I felt different (in a good way!) after having read it. If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? why? The Rockies in Winter. I've done a fair bit of traveling, and seen all kinds of landscapes from planes, but the Rockies (between Calgary and Vancouver) was the most intense and awe-inspiring view of them all. I hope to do it again. What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something? Listening to the Coltrane album Crescent. Cheesy perhaps, but true. What's next up for you in your own music career? Same old - gigging and recording - for the foreseeable future. I'm not complaining, though. Lauren Riley-Rigby How did you come to playing the cello? My discovery of the cello was one of two genuine, powerful, and life-changing revelations I've had in my life. I was about 12 or 13, and I went to an outdoor Asheville Symphony concert. Something was drawing me to the cello, and it was so powerful in fact that I totally gave up riding horses, something with which I had been passionately involved since about the age of 4. So my parents sold my horse, and I started my journey towards becoming a cellist. I wish I still had such moments of clarity! Both you and Will have played Vipassana for many years now, so how has performing it changed for you over the years? What challenges does that pose to you in the piece and how is it different (or similar) from other kinds of music you perform? What do you like about Vipassana? Vipassana is one of my favorite pieces, especially for this type of ensemble. It is such a unique combination of classical, jazz, and less definable musical elements. There are some really serene, beautiful moments, and also some driving, groovy sections -- for a little while I was listening to the first and third movements on my long runs. I do think the music has a distinctive spiritual element -- sometimes there is an emotional vibe that you can't quite put your finger on. When I first heard/played it, there were spots that reminded me of Michael Nyman's music from Jane Campion's great film, The Piano. Great variations of moodiness, and with a strong sense of movement and direction. I also love Joe's conducting. Very beautiful to watch and easy to follow! There are a couple spots that are tricky technically (cello-wise), but mostly it's the counting that is a challenge. As classical musicians, we're not too often called upon to read complicated rhythms or to feel time in multiple ways. Jazz musicians are so beyond us, generally speaking, in this way. I'm a better cellist now than I was when I first played Vipassana (in 2006, I think), so some of the tricky repetitive figures are easier for me now...but still a good workout for the left hand! Overall, a joy to play this piece. It's also interesting to perform a piece multiple times. I've done a million performances that were one-time deals, so it's quite rewarding to revisit this music in different venues, different times of year... What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)? Mostly in nature and with my husband and family. Western NC, coastal New England, Sweden, Ireland - all faves. Also, sensual experience -- food & wine!!! Flowers, autumn, winter, snow, trees, mushrooms, critters of all kinds... What's your favorite Bjork and/or Gustav Mahler piece? Why? The 2nd movement, Andante Moderato, of Mahler Sixth. I had one of the most beautiful moments of my life listening to that movement. If you had a chance to perform with any musician/group in any style, who would it be and why? I'd have to say Rasputina. As a cellist who likes the music I do, there's no cooler band. Plus, how could one not want to wear 19th century corsets while playing moody, neo-classical, rock-inspired cello? It's something that could be totally cheezy & ineffective, but it's so not. Rasputina rules. I think Melora Creager (the creator of Rasputina) is a brilliant musician and has done something really unique with her band. There's really no one out there doing what she's doing. Her arranging is quite remarkable too. What is a book(s) that have inspired you? The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom; The best book I've ever read. I love it so much, I may go so far as to regularly carry it on my person. If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? Why? Denmark, Sweden, or Ireland -- three of the most beautiful places on the planet. What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something? Last night I was playing some Chopin Nocturnes that I studied years and years ago. It was on my family's small butterfly grand piano, one that belonged to my great aunt. My parents came in to listen and then my husband played a standard. It was one of those moments where all of these memories and feelings intersect and time stands still. Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect? I am hoping to do my Master Gardener degree at the NY Botanical Gardens...just not right now, I've been in college way too long! What's next up for you in your own music career? Not totally sure. I just finished my PhD, so in many ways I'm sort of jobless except for freelancing. I do have an interesting concert with my quartet coming up in December. We're doing Shostakovich, Glass, and a really interesting piece called Pannonia Boundless by Aleksandra Vrebalov, who wrote it for the Kronos Quartet. The concert will be at Bloomingdale School of Music on the UWS, Dec. 10. Other than that, it would be wonderful to tackle Bach's Sixth Suite and actually be able to play it really well! You can learn more about Lauren at laurenrileyrigby.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 Learn more about Vipassana by reading the other installments of theInside 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 speaks about Vipassana) Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness (behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing) Inside Vipassana #14: Electric Lady (Amanda Monaco, Guitar, and Vipassana) Inside Vipassana #15: The Dharma in Music (Vipassana, a journey of reflection) (photo credit, top to bottom: photo of Lauren and Will by Donald Martinez; photo of Will by Donald Martinez; photo of Lauren by Colleen Chrzanowski) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 8:00 AM Hearing about my composition a number of people have asked me, "Have you done the Vipassana meditation retreat?" or "Is the piece inspired by doing the Vipassana retreat?" I always have to answer "no, I haven't done the retreat." This is not from lack of interest however, but rather a lack of time as the retreat can be either a 10-day or 30-day stay (totally free, BTW). For those of you that don't know about Vipassana or the "noble silence" that is the Meditation retreat, in the very first Inside Vipassana series post (October 2009), I explained how I came to know about it through an article in TimeOutNY in which the author does the 10-day retreat, and which I hope to do myself someday.
www.dhamma.org explains Vipassana thusly: Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art Of Living. [A] non-sectarian technique...Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self-observation. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind. It is this observation-based, self-exploratory journey to the common root of mind and body that dissolves mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and compassion. And while my composition Vipassana does not flower from the meditation, it does have similar goals as the above description. John Adams called his composition On the Transmigration of Souls a "memory space" for the victims of September 11th, 2001 and I think of my Vipassana functioning similarly, however as a space for a 'journey of reflection' toward one's self. It is not a hippie tune in, bliss out or new age-y crystals and chants, but rather Vipassana is a simple and humble medium that allows listeners to be active in reflecting on their own emotions and thoughts. Actually, my Numinous tag-line "Listen. Feel. Think. Know" is quite appropriate here, for after the hour-long journey through Vipassana and through the self, that one can emerge energized, refreshed, and inspired, is what I would hope listeners experience. More information: Vipassana Meditation (www.dhamma.org) or Insight Meditation Center (www.dharma.org) 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 theInside 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 speaks about Vipassana) Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness (behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing) Inside Vipassana #14: Electric Lady (Amanda Monaco, Guitar, and Vipassana) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 8:00 AM Now you might not suspect it, but when I was younger I was the lead guitarist of a short lived synth-pop-rock band (think Rush meets Tangerine Dream). Actually I wasn't very good, as I only started learning the guitar just before starting the band (for you guitar-heads, I had a black Yamaha (Pacifica?) with a small Fender amp). But I became good enough that I was able to use the guitar to play and compose a number of songs (some of which, I'll transform into a Numinous opus one of these days). Anyway back in those days I was listening to rock guitarists for inspiration: Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Alex Lifeson, Steve Howe, Prince and later moved to people like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page. Sure I heard (and liked some) other guitarists like George Benson, Lee Ritenour and Al Di Meola (surprisingly knowing me now, Pat Metheny not to mention Grant Green and Wes Montgomery, came much later). So back then my conception of the guitar's usage was much more rock based. It probably wasn't until years later, after moving to Seattle, that my compositional concept of the guitar changed. When I joined the Seattle Young Composers Collective (now called the Degenerate Art Ensemble) as a player/composer, I was inspired by the guitarists in the group who often, it seemed to me, to write the most interesting music and whose usage of the guitar was so intriguing. Sure they used the guitar to create power chords and screaming lines, but also they used the guitar to create subtle colors, weird effects, or melodic lines with other instruments in the ensemble. Seeing and hearing this as part of the ensemble was a revelation in my thoughts of what a guitar can do and lead me to explore it when I moved to NYC. For Vipassana, I wanted guitars because they can offer all of those things above. There are some places in the music where the guitars are used for their chordal ability, but mostly the guitars are playing melodic figures. And a guitar solo gliding over gentle waves created by a two piano figure and long, languid sustained pitches heard in the voices, was always one of the features I envisioned as I was composing "Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing on the Earth". And ever since Vipassana's second performance, including on our recording, the person doing those beautiful guitar solos has been Amanda Monaco. So I asked Amanda a few questions about her experiences with guitar and with Vipassana. How did you come to playing the guitar? My dad played guitar, so I wanted to be like him and play guitar too. He had a band in high school with three of his six brothers, and used to tell me stories about the gigs my grandmother would book for them. What challenges does Vipassana pose for you as a guitarist? what is it like being in a guitar 'section'? I love being in a guitar ‘section’! Guitar is such a social instrument to begin with, so the more, the better, and when the parts intertwine the way they do in Vipassana, it’s a great time. This is also where the biggest challenge of Vipassana lies, because all of the individual lines sound effortless but in fact are quite intricate and one wrong note can lead to big trouble. What do you like about Vipassana? Vipassana is incredibly moving; I always feel like I’m on a journey whenever we play it. What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)? I usually notice beauty when I’m not looking for it; I’ll be walking down the street and I’ll see some flowers tucked away in a tiny front yard, or a little cat sitting in the window, curious about the sidewalk happenings. Who are your musician heroes? There are so many, but my top four: Ted Dunbar, Jim Hall, Eddie Van Halen (circa 1981), Wes Montgomery. If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? why? My favorite place to fly over is Central Park. Being a runner, and having spent so much time there, it’s one of those places that is very dear to me. What is a book(s) that have inspired you? One book is John Coltrane by Lewis Porter. It’s inspiring when you read about how hard he worked, and the beauty that came from his hard work. What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something? I was sitting on a dock by the East River, watching the sunset, looking at its rays resting on the water, with the breeze blowing through the grass and trees. The world felt eternal and majestic, very peaceful. Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect? I love doing counted-cross stitch. When I was a kid, I used to make these huge pictures of flowers, “home sweet home” samplers, etc. and now I make little pictures for friends when I get the chance. What's next up for you in your own music career? I’m writing music for a new CD that I will record soon with my quartet (aka Deathblow: Michaël Attias, alto and baritone saxophones; Sean Conly, bass; Satoshi Takeishi, drums). I’ve also started a non-profit organization called the Long Island City Jazz Alliance (http://www.licja.org) whose mission is to bring jazz to the neighborhood of Long Island City, Queens, through concerts and workshops. There’s also a CD of music I recorded of original music inspired by texts from the Pirke Avot, a collection of rabbinic teachings compiled in the third century C.E., that I’m hoping to release in the next year. It features Ayelet Rose Gottlieb (vocals), Daphna Mor (recorders, ney), Sean Conly (bass), and Satoshi Takeishi (percussion). You can learn more about Amanda at www.amandamonaco.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 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 speaks about Vipassana) Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness (behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing) POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 9:50 AM 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 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 Well it is finally here! The new update to my website is now live and it looks great!
Go to www.numinousmusic.com and check out the new Numinous Experience. Here's what you'll see:
Thanks to White Coyote (www.whitecoyote.us) for the wonderful new website. If you are looking for a new website or want a fresh look to yours then I would suggest talking to Steve at White Coyote. POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 10:12 AM I feel like it has been a while since I last posted, but the summer is when I actually have some time for a few activities that I usually don't have time for during the school year, so I've been off enjoying: visiting Paris; building fences (seems like an annual ritual); reading (Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is my present book); concertizing (last week saw William Brittelle's wonderful Television Landscape CD release concert at Le Poisson Rouge); working on www.numinousmusic.com website revision and planning the next Numinous performance of Vipassana (Wednesday September 22 at 8pm at the Brooklyn Lyceum; organizing the next project of Pulse (myself, Darcy James Argue, Jamie Begian, JC Sanford, Joshua Shneider, and Yumiko Sunami) which is a collaboration with the Take Dance Company called The Distance of the Moon (those of you who are fans of Italio Calvino's phantasmagorical 1965 book Cosmicomics will recognize the title as the first chapter of the book; it is also the title of my entry to the project); as well as planning future projects and compositions, including more of my other dance project with Edisa Weeks and Delirious Dances, To Begin the World Over Again which is set for a two-week run in June 2011 at Irondale Center in Brooklyn; visiting with friends; and of course, I'm finding that, to reference one of my recent tweets, this summer is becoming my much needed Rocky IV, back to the basics training to get back my 'eye of the tiger.'
POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 7:00 AM 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 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 Next week on January 14th at 9pm, three composers from Pulse (myself, Darcy James Argue, and JC Sanford) will be featured on a concert at the Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT) at the Abrons Art Center 466 Grand Street in New York City. Tickets can be purchased at the FONT website or at the door. The Festival of New Trumpet Music, which was co-founded by the great trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas, actually begins the night before on January 13th with a tribute and benefit celebrating the life and career of famed trumpeter Wilmer Wise. Wilmer has lead a diverse and interesting career, straddling the worlds of jazz, contemporary classical, and Broadway. Working with such musical illuminati as Steve Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, and Leopold Stokowski among many others, he was often one of the few (if most of the time, the only) African-American musician in many of the ensembles and symphony orchestras he performed in during the 1960s and 1970s. The January 14th concert is really in three parts: At 6:30pm Anti-Social Music, Inc. presents a series of world premieres; at 7:30pm is a performance of the brass music by the incredible composer Charles Wuorinen performed by the New York Trumpet Ensemble and the Urban Brass Quintet, which will be conducted by the composer himself; then at 9pm Wilmer Wise reprises his role as trumpet soloist in Ornette Coleman's rarely performed chamber work, The Sacred Mind of Johnny Dolphin. Wilmer performed on the premiere in 1984 and trumpeter Lew Soloff played on the last known performance at Carnegie Hall in 1987. Both Wilmer and Lew will be tag-teaming the solo trumpet part in The Sacred Mind of Johnny Dolphin for the January 14th concert. Also featured will be Gerald Cleaver (drums), Warren Smith (percussion), Meg Okura and Scott Tixier (violins), Judith Insell (viola), and Will Martina (cello). To round out the 9pm part of the concert, Dave Douglas commissioned three composers from Pulse (myself, Darcy James Argue, and JC Sanford) to arrange some of Ornette Coleman's music for the ensemble with soloists Lew Soloff and Taylor Ho Bynum. The composition I wrote, featuring both Lew and Taylor, is called "Memory of Red Orange Laid out in Still Waves" and is a transmutation and refraction of the beautiful "Kathelin Gray" from the Ornette Coleman/Pat Metheny 1986 album Song X. My title comes from a line in Edward P. Jones's sobering book, The Known World which, while a work of fiction, was based upon the true incidents of African-Americans owning slaves during the 19th century. Darcy's arrangement, featuring Taylor as soloist, is the opening theme from Ornette's Skies of America from the 1972 orchestral album of the same name, while JC with Lew, will tackle "Peace" from the vestigial 1959 album The Shape of Jazz to Come in his composition, the eponymously titled "Lew's Peace". POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 7:51 AM Tonight is the start of New York City's WQXR's week-long festival of composer Steve Reich's music and influence, Maximum Reich. He has been one of the most influential composers in the last 50 years and one of the most enjoyable to listen to. From seminal and far-reaching works such as "Music for 18 Musicians", "Drumming", and "Different Trains" to "Electric Counterpoint", "Tehillim", "Music for Large Ensemble", "You Are (Variations)", and "Daniel Variations", you can check out all of those and more with streams of much of Reich's compositions on Q2 (the more adventurous (and to me, more interesting) internet version of WQXR). Along with past interviews done on WNYC, new introductions to works by the man himself, and written essay tributes by composers David Lang, Nico Muhly, Evan Ziporyn, and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, there is much to listen and enjoy during the festival.
Back in December 2003 I was involved in the two-week Steve Reich Festival hosted by the Royal Conservatory in the Netherlands, where almost all of Reich's compositions at the time, as well as much that was influenced by him (including a few of my own works), were performed and discussed. That was a wonderful and incredible experience for me to be a part of and I'm looking forward to this similar New York City radio immersion into the composer who is one of my favorites and one whose music and thinking have influenced my musical life and work greatly. Check it out... POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 5:02 PM Here's a brief article in today's Daily News about the PS 321 Neighborhood Series, which Simone Dinnerstein has organized. It starts this Thursday with Clive Greensmith, cellist from the Toyko String Quartet and pianist Jean Schneider. While they didn't use much from my interview, the photo shoot on Monday was fun with Simone and one of my kindergarten classes and we hope the article will help draw people to the concerts.
PS 321 Neighborhood Concert Series October 29th, 2009: Clive Greensmith (cello) and Jean Schneider (piano) January 10th, 2010: Simone Dinnerstein with American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) February 4th, 2010: The Chiara String Quartet April 15th, 2010: Face the Music featuring premiere of a composition by Joseph C. Phillips Jr. Also, I have my own concert tonight: Numinous performs Vipassana Wednesday October 28, 2009 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 7:41 AM Come out and experience Vipassana live, tomorrow night one set only.
Numinous performs Vipassana Wednesday October 28, 2009 8 PM to 9 PM $10 Brooklyn Lyceum 227 4th Avenue Park Slope Take the M, R Train to Union Street featuring Ben Kono, Rob Mosher, Alden Banta (woodwinds), Evan Weiss (trumpet/flügelhorn), Ernest Stuart, (trombone), Tom Beckham (vibraphone), Megan Levin, (harp), Amanda Monaco, Sebastian Noelle (electric guitars), Carmen Staaf, Michael Eckroth, (pianos), Jared Soldiviero, Sam Levin, (percussion), Charenee Wade, Amy Cervini, Sara Serpa, Julie Hardy, Wendy Gilles (voices), Ana Milosavljevic, Scott Tixier (violins), Nick Revel, Brian Lindgren (violas), Will Martina, Lauren Riley-Rigby (violoncellos), Kevin Thomas, (bass), Joseph C. Phillips Jr., (conductor, composer) Learn more about Vipassana by reading the Inside Vipassana 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 8:00 AM I thought given I'm asking some musicians to answer questions about themselves, I should as well. So here we go: What challenges does Vipassana pose for you? Well, organizing 25 very busy people for rehearsals and performances, finding space for us to play, and figuring out how to pay for it all is always a challenge, but it always seems to works out. The music can also be very tricky rhythmically. One person might be playing one thing and next to them another might be playing the same thing slightly offset or perhaps even some completely different rhythmic grouping. So it can be very easy for the musicians to get lost and part of my job is to be very focused while conducting to make sure we are all on the same page; to be the lighthouse beacon, so to speak, and to lead the way in the sea of sounds not only rhythmically but also by bringing out the meaning behind the music, to help it connect with the listeners. What do you like about Vipassana? I like that people find something special that resonates within them when listening to the music I created and that makes me happy. What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)? To me beauty is not just those things that are pretty or sound euphonic, but also things that seem to represent connectivity to truth or wholeness or oneness. I'm not speaking in any way religious, although for some people that's their equivalent. When I think of Carl Sagan's famous saying, "We are all made from starstuff", to me that says everything that is, is connected in some fundamental way. So while the typical things one might find beautific are so, even tragedy and ugliness, has that beautiful notion that still connects us all to each other and the world. Who are your musician heroes? Well there is much that is not music that offers me inspiration, but my Mount Rushmore of musical influencers are (in no particular order): Claude Debussy, Gustav Mahler, Steve Reich, Maria Schneider, John Adams. Although people like John Coltrane, Morton Feldman, Prince, Björk, John Williams, and Arvo Pärt hold much appeal not only with their music but also have affected my own musical thinking and philosophy. If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? Why? I loved flying over the Alps to Milan, Italy earlier this year. Seeing a whole line of classic white peaked mountains stretching along the horizon was very breathtaking. One thing I want to do someday is take a "Bergsommerferien" (a summer vacation/tour of mountains) to see the mountains and/or fjords of the world that I haven't been to: Iceland, Norway, Finland, the Himalayas, Alaska, Peru and Chile. What is a book(s) that have inspired you? There have been many books over the years that have affected me. That Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake, to give one example from many, exists in the world makes me joyous and hopeful with my own music, that something of such beauty and excellence can be created. When was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something? This summer in upstate New York, spending a number of nights just looking up at the stars and being. This summer's wondering and contemplating also helped me remember why I want to create music in the first place, a thought which sometimes gets lost with all of the noise of living. Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect? Well, two things. One in high school, I was in a guitar-synth-electro-rock band where not only did I play saxophone and (bad) electric guitar, I was also the lyrics man (and even sang on a few tunes!). I have tapes somewhere and no you can't listen to them... Secondly, in general I'm a late bloomer. For example, my growth spurt was in high school and then another one (growing another 4 inches!) in college as well as coming late to a career in music. I was studying biochemistry for my first two years of college (with no music making, except my rock band) before switching to a music major. In truth, I probably should have really been an astronomy major when I started but I was thinking about becoming a genetic engineer, so biochem was the way to go (I still love and read up on many sciences today). However, I wasn't really happy with biochem (my high school senoritis extended into my first semesters of college) and realized I did not want to be in a lab coat the rest of my life so decided to pursue music. I really was raw when I started my music studies but I soaked in EVERYTHING and soon was in the practice room working on my fledgling compositions and I haven't looked back since. What's next up for you in your own music career? A commission for a composition from Face the Music, which came about because of world renown pianist Simone Dinnerstein. The piece, which I'll talk about in later posts, will premiere on April 15, 2010 as part of Simone's Neighborhood Concert Series in Brooklyn. There is also my collaboration with dance choreographer Edisa Weeks, To Begin the World Over Again which is an exploration of the words and legacy of Thomas Paine and will also include a symposium with Paine and history scholars on the meaning of democracy in today's America. The premiere is slated for June of 2010 at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. With my composer 'federation' Pulse, we have a dance collaboration with the Take Dance Company. My piece will be choreographed by Take himself and is scheduled for June and July 2010. There are a few other things in the works so you'll have to check back for more details. (photos by Donald Martinez) Numinous performs Vipassana Wednesday October 28, 2009 8 PM (one set only) $10 Brooklyn Lyceum 227 4th Avenue Park Slope Take the M, R Train to Union Street POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 7:00 AM One thing that I wanted to create with Vipassana was a composition that was integrated from the first piece to the last. My conception was more symphonic, with cross relationships and development between parts rather than suite-like. In fact Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 9 was a structural inspiration, although it didn't work out exactly as I planned. Like Symphony No. 9, my initial thought for Vipassana was to have two large Adagios one at the beginning and one at the end, with two smaller works in the middle. I did end up with two larger movements, although "Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing on the Earth" (the first movement) happily did not want to become an Adagio. Also unlike the Mahler, my original intent was to link the individual works with small "transitions" featuring the different instrumental sections of the ensemble. But as I was writing the pieces that idea didn't seem to be what the whole needed or was saying either, although a vestige of this idea can still be found in the opening soli string sextet of last movement, "The Nothingness that is the Source of Everything". Each of the individual movements of Vipassana can stand on their own, but it is in the totality of the four parts together that more richness of details and commonality become apparent. One of these details is the relationship Vipassana has to two compositions by other composers I admire: New World by Björk and "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" by Gustav Mahler. Here's how I described the development of "The Nothingness that is the Source of Everything" in the program notes at the premiere: The last movement was the longest on my mind and the last I decided to tackle. Originally I entitled this movement, "Ich bin der neuen Welt abhanden gekommen" (“I am lost to the new world”). This was to reflect the dual inspirations of the piece: Gustav Mahler’s beautiful orchestral song "Ich bin der neuen Welt abhanden gekommen" (“I am lost to the world”) from Rückertlieder (1899-1903) and Björk Guðmundsdóttir’s haunting "New World" from Lars von Trier’s movie Dancer in the Dark (2000). I had Selmasongs (the title of the Dancer in the Dark soundtrack) long before I saw the movie. However, it wasn’t until after watching the movie on DVD, that I was really moved to arrange the final haunting song of the movie, sung by Selma (Björk) as she is waiting to be executed for a crime she didn’t commit. I transcribed "New World" with the hopes of arranging it for Numinous but over time I could not complete it to my satisfaction. Working on the arrangement intermittently for a year, it wasn’t until in the middle of a casual conversation with one of my musicians about the status of my 'arrangement', I suddenly thought of combining material from "New World" with "Ich bin der neuen Welt abhanden gekommen". Not in an arrangement per se, but by using those pieces as source material to inspire a newly composed piece. Now, this final movement of Vipassana began to take shape, at least in my mind. You might wonder why I would have thought that Björk and Mahler would have anything to do with each other? I know that they do kind of make strange musical bedfellows but it's interesting how the unconscious mind can see connections or other qualities that we might otherwise miss or not notice. It really was a 'moment' when the solution appeared to me seemly out of no where, when seconds before there was nothing to see. Thinking about it after the fact, the connections between the Mahler and Björk pieces seem obvious, at least on the surface. Here's the melody for "New World": And here is the Mahler: Both pieces share a few things: I didn't include the key signatures but both are in Eb, both share an octave range (from Bb3 to Bb4), and both have a similar melodic contour. How I used these two pieces as source material is by often utilizing, subverting, or refracting the intervallic relationships in the melodies. Sometimes this intervallic manipulation affected how I moved between harmonies, but more often than not, the subtle influence of the two pieces on what I created was more melodic. And while all of the melodic material is original in the four parts of Vipassana (except for one almost literal quote from Mahler), there is really only one place where the relationship between Mahler and Björk is in the foreground. This comes at the very end of "The Nothingness that is the Source of Everything" where a sort of Björk "New World"-like melody (played by a solo oboe, second line) is pitted in counterpoint against the sort of Mahler "abhanden gekommen"-like melody (played by a solo English Horn, top line): One could look at this proxy battle between Mahler and Björk as a choice between the hope of a 'new world' versus the despair of being 'lost' in the old one. In the end not only does hope and Björk 'win out', but the English Horn melody, which was playing the sort of Mahler, is transformed to the hope of the 'new world' and the sort of Björk. Now this kind of extra musical existential crisis was not what I had in mind as I was writing the piece. All I knew is I wanted the melodies to play against each other and I did not think about "fate knocking at the door" or anything like that. My analysis came when after performing the piece and thinking about it, I realized that one could 'interpret' the end in that way. Whether that interpretation is true or not for you is beside the point really. I love the six-part Leonard Bernstein Harvard University Norton Lectures from the early 1970's and in the last talk he postulates that Mahler's 9th Symphony (one of my all-time favorite works) is a harbinger of the horrors of the 20th century: world wars, genocide, poverty. Yet somehow Mahler, despite ultimately speaking to the hope for mankind, foreshadowed all of the terrors to come in his music. In a very quietly intense and gripping description of the symphony, Bernstein, with melodramatic earnestness heighten by a slowly tightening camera close-up which was common at the time (I think of some of the 'serious' TV shows such as All in the Family which used the device to emotional effect), is so compelling you COULD believe that is what the 9th Symphony is and what Mahler had in mind. But was Mahler really some kind of Nostradamus, seeing the future and trying to impart Cassandra-like warnings in his music? Doubtful. But the Mahler is nonetheless very moving, beautiful and hopeful in the end, extra-musical prophecies or no. And I wish at the end of Vipassana you are also similarly stirred and moved and hopeful. Check back soon for more insider info about Vipassana! Numinous performs Vipassana Wednesday October 28, 2009 8 PM (one set only) $10 Brooklyn Lyceum 227 4th Avenue Park Slope Take the M, R Train to Union Street POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 5:19 PM In an earlier post in May 2009, I mentioned that world-acclaimed pianist Simone Dinnerstein was curating a new concert series in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Park Slope. Well, this week is the beginning of that series: the PS 321 Neighborhood Concert Series. All of the concerts are open to the general public and are held in the PS 321 Auditorium (180 7th Avenue). The musicians on the series are artists Simone has worked with or admired over the years and are donating their time and efforts in order for all of the proceeds to benefit the school's Parent Teacher Association.
Simone states her reasons for starting the series: "I wanted to start a concert series that would bring families together to listen to classical music, and doing this in my own neighborhood seemed like a good place to begin [and] my hope is that other musicians will similarly 'adopt' schools and bring performances to students in their own communities. We can all look just outside our front doors for opportunities like this." Here's the incredible line-up Simone has put together for the inaugural season of the series: October 29th, 2009: Clive Greensmith (cello) and Jean Schneider (piano) January 10th, 2010: Simone Dinnerstein with American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) February 4th, 2010: The Chiara String Quartet April 15th, 2010: Face the Music featuring premiere of a composition by Joseph C. Phillips Jr. Now the astute reader might have noticed that my name is part of the line-up. I do have a connection to PS 321 and Simone because it is where I have been teaching kindergarten music for a number of years now and where her husband is one of my colleagues and where her son attends (who I had when he was a kindergartener). PS 321 is one of the top elementary schools in New York City but you don't have to take my word for it, you can read this. Maybe one of these days I'll write another post about what it is like to stand in front of 24 cute little four-, five-, and six-year olds. As you might imagine, I'll have plenty of fun and interesting stories! So with my experience with kids, of course I said yes when Simone asked if I wanted a commission to write a work for Face the Music. The students of Face the Music are "20 classically trained musicians ranging from 6th to 12th grade"and come from the Special Music School at the Kaufman Center in Manhattan, a public school for "musically gifted children". They are champions of new and contemporary music and have performed compositions written by composers such as Phil Kline, David Lang, and later in 2010 Nico Muhly. In future posts, I will be writing more about my composition and what it is like working with the students in rehearsals, but for now, since I'm still writing the piece, all I will say is it will be in honor of Gustav Mahler for his upcoming 'Gala Years' of 2010 and 2011 ('10 being the 150th anniversary of his birth and '11 being the 100th anniversary of his death). And although it will be inspired by Mahler and his symphonic world, it won't sound like Mahler... Coming out and supporting this great concert series means you are going to hear great music AND help benefit public school students at the same time. With the economy and the looming budget cuts in the state capital, public education needs all the help it can get. Even at a school such as PS 321 with an active and incredible PTA, we do feel the effects of less money from Albany. This series is a way to help alleviate some of those effects. Remember the performers are graciously donating their services so that ALL of the money earned from the concerts goes to the school! With starting this concert series Simone shows that supporting public education is important to her and she is hoping that you also share in that support. We hope you consider being a good neighbor (whether you live in Park Slope or not) and coming to one or more of the concerts! PS 321 Neighborhood Concert Series 180 7th Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11215 To purchase tickets or more information, you can go to www.ps321.org. Update: NY Daily News article about series POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 8:00 AM |
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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.