Numinous The Music of Joseph C. Phillips Jr. |
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Here's part two of the interview with the singers of Vipassana, this time featuring Amy Cervini and Wendy Gilles. Part one (October 22, 2009) discussed the background of how voices came to be on Vipassana as well as interviews with Julie Hardy and Sara Serpa. Amy Cervini What challenges does Vipassana pose for you as singers? Have you sung anything like it before? As a vocalist, I rarely get the chance to sing such challenging music especially with other vocalists. The concept of large ensemble with 5 singers is something I’ve never been a part of before. I imagine that it is more a classical music concept but I welcome the opportunity. It is fun and challenging. What are you feeling when you sing Vipassana? The first few times I sang Vipassana I was concentrating intensely and not able to experience the performance outside of my part in it. Over the years, as I become more confident I’m able to listen to what’s happening around me and that is the magic of this piece. The sections that groove have become really fun to sing. I find myself dancing and getting lost in the music instead of focusing intently on each note or phrase. It really can become a meditative experience for me. There are still sections that require my absolute focus but I’m finding more and more moments to lie in the music. What do you like about Vipassana? I really enjoy being part of a large ensemble and as a vocalist I rarely get that opportunity. It’s such a pleasure to be one small piece of the larger puzzle. As a vocalist I’m more often than not the band leader or front and center on stage. Being a part of this allows me to flex different muscles and make music in a different way. What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)? The most awe inspiring moments of beauty for me involve water. I am very strongly attracted to water and find myself lost in the beauty of water and it’s surroundings every time I’m near it. It gives me a sense of peace that I haven’t found in any other experience. Who are your musician heroes? I have a lot of musician role models but right now I’m really into Matt Wilson. As a human, as a musician, as a business man. Full disclosure: I’m working with him as his manager right now. I think that says even more about my admiration for him. He’s positive, he has ridiculous chops and I’ve never had more fun making music or working with anyone. If you could watch a summer sunset anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why? Tel-Aviv. The ocean in Tel-Aviv is the most enchanting place in the world for me right now. I visit at least once a year and am transfixed by the sea every time. What is a book(s) that have inspired you? There have been many books that inspired me but I often find myself going back to things that I learned in The Little Prince [by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry]. “It is also lonely among men.” This quote comforted me in times when I felt like an alien in my surroundings. It also made me realize that somewhere I would find my “people.” I have been very lucky to find many of these people in the community of musicians in NYC. When was the last time you had that numinous feeling about something? I converted to Judaism earlier this year for what I thought to be very practical reasons, not much more. I was surprised to experience the deep emotions when I experienced the conversion ceremony. The Rabbi performing the ceremony is a deeply moving, intelligent and spiritual man who had a great impact on me and helped to make the moment so important and deep. Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect? I was a very serious classical pianist until I was 18 and was a jazz saxophone major in college. What's next up for you in your own music career? My new record, Lovefool will be released on November 3, 2009. We’re have some East Coast gigs in December — Jazz Standard, NYC, December 8, The Lily Pad, Boston, December 10, Firehouse 12, New Haven, December 11. I’m really excited about this record and can’t wait to start sharing it! www.amycervini.com Wendy Gilles What challenges does Vipassana pose for you as singers? Have you sung anything like it before? Vipassana is not completely unlike some of the more contemporary big band music I've sung. Sometimes finding your pitch is difficult--even counterintuitive--and you have to be very focused to keep track of where your entrances are, and from which instrument you should take your cue. Where it is different, is that I think Joe uses the voices more texturally than just melodically. We often reinforce, and sometimes represent the rhythmic patterns he's trying to bring out, and using sprechstimme-like techniques creates a texture and atmosphere you usually hear within the contemporary Classical realm. What are you feeling when you sing Vipassana? As focused as it is possible to be. The patterns in the movements are meditative and repetitive, so I am counting like crazy to avoid getting lost along the way. What do you like about Vipassana? There are some really beautiful moments, and I always enjoy singing in ensemble with other voices. If you could watch a summer sunset anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why? I haven't been able to travel much, so I can only imagine that the sunsets in New Zealand would be spectacular. However, my favorite place to see the sunset is my hometown in Eastern Washington state. It's a desert climate, so the hills are low, and you can see for miles. Being able to actually experience the vastness of the open sky is a beautiful and humbling thing. Sunsets stretch for miles, and last for much longer, since there's no obstruction to the view. I miss that a lot. What's next up for you in your own music career? My goals at the moment are to play more often, and to make a recording. Funds are scarce, so that's something that has been sorely neglected. www.wendygilles.com Check back soon for more insider tidbits about Vipassana and those that make the music! 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 10:05 AM
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One thing that many listeners have commented on has been the use of the five female voices in Vipassana. Voices were almost always part of the conception of the music, although I originally thought four voices would be ideal instead of five. However, somewhere between finishing the piece and the first reading of Vipassana on July 1, 2004, my thoughts had changed and five voices were what I REALLY needed. Now looking back, I'm not sure what exactly prompted the switch, but I do know that having the five voices gave me more flexibility in terms of chordal voicings and textures. I always loved (and still do) both Claude Debussy's orchestral Nocturnes, whose last movement "Sirenes" features a choir of wordless female voices and Gustav Holst's The Planets, whose last movement, "Neptune, the Mystic", also has a choir of female wordless vocalists which adds a sense of ethereal mystery especially as they repeat a phrase that fades out at the end (actually on the score the choir is directed to be in another room and as the piece quietly ends, someone is to slowly close the door as the choir is singing). Both of these works I love because the wordless voices add such a wonderful atmosphere and richness to the sound of the compositions. And while not directly inspired by any of those pieces, I wanted Vipassana to nonetheless have a similar warmth of sound that the voices gave those compositions. In general for Vipassana I treated the voices much like another instrument, where they are another color in the overall landscape. For example at the beginning of "Stillness Flows Ever Changing", the voices are subtly pulsing underneath the weaving melodic figures of the strings. The random, percolating burst of sounds and vocalizations early and at the end of "Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing on the Earth" are another example where the voices are just another color added to the overall sound. Of course there are times when the voices are front and center. For example, the last movement "The Nothingness that is the Source of Everything", is a setting of Denise Levertov's beautiful poem "Variations and Reflections on a Theme by Rilke". In "The Nothingness" both the solo of Julie Hardy in the first part of the poem, which is essentially a orchestral song (similar to what Gustav Mahler made famous) or the choir of voices in the second half, the words are quite important and their meaning affects what music goes on around them. Operatic voices and their wide vibrato, were never what I envisioned for Vipassana. I always wanted a directness and warmth of sound which you find more in popular singing styles (and it seems more and more in new music circles as well). And while many of the singers I have used are more known in jazz circles, all are well-versed in all forms of popular, art and folk music. For the concert on the 28th, we have Charenee Wade, Amy Cervini, Sara Serpa, Julie Hardy, and Wendy Gilles. Including those five, over the years I've been fortunate to have had great singers perform Vipassana (thanks to Julie who has been my vocal pimp, ah connector). From Kate McGarry, who sang on the premiere performance, to Gretchen Parlato, who sang the very first rehearsal, to Jo Lawry, who sang the second concert, to Sofia Rei Koutsovitis and Monika Heidemann, both of whom are on the recording, some of the best young voices on the scene today have sung Vipassana. They all lead their own ensembles and have their own recordings but they also lend their voices to many projects by other musicians and composers. I mean look at what they are doing outside of Numinous, to see how lucky I am to have them singing for me: performed at the Osvaldo Golijov/Dawn Upshaw Workshop at Carneige Hall and sung on tour with Maria Schneider (Sofia), Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition winner (Gretchen) and finalist (Charenee), Grammy nominee and sung with Fred Hersch (Kate), sung with Sting, yes that Sting (Jo), sings with Greg Osby (Sara), ASCAP Young Composer Award winner (Julie), critically acclaimed album (Amy) and ensemble (Wendy). So I've asked each singer on the upcoming concert a few questions so you can get to know what they are like away from the mics. In this part one, you'll hear from Julie Hardy and Sara Serpa. The second part, in another post another day, will feature Amy Cervini, Wendy Gilles, and Charenee Wade. Julie Hardy What challenges does Vipassana pose for you as singers? Have you sung anything like it before? Some challenges are finding pitches, entrances, blending with the other singers. I have never sung anything like this before. What are you feeling when you sing Vipassana? Extremely focused. What do you like about Vipassana? It challenges me as a musician. I also like the spiritual message. What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)? Mistakes, challenges because this is how we learn and grow. Who are your musician heroes? Wayne Shorter, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell If you could watch a summer sunset anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why? Newburyport, Massachusetts, because this is where my family lives. What is a book(s) that have inspired you? Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect? I secretly want to be a pop star :) What's next up for you in your own music career? Teaching abroad in Mexico, recording some of my singer songwriter music. www.juliehardy.com Sara Serpa What challenges does Vipassana pose for you as singers? Have you sung anything like it before? I have sang in a choir for a long time during my childhood and to sing collectively with other singers was something that always gave great pleasure. Vipassana is a completely different repertoire, but it's a great feeling to sing again with a group of amazing singers. The biggest challenge for me is to blend with the other voices and to create a homogeneous texture while singing it. What are you feeling when you sing Vipassana? It's hard to describe the feelings of a performance. It's a mix of concentration with enjoyment. What do you like about Vipassana? I like the compositional concept of Vipassana and I think it has beautiful moments. Sometimes I wish I could be in the audience to enjoy it as a listener. What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)? I find the combination of instruments and voices to be very beautiful. It's a long piece, very intense and very visual at the same time. If you could watch a summer sunset anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why? Praia Grande, Sintra, Portugal. I love it there. What is a book(s) that have inspired you? Travelling with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski When was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something? Hiking in the mountains. Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect? I take Flamenco dance classes. What's next up for you in your own music career? A duo recording with my good friend, great teacher and amazing pianist Ran Blake. www.saraserpa.com Check back soon for more insider tidbits about Vipassana and those that make the music! 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 9:00 AM In the recording studio, despite being quite busy, focused, and at times feeling like an island "entire of itself", I did manage to take all of these shots from the Vipassana sessions at Systems Two in Brooklyn, New York in March and August of 2007.
Check back soon for more insider tidbits about Vipassana and those that make the music! 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 11:13 PM When I started Numinous back in the fall of 2000, I knew I wanted flexibility of colors in the woodwind section. Even though I'm a saxophone/woodwind player, I didn't want a saxophone dominant sound to the section. I also didn't want to have 10 woodwind players to cover saxophones, oboe, English Horn, flutes, clarinets, and whatever woodwinds I happen to write for. So the most natural solution was to have woodwind doublers who would be able to play multiple instruments. Of course with the demands of my music, I didn't want or need a typical jazz saxophone doubler: someone that plays maybe passable flute or clarinet but not well enough to match their saxophone abilities. In addition to being able to improvise well on all of the instruments, I really need musicians whose abilities on the other woodwind instruments are all fairly equal and could move easily between jazz, classical, and popular genres. And while there are great players like this everywhere, in New York we are blessed with an abundance beyond any composer's dream! With Broadway as well as the many professional orchestras, new music ensembles, and jazz bands here there are many musicians who not only fit my requirements, but because of the steady work on the Great White Way and other ensembles are also are willing to play more "adventurous" (and usually less lucrative) musical projects of people like me and my contemporaries.
I have been fortunate to always have great woodwind players in Numinous. And with Vipassana, I'm asking a lot of each player. Not only from a technical standpoint, but from sheer logistics: Reed 1 has to play 8 instruments (Piccolo, Flute, Alto Flute, Oboe, English Horn, Bb Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, and Alto Saxophone), Reed 2 plays 6 (Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone) and Reed 3 plays 5 (Flute, Alto Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone). Ben Kono, who plays Reed 1, has been with me from almost the beginning. Coming to an early rehearsal way back in the fall of 2000, he seemed to be tailor-made for Numinous. Not only does he play all the woodwinds with equal aplomb but is versatile enough to play and improvise in various genres and styles. In a recent interview, I said that since Ben has been with me from the beginning, his sound on various instruments (and what he brings to each instrument) has been in my head as I am composing for awhile now. Sure, other musician's can play well what I wrote, but without Ben it doesn't sound quite the same, since I think about what he brings to a specific instrument as I'm writing the music. For example, as I was composing "Stillness Flows Ever Changing", the second part of Vipassana, I was specifically thinking of Ben's soprano saxophone surfing over the weaving waves of melodies from the ensemble. And whether it is his soloing, like on "Stillness" or "Sweetness" which is a wonderful highlight for me from my first CD or his ensemble playing throughout Vipassana, Ben's tasteful and dynamic playing is highly valued and integral to Numinous. So I asked this maven of woodwinds some questions about himself and performing Vipassana: On Vipassana you play 8 different instruments, but truth be told, how many instruments can you play? What are some of the more unusual or interesting ones? As a woodwind specialist, I am classically trained on all five woodwind families of the orchestra: saxophones, clarinets (Bb and Eb soprano, bass), flutes, oboe/english horn, and bassoon. In practice, however, I tend to play some more than others, and I have left bassoon completely behind. About fifteen years ago or so, I became interested in indigenous musics from other countries and started to collect instruments from my travels, some of which I have incorporated into my own music. I have performed and recorded (in various degrees of success) on the "kena" flute from South America; the "khaen" pipes from Thailand; and the "dizi" flute from China. Of course, as a Japanese descendent I have a special interest in the shakuhachi flute which I was exposed to early on by my aunt who performs traditional Japanese music on the shamisen and koto. I played it on a Pulse Composers concert, and the lesson I learned is that playing western music on it is a lot more difficult than I imagined! So in answer, I am constantly adding and subtracting the number of instruments. What challenges does Vipassana pose for you as a woodwind player? Many instruments and instrument changes. And because of it's length and long phrases, it's quite a challenge endurance-wise to make it through the English horn solo at the end. I've learned to pace myself and take a few breaks during some long oboe passages preceding. And, rhythmically the music takes many twists and turns--sometimes an instrument behind you will be playing, literally, in a different time signature than you are, so you need to be alert to all the changes in pulse and meter. What do you like about Vipassana? Coming from a jazz background, I like that Vipassana is NOT that. It has some jazz elements and improvisation, but the general structure and vibe of the music shares more with classical and minimalist composition. Extended forms, non-traditional harmonies, lush orchestrations and textures (or almost none, sometimes) allow the soloist to explore some improvisational freedoms and possibilities not afforded by the more standard jazz environment. I find it easier to approach this music without preconception. I also like playing in a large ensemble where the volume never gets above a forte and more attention is paid to subtle dynamics. What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)? As a parent of a curious three-year-old girl, I am finding beauty in places unexpected and long-forgotten. She forces me to slow down and contemplate the pattern a leaf makes in the snow, or the arc that a balloon makes when tossed into the air. I still love going to a museum and admiring a Matisse or a Rothko, but when I am with my daughter I can find the beauty in a fire-escape as well. And more and more I'm appreciating the beauty of silence, which is very rare indeed in the city. Who are your musician heroes? My musician heroes are too many to list properly. There are those that inspire me through listening to recordings, like Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, John Coltrane; those that I have met and had discourse with on a more personal level like Joe Lovano, Paul McCandless and Michael Brecker; and those colleagues who are in the "trenches", like John Hollenbeck and Theo Bleckmann, who are involved in creating a new place for creative music. Then, there is Gary Campbell, a tremendous saxophonist who could have been a major jazz artist but chose to become one of the great educators and mentors of our generation. I guess, really any artist who dares to change the listeners' expectations of what is possible or acceptable and can do it on a level that touches the "human spirit" in us. If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? Why? I would love to fly over the Sahara Desert. I think the vastness and beauty of it would blow my mind. And as Lawrence of Arabia said of it ,"It's clean". What is a book(s) that have inspired you? I don't seem to read a lot of 'inspirational' material, but something that I read recently did inspire me despite the tragic nature of it's subject. The book Impounded is a collection of photographs by Dorothea Lange, accompanied by essays and interviews of Japanese-Americans interned during WWII in the United States. Alongside the images of gross injustices by the U.S. government are images of a culture struggling to maintain it's strength and dignity under terrible conditions. So in the middle of a barren desert you can see a beautiful Japanese garden, or children attending an art school, or vegetable crops growing in carefully cultivated soil. I found the tenacity and patriotism of the wronged citizens to be an inspiration, although the situation was altogether shocking and reprehensible. When was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something? I almost always feel that way when I return to my Vermont childhood home and take a walk in the woods--especially in the fall! Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect? My mother steered me away from a career in art and into music because she thought it too competitive and unstable. What's next up for you in your own music career? I'm getting ready to record my own project of original music. And, like Vipassana, I will probably be playing close to eight instruments. I do this to myself. Check back soon for more insider tidbits 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 10:50 PM The first sixteen days of December 2003 saw me in the Netherlands for the Steve Reich Festival hosted by the Royal Conservatory of Music in Den Haag. For two weeks almost everything Steve Reich wrote up to that time was performed by various ensembles from the Conservatory as well as professional groups such as Paul Hillier and Theater of Voices, the Schoenberg Ensemble, Maya Beiser, and Anne De Keersmaeker. Also on the Festival were works by other composers who were his contemporaries, his influences, or influenced and inspired by him. The Jazz Ensemble wanted to be part of the Festival as well so the director asked Jim McNeely if there were any composers he knew of that were working with Steve Reich-ian influences in a more jazzy context. Hmm, that seems to sound a lot like me! So the director contacted me in the Fall and after some back and forth, settled on performing two of my compositions: To Kyoto and Into all the Valleys Evening Journeys. In addition I was to give two symposiums on composition during the Festival. Into all the Valleys in July 2003 was one of the finalist for the BMI Jazz Composer's Workshop Manny Albam Commission Prize (I didn't win...). By the time December and my trip rolled around I had already orchestrated Valleys for Numinous, almost finished Stillness Flows Ever Changing, and in the middle of sketches on what would turn out to be the first movement of my, as of then nameless, "large work." So I was ready and excited to be taking a little break from writing and heading to the land of windmills, tall women, and Heineken.
The Festival was very exciting because not only did I hear, sometimes for my first time live, much of the Reich canon (and looked at the scores at the school library!), but I also heard other compositions live for the first time as well. Pieces by Arvo Pärt (Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten), Michael Torke (Music on the Floor), Louie Andressian (Hout), and Michael Gordon (Yo, Shakespeare) were some that I especially remembered. Also, at intermission of the concert with Paul Hillier and Theater of Voices (where they performed Reich's Proverb), I actually talked at length with Steve Reich for about 20 minutes. This wasn't the first time I had met him (the first time was for less than 5 minutes at a concert at Miller Theater at Columbia University about a year earlier) but it was my first real conversation with him. I even gave him a copy of my first CD, which had come out that September, and we spoke warmly about various record labels and the state of jazz at the time. Now even though the Festival was thrilling and I was busy with the preparations for the two Jazz Ensemble concerts where my compositions would be performed, I was a bit overloaded after awhile. So one of the days where I didn't have any official duties, I took a train from The Hague north to Amsterdam. I didn't have a map or anything to guide me so I just walked around that first day. Of course not far from Central Station, if you walk in the right direction (which somehow, I seemed to be doing) you soon run into one of the infamous Red Light Districts. Now there was a smaller one in Den Haag not far from where I was staying and which was on the way in my walk to the Conservatory (also a fun, cheap local Turkish diner I ate at most evenings), so I already knew what to expect. Continuing my walk outside the District I soon came upon a giant map on the sidewalk. Looking up from the ground I saw many large photos on outdoor displays. Most of the photos were aerial shots of nature with captions detailing some societal or ecological danger in the area of the photograph. This was my first exposure to Earth From Above by the photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. I walked around and around the exhibition, often stopping by various photos only to circle back to them later and take another look. I was very moved and taken with the entire photo show. And because I really didn't have much money at the time, I didn't buy the Earth from Above book then, which I would have had I the euros, so I bought three postcards of some my favorites photos (about a year or so later, I finally bought the book). There was one photo by Arthus-Bertrand that I was particularly struck by and it was one I came back to at least five times while walking around the exhibit. The photo, of a flock of scarlet ibis flying over the Amacuro delta in Venezuela, was taken from a perspective high above the flock. The very striking juxtaposition of the deep red birds against the rich black soil evoked in me a sense of ‘soaringness’ and beauty. It was this feeling that solidified for me what I wanted to achieve with the stalled next movement of my "large work." So even though many of the musical ideas were already on paper (yes, I still sketch ideas on paper), and the final composition was still a few months away, that photograph helped lead me to discover my own composition, "Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing on the Earth". Check back soon for more insider tidbits 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 9:00 AM One of the things I thought would be fun to do with the Inside Vipassana series is to not only give you some of the background and inspiration behind the music, but also of the people that perform it. I have asked a few of the musicians to answer some questions about themselves and what it is like to sit for an hour or so and sing or play Vipassana. So first up (if you didn't guess from the title of the post and the photos) on harp, Megan Levin. The first time I wrote for the harp was in college. The first time a harpist actually played the music I wrote was back in 2005 with the first installment of the Pulse project, The Eloquent Light. That was a cool project because we wrote music inspired by photographs as well as got to work with guitar great John Abercrombie and trumpeter John McNeil. As far as the harp, I thought it would be a crazy idea to have one in the ensemble along with some of the Pulse "regulars" even though I knew no harpist at the time. In addition I knew that because of the harp's large size, transportation to and from rehearsals and the concert would be difficult. So what's a harp have to do with Vipassana, there's not one on the recording? Excellent question my esteemed reader, yes there is no harp on the recording. During the run up to the Vipassana CD release concert in May, I was planning to have two vibraphones like on the recording. However, the reality didn't want to follow my plan. I needed a second vibraphone player, one with their own vibraphone and willing to transport it (which surprising but partly understandable isn't always the case). So I called and emailed various people. Again, and again, and again. I must have called or emailed all of the vibraphonists in New York City and still no one could do the concert, the rehearsals, or some combination. Anyway after that 15th rejection and the first rehearsal only days away, I decided to take a different approach. I thought what instrument could play (mostly) what I wrote for the second vibraphone? Hey, how about harp?! Now if I was having trouble finding a vibraphonist, what was I thinking thinking about the much larger and harder to transport harp?! Well, I love the harp and thought it would add an intriguing element to the sound of the ensemble. Also, how many times do you see the harp in new music or jazz? In my experience, not much if at all, so of course, I had to have one in Numinous. I contacted a number of harpists (by now I had a few numbers I could call), but no luck. However, one of my harp rejectors gave me a name of a young and incredible harpist recently arrived to NYC, who turned out to be a saving grace since she was available and willing to do the concert! So that is how I met Numinous harpist extraordinaire, Megan Levin. With Megan on board, I modify the second vibraphone part to fit the special abilities of the harp. And Megan is such a great player and a wonderful and enthusiastic part of the group and she made my crazy thought of having a harp in Numinous such a success that I didn't even think about a second vibraphone this time around. I just contacted her. Now I'm hooked on harp; don't be surprised if you see Megan and the harp on future Numinous projects! So here are Megan's answers to the the few questions I asked about herself and the harp, and now you can know a little bit about the person behind that rather large and beautiful instrument you'll see at the concert. Give us a little of your musical background before coming to NYC? I'm from Austin, Texas, where I grew up as part of musical family. I started taking harp lessons when I was five, and pretty much loved it from the start. Being in Austin and having a musician dad, I ended up playing a lot of gigs and on albums of local artists. My first orchestral experiences came later, and this became my focus in college at Rice University. After college, I spent a year studying music in Paris, France, on a Fulbright grant. What challenges does Vipassana pose for you as a harpist? While there are never a lot of fast notes or many pedal changes, the repetitive nature of the piece is very challenging. I have to maintain absolute concentration and focus, or else I'll lose my place! What do you like about Vipassana? Well, first of all it is beautiful. I think that the harmonies are not predictable, but that doesn't mean that they are startling or harsh. The piece evolves, and the repetition gives a sense of growth and movement and progress on different levels. I feel like every time I hear the piece I hear something new, and it affects me in a different way. I also like the choice of instruments and voice. I think the combination produces a beautiful and powerful sonority. Who are your musician heroes? I love Louis Armstrong, because I think you can hear the joy in his playing. I love the French harpist and my former teacher Isabelle Perrin for her incredible musicality and again, love of music. I am a huge fan of Chris Thile (mandolin) and his band the Punchbrothers, who play a variety of styles with joy and spontaneity, but maintain the highest level of quality. I am also amazed by the Columbian harpist Edmar Castaneda, with his incredible groove and rhythmic drive. My father, Danny Levin, can play pretty much every instrument except harp. He is an amazing performer who continues to inspire me and keep my standards high. If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? Why? Unfortunately, I am pretty afraid of flying, so I would have say just let me fly through clear skies and I'll be happy. What is a book(s) that have inspired you? I have just recently finished Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, which has encouraged me to think more about my connection with nature. What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something? It happens all the time that I have the sense of things working out just as they need to, in a way that I could never have expected or predicted. I feel grateful, and blessed. Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect? I was home-schooled until high school, which meant I had a lot of time to practice, but also means I'm still a little shy of big groups. What's next up for you in your own music career? I'm playing with some members of ICE (International Contemporary Ensemble) at a music festival in Lima, Peru, in mid-November. I'm excited for my first trip to South America! Megan Levin: www.meglevin.com Check back soon for more insider tidbits about Vipassana and those that make the music though you'll have to come on the 28th to get your real harp fix. 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 8:00 AM The photos that grace the front and back of the Vipassana CD, I took on my trip to Malaysia a few years ago. What does a photo of trees have to do with Vipassana and "seeing things as they are"? Well, nature was always in my mind and served as one of the inspirations as I was composing the pieces. If you come to a Vipassana performance and open my conducting score (preferably AFTER the concert), along with my various cue markings and missives to myself ("Don't slow here", "Give a big downbeat", "building throughout") you'd find various photos of nature heading each movement. Only one of the photos (a beautiful picture of scarlet ibis taken by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, which I'll talk about in more detail in a later post about the first movement) had any direct influence in the inspiration of any composition. Rather those photos in my score just remind me of the feeling I'm looking for my pieces to evoke. Of course, that feeling is difficult to describe in words. What does seeing flying birds (or a picture of them) feel like to me? What does a lovely periwinkle and rose colored sunset sky mean to me? Trying to answer questions like those is one reason why I named my group Numinous: to create music that hopes to resonate with that indescribable numinous feeling one might get looking at a landscape or the night sky or a tree or a sleeping puppy or from many other experiences. And whether you feel the same things I feel when I hear the music is not necessary or even hoped for. What I wish is that you'll hear something that does connect you to the music.
My trip to Malaysia was a surprising wealth of inspiration with two compositions directly coming from it: Rihla and Kelip-Kelip, as well as more unmined ideas still floating around my mind. More details of the trip are in the notes to Rihla. Well, Vipassana was already about three years old by the time we took the trip. Actually the trip occurred a few weeks before the Vipassana studio sessions, so a perfect break to clear my head before having to jumping into the enjoyable abyss of recording. One of the days in Malaysia we visited a national park and walking around we came across monkeys darting about in the trees and very interesting birds and fauna all around. Along our walk, almost by accident, we came across this dry marsh filled with a stand of trees. I think I was attracted to the almost starkness of the scene because it seemed a bit odd that there were many dead trees surrounded by many leaf bearing ones and I took two photos of the forest from two slightly different perspectives. So when it was time to start thinking about a cover design for the Vipassana CD, I immediately thought of the Yann-Arthus Bertrand photo I mentioned before. While it is a beautiful photo and had a direct inspiration to the creation to some of the music, I didn't want to go through the hassle (and expense) of trying to get rights for the photo. Also, since the photo represented only one part of the whole, I didn't feel strongly enough to pursue the idea of using the picture. So my thoughts came to the photos I took in Malaysia. Looking at the photo I used for the cover, one is struck with the dead tree stand prominent in the foreground and the lush green fields lower and in the background. I thought of the idiomatic phrase "seeing the forest for the trees" and how generally it reflects NOT seeing things as they are. If one looks at the photo and sees just some dead trees, you are missing the beauty of the whole and how there is much life on and going on around those dead trees. To me they represent an aspect of the connectivity of all things and seemed quite appropriate for Vipassana. Check back soon for more insider tidbits about Vipassana though you'll have to come on the 28th to see the full monty for yourself. 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 10:08 AM Leading up to my concert of Vipassana on October 28, over the next couple of weeks in regular posts, I thought I would share various details and inside information about my composition Vipassana.
Pronouncing Vipassana vi-pas-sa-na, the primary accent is on the pas, the secondary accent is on the last syllable na, which has an ‘ah’ sound. What Vipassana means The word vipassana comes from the Pali language of early Buddhist texts. It means "to see things as they really are" but is often translated as "insight" or "clear-seeing." The type of seeing denoted by vipassana is that of direct perception or observation, as opposed to knowledge derived from reasoning or argument. Today, vipassana is a type of meditation that seeks spiritual clarity and insight through silence. While I have yet to do the vipassana retreat workshop, someday I do hope to find 10 days to try it. How I came to know Vipassana Originally I had no idea how to pronounce the word; I was saying vi-pa-ssana, with the sanasounding like sauna. It wasn't until we had performed the piece for the third time when an audience member came up to me and said that he enjoyed the piece and had actually done the vipassana retreat. At that moment, I realized that I had been saying the word wrong for a couple of years! Well before that moment, my first run in with the word was through an article in the May 8-15, 2003 Time Out New York. In the Chill Out section, the article The Silent Treatment by Jennifer Romolini caught my attention (it was taped above my piano for many years, as you can see from the photo). I was in the process of finishing the composing of the music and was searching for the right name for my baby. I needed just the right word(s) to convey the spirit of what the music is. Always a challenge, but one I love, I had a number of viable choices (of which I'm keeping to myself, unlike George in that Seinfeld episode) but the word vipassana seemed the most fitting, although it took a while to realize it for myself. Check back soon for more tidbits about Vipassana! Just saw Julie and Julia last week and like one of those beautiful French meals or wines that Julia Child loved, Vipassana is best experienced and appreciated with your own palette so come out and have a tasting for yourself. 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 7:05 PM I just finished my third summer read Common Sense by Thomas Paine, the book I was reading before getting sidetracked with Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. Over the past year or so, I've been researching Thomas Paine for an upcoming dance collaboration between choreographer Edisa Weeks and her company Delirious Dances and myself and my group Numinous. The new work will be based on the writings of Thomas Paine (the "forgotten Founding Father") and will be part of a larger symposium we are planning on the meaning of democracy and freedom in today's world, particularly here in the United States. The premiere will be taking place in June 2010 here in New York City and I will be blogging more about the project in the weeks and months to come. I suggested Thomas Paine to Edisa as a subject for collaboration but I'll admit at that time my knowledge of him was minimal beyond the basic outline of his life and some of his well-known aphorisms and quotes (for example, "these are the times that try men's souls" from American Crisis). But once we decided to do the project, I began reading up on his life and role in the founding of the United States, being particularly fascinated by the account of his legacy in Harvey Kaye's book Thomas Paine and the Promise of America. Having been sufficiently maligned over the centuries by many specious rumors and writings especially after speaking out about religion and politics in The Age of Reason, today when people speak of the Founding Fathers, rarely is there mention of Thomas Paine and the effect this Briton and his thought had on the movement toward independence and democracy in the middle 18th century. And those thoughts, a call to action so to speak, are crystallized in Common Sense. Common Sense is an open letter "addressed to the inhabitants of America." Reading it, my first thoughts were, had he lived today, Thomas Paine would definitely be a blogger of the first order. He gives passionate and reasoned arguments for why America should not be a colony of Britain, how a monarchy or any dependency can never achieve it's full potential, and why action (both political and military) is sometimes necessary in achieving and securing freedom. But one thing I was struck with is how in February of 1776 (5 months before the Declaration of Independence) Paine was able to articulate an impressively prescient vision of what America could possibly become ("we have every opportunity and every encouragement before us, to form the noblest purest constitution on the face of the earth. We have it in our power to begin the world over again"). And to the modern day constructionists that say all Founding Fathers felt America is "God's country" and religious thought is essential to governmental action, his answer to a long-forgotten Quaker rebuttal to not fight for independence should give ample pause for thought: "And here without anger or resentment I bid you farewell. Sincerely wishing, that as men and christians, ye may always fully and uninterruptedly enjoy every civil and religious right; and be, in your turn, the means of securing it to others; but that the example which ye have unwisely set, of mingling religion with politics, may be disavowed and reprobated by every inhabitant of AMERICA." With hindsight, the correct course of action to independence seems preordained but I'm intrigued by how even something as monumentally important (and again with hindsight, obvious) as independence and freedom, was viewed by some as the wrong path to undertake. It is a helpful lesson of history to know there will always be (and should be) naysayers and doubters; that in a democracy questioning and debate is healthy and needed. But that we should be wary of all those "interested men, who are not to be trusted; weak men, who cannot see; prejudiced men, who will not see" and who will hold up and block progress for everyone because of parochial concerns (something the politicians in the recent imbroglio in the New York State Senate should have remembered). With Common Sense, Thomas Paine calls to action all citizens to be active not only in the discussion of democracy and freedom, but in the maintenance of it as well (although, I'm not sure he was meaning for women, slaves, or Native Americans but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt with the spirit of his words). Next up for Summer Read #4: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 1:53 PM Tonight I attended a benefit concert by Simone Dinnerstein as part of the PS 321 Neighborhood Concerts in Park Slope, Brooklyn. She performed Johannes Brahms' Intermezzo in A Major (one of my favorite pieces of Brahms), Philip Lasser's Twelve Variations on a Chorale by J.S. Bach, and J.S. Bach's French Suite No. 5 in G major. All of the pieces were performed beautifully. The Brahms had an easy melodic warmth and expressivity. In the Lasser I believe it was Variation 9 with it's repetitive phrases that I was attracted to the most, although Variation 11 (which is a variation on the variations) was fun to try and follow the mists of earlier variations (the composer was in the audience and I got to meet after the concert). Listening to Simone perform French Suite I was reminded of Bach's title page of his Klavierübung where he states his goal is to stimulate the mind and refresh the spirit. I certainly felt both mentally stimulated and spiritually refreshed during Simone's reading. Following the various strands of Bach's melodies, particularly the left hand motion, made me wonder how Bach was able to create such beauty with just two simple lines weaving around each other. I told Simone after the concert...I'll be checking out more Bach! After the concert, Simone announced the start of the PS 321 Neighborhood Concert Series with all proceeds benefiting the PS 321 PTA (certainly needed with all of the state budget cuts looming). All the artists are friends or collaborators of Simone's and sounds quite exciting for Brooklyn. One of the artists she announced, Face the Music, will be performing on the series in the spring of 2010 and have commissioned me to write a work for them! They are middle school aged students from the Special Music School in Manhattan and I'm really excited to work with them (and their director Jenny Undercofler) as I heard a broadcast of them performing Phil Kline's Exquisite Corpses for mixed ensemble and tape for the opening of WNYC's Greene Concert Space on April 30th and was quite impressed. This was one of those commissions I didn't know about until Simone contacted me about it earlier in the week (always like surprises like that!). She was performing at the Greene Space opening too and heard Face the Music perform also and asked Jenny Undercofler if they would be a part of the Neighborhood series and suggested that I might write a piece for them. I'm very honored that Simone thought of me for the commission and that Face the Music said yes; looking forward to it. POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 9:25 PM Vipassana will be released worldwide on innova recordings on Tuesday April 14. You can hear some excerpts atwww.numinousmusic.com and read more about it at www.innova.mu. I'm very excited about sharing Vipassana to the wider world and hope you have an opportunity to check it out at your favorite on-line or brick and morter musical outlet. The new CD can be found worldwide at iTunes, eMusic.com, Amazon.com,Barnes and Noble.com, innova.mu, numinousmusic.com and most retail/online establishments. Vipassana In the Pali language of early Buddhist texts, vipassana means “to see things as they really are.” Today, vipassana is a type of meditation that seeks spiritual clarity and insight through silence. A four-part composition featuring 25 instrumentalists and singers, Vipassana is 60 minutes of “beautiful noise”—a fluid and organic fusion of elements from contemporary classical, jazz, and popular music. Early reviews of Vipassana: “Phillips' writing is brilliant, and the ensemble performs it with clarity and passion. Count me as a believer.”--Ted Gioia (jazz.com) "And I just got a copy of a (still to be released) CD earlier this week that knocks my socks off . . Vipassana: Numinous Plays the Music of Joseph C. Phillips, Jr. Imagine Steve Reich collaborating with Maria Schneider . . . If you get a chance to hear it, check it out." - Ted Gioia “…this is certainly head music for the cerebral, but it’s a dandy listening date for people that really like their alternative stuff from left field. More of a spiritual descendant of [Steve Reich’s] “Music for 18 Musicians” than anything else, it has the appeal of that dense work but takes you to a different place. Wild and worth it.”--Midwest Record Review “Musically, this quartet of stylish and provocative pieces stands somewhere between the style of Steve Reich and contemporary jazz… [a] blend that succeeds in being the sum of its parts and to illustrate his program, which is an unusual one: part symphonic, part spiritual exegesis… Vipassana is never less than likeable, is sincere in intent, and is greatly enjoyable to listen to; Joseph C. Phillips Jr. is a young composer to watch.”--All Music Guide "...while there have been a couple of attempts at [blending] minimalism and jazz, they haven't really worked as convincingly as this album."—John Schaefer, WNYC's New Sounds ORIGINALLY POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 7:34 AM Last Tuesday WNYC's New Sounds featured a track from my new CD, Vipassana. PROGRAM # 2922, New Concert Music (First aired on Tues. 4/7/09)
John Schaefer has been a good supporter of Numinous over the years and I hope you get a chance to check out the show. ORIGINALLY POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 6:58 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.