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

Here's a recent review from Kathodik, an Italian music source. While the link is the original review in Italian, I have a Google translation below (got to love that tool!). While I'm sure not quite accurate, I liked the wrongness of some of the translated grammar; but at least it does give an idea of what was said (any Italian speakers out there wanna help out!):

Numinous / Joseph C. Phillips Jr. 'Vipassana' 
(Innova 2009)
Numinous is the name of the group of musicians founded and led, since 2000, by Joseph C. Phillips Jr. The group is made up of musicians from classical music and jazz, and specializes in executing the works of Phillips, it is no accident that [have] influences both in classical and jazz. The so-called Vipassana innovative features four songs from Phillips, each of which exemplifies the style of the composer, I would call with these three words: sensual, dreamy, flowing. The compositions of Phillips certainly feel the influence of Steve Reich, in particular the seminal Music for 18 Musicians (which by the way has certainly been recorded for Innova), which are reflected both the impact minimal and gradual, as the 'original sound mix of voices, percussion, woodwinds and strings. But another similarity is that with Gavin Bryars and Toru Takemitsu, with whom Phillips shares a taste for the nuances, the sensitivity to the more subtle nuances, and the search for a sound liquidity. But Phillips's music is not limited to the influences and similarities, while important and well amalgamated, then here is that the rigid conceptual structures opens a minimalist improvisational moments of ecstatic beauty, the nuances and refractions sound is more compact, lower-long quarterly and enveloping melodic and harmonic, and then fall apart again, sliding with a harmony that makes us breathe and live and move in harmony with nature, which ultimately we feel deeply and pleasantly immersed.

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 9:22 PM

Somehow I missed this: a few weeks ago Vipassana was one of the picks of the week on April 14th, 2009 at Avant Music News.

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 9:08 PM

"Into all the Valleys Evening Journeys" from Vipassana was featured on WNYC's New Sounds program #2940 (Mid-Sized Ensembles) last Friday May 22, 2009. It was a good show (not just because I'm on it!) that also featured Matt McBane's ensemble Build, John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet + 1 (the +1, being friend and Bang on a Can All-Star guitarist Mark Stewart), and Flexible Music.

POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 5:05 PM

Here's a link to Flickr for more photos from the Vipassana CD release concert on May 16, 2009. These were taken by a wonderful photographer named Donald Martinez.

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 4:53 PM

Next Saturday is the Vipassana CD release concert, May 16 at 8 pm at the Puffin Room (435 Broome Street in SoHo), $15 at the door! It has been a two year journey from our last performance of Vipassana to the studio to this concert and I hope you can come celebrate with us. There will be a reception after the performance and if you haven't already, you can purchase the new CD for a special price! The recording has been getting some good reviews and airplay with more features and reviews already planned for the coming months. I hope you can join us next Saturday for this rare opportunity to hear Vipassana live and for what plans to be a very special performance.

Numinous CD release concert
Saturday May 16th 8pm
The Puffin Room 
435 Broome Street, New York City

featuring:
Ben Kono, Tom Christensen, Ed Xiques (woodwinds), Jason Colby(trumpet/flügelhorn), Deborah Weisz, (trombone), Tom Beckham(vibraphone), Megan Levin, (harp), Amanda Monaco, Sebastian Noelle(electric guitars), Kris Davis, Brenda Earle, (pianos), Jared Soldiviero, Sam Levin, (percussion), Charenee Wade, Amy Cervini, Sara Serpa, Julie Hardy,Wendy Gilles (voices), Ana Milosavljevic, Skye Steele (violins), Carmel Raz, Nora Krohn (violas), Will Martina, Lauren Riley-Rigby (violoncellos),Thomson Kneeland, (bass), Joseph C. Phillips Jr., (conductor, composer)

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 by Joseph C. Phillips Jr. 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. As with much of my music, Vipassana humbly seeks to create a sense of wonder and beauty that inspires and enlightens.

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 6:58 AM

A little musical interlude featuring Vipassana on tonight's All Things Considered on NPR. A nice treat while on the road; hopefully this is starting somethin'...

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 8:59 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