Tristan Shone

March 30th
Athenaeum - La Jolla
Tristan Shone

What to say about this. I am always fascinated by what Tristan creates. His stage-name is Author and Punisher which might give you a clue. He creates intense metal instruments some of which were part of the art exhibit at the Athenaeum. They were then used as masks which created ominous and luxurious sounds for the concert. I gotta say some of the masks looked like S&M devices but still made lovely and impressive hisses and growls.

The performers were:

Marilia Maschion (piano)
Judith Pedroza (on the Blank Form mask singing)
Sam Lopez (on the Human Cud Bag)
Braden Diotte (on the Dither mask)
Bobby Bray (on the Stereo mask)
Jason Begin (on the Mute Mask)
Tristan Shone (on the Bass and Hiss masks)

Winter Works

March 17th
Winter Works
UCSD Department of Theater and Dance
Student performance, Faculty Choreography

I am so grateful Allyson Green, Chair of the Theater and Dance Department, invited me to this wonderful night of dance. I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise and am glad I didn’t miss it. It was a long evening but well worth it. All the dancers were students and all the choreographers professionals: Allyson Greene, Henry Torres and Angel Arambula of Lux Boreal, Patricia Rincon, and Anya Cloud. The notes say there were 52 dancers participating throughout the night. “Sur les traces des noces” chreographed by Green using Stravinsky’s “Les Noces” (The Wedding) and Ligeti’s “ Poeme Symphonique” for 100 metronomes opened the evening. As you can see in the photo, the front of the stage was lined with all those metronomes which ended with one alone clicking. Alan Stones, composer, from the UK was in attendance for the live performance of his terrific music. It was nice to see performers Bonnie Whiting Smith and Jessica Aszodi (UCSD Music Dept. Grad students) with Ashley Walters. The costumes were elaborate and fantastic and celebrated wedding modes of the dancers' various cultures. The second piece by Alison Smith, music by three groups in the more pop vein (some nice grooves). This was fascinating and used repetition in an interesting way, for instance, a repeating phrase, “Is it better to travel or to arrive?” Who knows the answer to that? Lux Boreal, a long time a favorite dance company from Tijuana, choreographed “The Fourth Chamber,” music by Peter Presto and Amon Tobin. This was with live video and very effective. They used handheld lights to spotlight some of the dancers, a stationary video off to the side of the stage with the images projected center stage, and a set including white boxes which were moved about and used to as projection screens and walls and the like. It was intricate without being confusing -- always good. The final number, “You May be Tempted to Cancel” choreographed by Anya Cloud with live electronics by Andy Muehlhausen, consisted of five dancers in wacky clown-like animal-like costumes. As was true throughout the night, the dancers did a wonderful job and continued the fascinating night of dance.

Pablo Gomez

March 15th
Pablo Gomez
Graduate Recital
UCSD Conrad Prebys Hall

This was a lovely recital for primarily solo acoustic guitar. Pablo played the works of some composers unfamiliar to me: Leo Brouwer, Hilda Paredes, Uros Rojko. The composers with whom I am familiar were Luciano Berio, Roger Reynolds and Karlsheinz Stockhausen. Stockhausen’s piece “Solo” (1950s) was for electric guitar and electronics. Joachim Gossman ran the sound and PD Patch. It was described as using different measures of time representing the present and the past. Reynolds “ImagE” was a pleasure to hear. Rojko’s “Passing Away on Two Strings” was the most fascinating to me. He played two strings (as the title says!) at the same tempo with varying tones and dynamics. He also rubbed the strings up and down and then did some percussing on the body of the guitar. I think Pablo is a fine musician and I look forward to watching what will come next for him after Grad School.

UCSD Experimental Theater, Stephen Solok

March 11th
UCSD Conrad Prebys Music Center
Experimental Theater
Stephen Solok. percussionist
Doctorate of Musical Arts Candidate

This was quite a night for grand performance. The Grad students here continue to amaze me. Thank you. Stephen Solok presented a concert by UCSD Music Faculty composers Katharina Rosenberger, Chinary Ung and Roger Reynolds. Rosenberger’s “Settings of e.e. cummings” miniatures for percussion and female voice was a world premiere. Tiffany Du Mouchelle, soprano, sang gorgeously. It was the first time I have heard Rosenberger's music and was thrilled with it all. Ung’s “Cinnabar Heart” was a great percussion piece featuring the Marimba and voice. Here Ung uses some words from the unspoken Pali language to “portray nuances of phonemes rather than specific meaning.” After intermission, the big Roger Reynolds piece “Justice” was performed/staged/dramatized. The notes say, “Justice was commission for the celebration of the Library of Congress’s Bicentennial in 2000 and is a fully staged dramatic work for percussionist, soprano, actress and computer musician." And “Together the individual performers combine to form the inner psychic world of Clytemnestra, tragic heroine from the Greek plays of Euripides and Aeschylus . . .” Serious Drama indeed. It was very well staged and performed but by the end I was beginning to feel the need to get home to watch South Park or some such irreverence. As I am not well versed in myth, all the Greek angst is a bit much for me. Or maybe I’m just too shallow to appreciate the content fully. Oh well. I am so glad I there and loved the music and performances by Stephen, Tiffany, Alice Teysller (actress) and Paul Hembree (computer musician) did. They are a talented delight.

Stew and the Negro Problem

March 9th
UCLA Royce Hall
Stew and The Negro Problem

While living in NY I saw Stew’s “Passing Strange“ three times: twice at the Public Theater and once on Broadway. Needless to say, I was highly impressed with this play and his performance. When I saw that he was going to be in LA with The Negro Problem, his ongoing ensemble with Heidi Rodewald, I scooted up north to see them. It was well worth it but somehow Royce Hall seemed a rather odd setting for this act. I think you would call it “cabaret” but Royce is big standard hall and I would have preferred a more intimate setting. Stew is very funny, tells good stories and sings beautifully. I love that I can understand every word. Heidi, his long time cohort, plays bass guitar and sings. The band included Mike McGinnis who I also met in NYC. He plays woodwinds and is a great musician. The band also included drums, keyboards, trombone, trumpet, and tuba, for pete’s sake. Stew and The Negro Problem was part of the LA indie scene in the 1990s but was put on hold while “Passing Strange” was active. Now they are back selling out houses from NYC to LA. I am glad I was there.

Jeff Parker, guitar; Ben Goldberg, clarinet, Ches Smith, drums - photo by Michael Klayman

Fresh Sound Music
Space 4 Art - San Diego, CA

Ben Goldberg, clarinet; Ches Smith, drums; Jeff Parker, guitar

This was the first Fresh Sound concert at Space 4 Art and it went well; thank god. There was a full house and the space worked: lighting, sound, set up, everything. AND, the music was terrific. They played mostly Ben’s compositions which were both ear and mind opening: sophisticated.

The trio will continue to tour and I am sure will come up with a name for themselves soon. The band received a standing ovation and blessed us with an encore. Listening to these three great musicians was a thrill. This was the world premiere of them performing together but you wouldn’t have guessed it. They listened to each other and responded in a fluid and evolving manner.

Robert Bush of The Reader says: http://bit.ly/x4Sy5t

You Tube video of the concert will be released soon.

Video is available now.

Panel Discussion with composers: Sorey, Wennakoski, Ueno, Kennedy, Dekam (video)

Other Minds Festival of New Music 2012
March 1, 2, 3
Jewish Community Center, San Francisco, CA

The panel discussion tonight was once again interesting and informative beginning with Tyshawn who talked about his work as “composite reality.” I think this means that he listens to everything from Art Tatum to David Tudor and while exploring vociferously, he incorporates all into his reality. (Braxton talks like this!) Lotta, who wore a great dress, said that this performance will be the first time her any of orchestral compositions will be performed in America. Ken talked about his preference of collaborating with the performers about the music and personally. John Kennedy explained his view of music as ideas and ideas as music and how this pertains to John Cage in the two compositions tonight. Johnny Dekam enlightened us about his vision (so to speak) of creating videos for music. The concert began with Finnish composer, Lotta Wennakoski’s “Nosztalgiaim” (2006-7) performed by Magik*Magik Orchestra, tonight consisting of 12 performers with John Kennedy conducting. I found this to be lovely without being dull, if you know what I mean. John Kennedy’s “First Deconstruction (in Plastic) (2005) performed on all recycled stuff -- mainly plastic buckets but also included plastic bags, plastic bottles of various sizes filled with different materials. This was a 21st century homage to the found-object percussion music and and constructions made by Cage 50 years ago. “Island in Time (2011) was commissioned by Other Minds and this was a world premiere. I liked the music and the instrumentation: flute, cello, bass clarinet and percussion. It was a solemn piece and very lovely. After intermission Tyshawn Sorey dazzled us with his solo percussion piece followed by a virtuosic solo piano piece. I have seen him quite a few times performing at The Stone in NY so it was nice to be able to see/hear him in a big venue on a huge Steinway. The percussion piece ran the gamut of sounds including gorgeous resonating cymbals as well as booming thunder on the Concert Bass drum. A friend said that she thought his piano playing seemed impossible unless he was Nancarrow on player piano. As you can imagine, he played with great intricacy and imagination. Sorey was called forth for a second well-deserved bow. The Festival closed with “Peradam” (2011) composed by Ken Ueno and performed by the Del Sol String Quartet with video by Johnny Dekam. This was also commissioned by Other Minds and a world premiere and was a delight.

The visuals coordinated with the music, enhancing rather than distracting from the music which included vocalizing by the Quartet as well as their brilliant playing. The Festival ended with champagne and snacks in the lobby with happy mingling with friends and musicians. I hope Charles Amirkhanian is pleased with his 17th Other Minds New Music Festival. It was great for me to see friends who I met on the Other Minds trip to Iceland for the Nordic Days Music Festival, hear some new music, and hang out in San Francisco with good friend Pamela Z.

All the composers for this year's Other Minds

Other Minds Festival of New Music 2012
March 1, 2, 3
Jewish Community Center, San Francisco, CA

The panel discussion was with tonight’s composers Harold Budd, Gloria Coates, Ikue Mori and Tyshawn Sorey. I was particularly fascinated by Harold Budd as I have heard of him for years. He played with Albert Ayler 50 years ago and had good stories from the past. He grew up in LA, taught at Cal Arts and then found his niche after being asked by Brian Eno to work with him. Budd said he revolted from the avant-garde and has maintained that stance ever since. Gloria Coates, who I didn’t know of, has lived in Munich for decades. She has written 16 symphonies, more that any other woman. Ikue Mori discussed some of her laptop strategies and Tyshawn stressed his goal to obliterate the line (or dichotomy) between improvisation and composition. He’s getting his Ph.D at Columbia and working with George Lewis there. Smart move.

The concert opened with “String Quartet No. 5” (1988) by Gloria Coates, performed by Del Sol String Quartet. This was an American premier. There were three movements and by the third movement I had adapted to the microtonality and the canon structure. The first violin and the viola and tuned a 1/4 tone higher than the second violin and cello. In her notes even she says this form gives “the entire canon an eerie, generally settled atmosphere despite the simplicity of its slow melodies.” The third movement consists entirely in glissandos moving in different tempos and I found it lovely.

Second was Harold Budd, piano and Keith Lowe on bass and electronics (with bare feet). This music was, what I guess I would call, ambient. I am usually not a big fan of that genre unless I am having a massage but I enjoyed this. The bass player played a lot of arco but it was his pizzicato playing that I especially liked. Each note was gorgeous (sorta like Charlie Haden) and he and Budd seemed to connect beautifully.

A big shift in gears after intermission: Ikue Mori, electronics, also featuring Ken Ueno, voice, and Tyshawn Sorey, percussion. Ikue began the set performing solo laptop. (She uses MaxMSP, created by UCSD Professor/friend, Miller Puckette.) Pamela Z said she felt refreshed when she heard Ikue’s music. That’s perfect; me too. Ken joined Ikue with his multiplicity of vocal techniques such as Tuvan throat singing, growls, groans, yells and not so many quieter sounds. Tyshawn entered the stage with a huge boom on the large Concert Bass Drum and added amazing textures and percussive sounds henceforth. I was mesmerized by this set and was startled when quite a few couples left before it was over. Silly them.

asamisimasa, Norwegian ensemble

Other Minds Festival of New Music 2012
March 1, 2, 3
Jewish Community Center, San Francisco, CA

This concert featured the Norwegian ensemble asamisimasa.

The panel discussion before the concert was led by the Artistic Director Charles Amirkhanian with the composers of the night, Oyvind Torvund (Norway) and Simon Steen-Andersen (Denmark) and the guitar player Anders Førisdal. As usual, it was fascinating as they discussed what we were going to hear tonight and how they come to compose such pieces. One question from Charles to each composer was who were the composers who influenced you most. Simon said Bach as performed by Glenn Gould. Oyvind’s were Xenakis, Charles Ives, and improvisors such as Albert Ayler and Charles Mingus.

Opening the concert was Oyvind’s “Neon Forest Space” (2008) performed by Alberecht Scharnweber, clarinet; Tanja Orning, cello; Anders Forisdal, guitar/radio, percussion and pre-recorded media and Hakon Morch Stene, found objects percussion. I especially loved watching the cellist who had a rock-star persona. The percussionist had a table full of gear including spray cans (whooshing sounds), empty plastic bottles, cymbals, newspaper, and the like. There were multi-channel speakers including rear surround speakers from we heard playback from processed pre-recordings plus some lovely birdsong. The second piece was the World Premiere of “Willibald Motor Landscape” (2011). Synthesizer and a second percussionist were added to the ensemble. The notes say that is was inspired by a number of composers including Christophe Willibald Gluck and that it is a musical collage presenting small collections of musical material presented in layers of sounds such as clarinet, tuning forks, car alarms, and electric motors. After intermission music of Danish composer, Simon Steen-Anderson was performed. This consisted of four pieces played without pause. “Study for String Instrument #2”, Half a Big of Nothing Integrated”, On and Off And To and Fro, and my favorite “Study for String Instrument #3.” This last piece was performed by the cellist in front of a video screen upon which was projected videos of her so that you saw her live plus two video images which over-lapped. I couldn’t take photos but it was stunning. This after she had a bad fall off the stage after the second piece which damaged her cello (another one was quickly produced) and luckily she was okay.

Scott Amendola/Charlie Hunter

7:30 pm
Scott Amendola, drums and Charlie Hunter, guitar
Anthology

I love Scott for his musical talents and for his great personality. So I was pleased to learn that he and Charlie would be in town for one night. I am not a huge fan of Anthology; it seems a bit Las Vegasy, is expensive and can be noisy. However, last night all was pretty quiet during the performance. As usual, these two musicians are great performers and look like they enjoy every minute. I did too.