The Sound of a Dream

Can You Imagine the Sound of a Dream

Adam Rudolph and Go: Organic Orchestra

Meta 014

I am happy to share the news that our work with Adam Rudolph over the past several years, building and developing an east coast version of Go: Organic Orchestra, has been documented in a new CD recording on Adam's Meta record label.  This is uncommon news, as my experience with creative orchestra work is that the music is almost never documented/shared in this manner, for a range of reasons.

One of the reasons or, at least, one of my primary reasons, that musicians engage in large ensemble work of this sort is community.  Gathering an orchestra (48 musicians here!) is a knitting of relationships, old and new.  As with Duke Ellington, the best leaders understand the magic that resides in this element/fellowship, and they use it as a essential tool in their compositional toolbox.  Adam Rudolph stands in that assembly, at once connecting tradition(s) with the present in a singular manner.

In April, we will return to Roulette in Brooklyn, NY for four Monday night concerts.  Shortly after that, we plan to bring the orchestra into the studio to record a new album of music. Click on the image below for (a larger version) a glimpse of the orchestra in motion.

 

Image of Adam Rudolph and Go: Organic Orchestra at Roulette by Judi Komala

Improvisations III: New Music at Real Art Ways

Improvisations III

December 4, 2011

Real Art Ways

Hartford, CT

One of the many things that I admire about Joe Morris is his teaching.  Not just the fact that he does it but, rather, how deeply (and, as with his music, innovatively) he enters the pedagogy and how giving he is to his students.   For some time now, Joe has been talking about a remarkable young violinist, Yasmine Azaiez.  Yasmine studies with Joe at the New England Conservatory of Music.

He invited Yasmine to join us last month. I immediately thought of tubaist Ben Stapp as a match.  We divided the evening into solos, duets and a quartet.  Yasmine played a composition she wrote, really a plan for improvisation, structured yet loose at the same time.  I had a ball in duet with Ben.  While I have often done this with bass, this was the first time for me with tuba.  Could be habit forming.  For me, the peak of the evening was the quartet.  Wonderful listening, instantaneous empathy and, best of all, plenty of surprises.

Image of Stephen Haynes by Byron Dean

Images of full group by Rob Miller

Improvisations II: New Music at Real Art Ways

Improvisations II
November 10, 2011

Real Art Ways

Hartford, CT

We recently gathered for the second event in our new music series at Real Art Ways.  The space we used has been dubbed The Ephemeroom, as it is filled to the brim with memorabilia, gathered through an open community call, celebrating RAW's 35th (and Director Will K Wilkins 2oth!) year anniversary.  Reading through the posters of the scores of musical events, featuring artists such as Morton Feldman, Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Anthony Davis and Julius Hemphill just reinforced our sense that Improvisations has arrived at the right time and is in the right place.

Joe Morris invited two young musicians to join us: Ben Hall and Noah Kaplan. I had never met or worked with either artist.  Ben has made a record, Weight/Counterweight, several years ago with Bill Dixon and is completing an advanced degree in sculpture at Columbia University.  Noah is a composer and improviser of some note and lives in Brooklyn.

We performed in two trios, and then a full quartet.  The music was a delight, and Joe is already talking about recording the quartet.  We will soon set performance dates for the Improvisations series through the summer of 2012.  Stay tuned for details!

Images of Improvisations II by Rob Miller