This month’s podcast features sound artist/therapist Katie Down. It was recorded binaurally in Katie’s loft instrumentarium where Katie played flute, and glass and metal instruments. Its always a treat to play with acoustic instruments and Katie creates some amazing sounds and textures on hers! This one is quite immersive and best experienced in headphones for the full binaural effect.
This month’s podcast is from the final Space Out, Outside of 2020. It took place on a still not too cold afternoon in October and features synthesists David Mason and Michael Lutomski.
David Mason and Michael Lutomski. That’s my stuff in the foreground.
We covered a lot of sonic territory that afternoon; there are some great electronic textures, weird noises, and so much spacing out. Open your ears, and enjoy the journey.
This month’s podcast is a field recording of a very ambient solo performance at Quiet Village 3.0 which was a backyard show that took place September 27, 2020.
There’s a nice intimacy about this recording; you can hear the squeaks of my chair, the acoustic sound of my guitar and birds flying by. It fits well with the Quiet Village ethos of ambient music blending with the ambience of the environment.
This month’s podcast features electronic musician Charles Shriner from Indianapolis, Indiana. Unlike previous remote variations, this one was a live, real-time collaboration using the Jamkazam platform, which worked quite well. I think the end result is comparable to collaborations recorded live in my studio.
Charles cleaned up and mixed the files from two Jamkazam sessions then I edited them as I would do for any podcast. (He also provided the image used in the header graphic.)
Here is some Bonus material from the sessions with Charles.
This month’s podcast features some beautiful, contemplative improvisations with pianist Sandy Santra. These recordings capture our first time playing together; I think there’s a special quality that comes through as we learn to communicate musically. And it’s always nice to play with an acoustic instrument, as I spend so much time in the world of electronics.
Sandy Santra was born in Pennsylvania in the late 1950s, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, attended Reed College in the 1970s, and moved to New York City in 1996. He began playing piano at the age of five, improvising at the age of sixteen, and has recorded and performed as a solo pianist for over forty years. He has played with numerous ensembles on both coasts of the United States, and his new wave band Counter Parts performed all over the Bay Area in the early 1980s. He has also composed and recorded soundtracks for his own short films, and accompanied numerous dance ensembles. Additionally he is a professional photographer [source photo for header image courtesy of Sandy], award-winning filmmaker, and has lectured on technology in New York City and semiotics in London. His videos may be viewed at his YouTube channel, which includes all his performances during the “Play Me, I’m Yours: New York City 2010” piano festival. Sandy currently resides in Hudson Valley and is writing a novel.
This month’s podcast is an experimental music experiment. Inspired by Al Margolis’ concept for podcast #57, and the desire/necessity to collaborate with musicians in distant locations, REMOTE VARIATIONS was born.
Here’s how it works: I recorded an improvised piece, keeping in mind that it would be sent to a collaborator (or in this case, two collaborators) to add to in any way they wanted. After the collaborator has finished with what I sent them, they take inspiration from that experience and create a new piece which they send to me to add to. Those pieces then go together to form the podcast.
My two (remote) collaborators this month were Irman Peck (Philadelphia, PA) and Michael Lowe (Denver, CO).
Irman Peck at Xfest 2020
Irman starts the podcast adding subtle synthesizers to the piece I sent him. Then around 15:45 we get more abstract with Irman’s response piece where he returns to his primary instrument, bass.
Michael Lowe (L) and Dean Sharp in 2011, this was the first time I met these guys!
Things begin to get glitchy and textural around 31:30 when Michael adds guitar to the piece I sent to him. Its fascinating how different two people’s response to the same piece of music can be! At 47:38 Michael’s response piece starts, which I add to on baritone guitar to close out the podcast.
This month, having just passed the five year mark, I’m taking a look back with the intent of creating a sea of tranquility for you to submerge yourself in. The source material is from three sessions going back to 2015. This podcast uses previously unreleased parts from those sessions.
It starts by revisiting a collaboration with saxophonist Brad Hubbard (ES Podcast #24) playing the Electronic Wind Instrument. Brad is a fantastic and thoughtful improvisor, and here he brings some nice synth tones and textures to our musical conversation.
The middle section is from an all day solo performance (installation?) in 2015 during Newburgh Open Studios (ES Podcast #6). These durational performances really let me take my time and slow waay down. I try to get to a similar place in my shorter performances, but its always a challenge. This one is cascading and minimal, it reminds me of watching little waves rushing to shore, or gentle raindrops.
Finally there’s more contemplative improvisation this time with vocalist Ella Ray Kondrat (ES Podcast #34). This recording was literally the first time we played together. I think at the time I edited the original podcast I may have thought it was too raw, but listening to it now I find it has a sort of fragile beauty.
This month’s podcast features experimental musician Tom Law.
Tom uses Max/MSP to create his own instruments and to manipulate live audio. Our collabo gets a bit noisy and has some brutalist aspects; there are some fantastic textures! Open your ears and enjoy the ride.
This month’s podcast features the return of Al Margolis! Al told me he had an idea he wanted to try out, and when Al Margolis asks if you’re interested in trying out an experiment, the answer must be YES.
Al Margolis at work.
Here’s the concept, in Al’s words:
The basis of this session uses the three long drone works composed and performed by Leslie Ross from her drop by drop, suddenly CD on XI Records (you can find this on Bandcamp). I had been practicing my reed instrument playing to these multiphonic bassoon drones, and then decided I would record (in a sort of Exquisite Corpse way) each of my wind parts (clarinet, alto clarinet, alto and tenor saxes) to Leslie’s piece, but without listening to my previous playing.
I was describing this to Craig, and also my desire to perhaps play these pieces live – with one performer listening to the recording in headphones and playing along, and the other performer(s) only playing to what they hear – in other words, the person playing under headphones. (This is something I am still hoping to do live at some point.)
Craig was interested in the concept and being involved and so this is how the podcast recording happened. So “Air” is Craig listening to Leslie and me playing to Craig, without hearing Leslie. “Sea Soil”, for technical reasons we cheated a bit – we both played to the recording and did not hear each other (allegedly). And “Water” has me playing to the prerecorded material and Craig playing to me.
I have to admit that I came in thinking we would just both play drones to Leslie’s drones. I got a great surprise when right away in the first piece Craig did not drone, thus immediately forcing to think outside my pre-conceived box. This actually made for a much more interesting session…so thanks Craig!!!
All our performances on this podcast are roughly the same length as the pieces on Leslie’s CD with very little editing.
We start with our version of “Air” and the mix includes Leslie’s recording in addition to Al and me.
“Sea Soil” begins at 16:30 and is just Al and me, Leslie is not in the mix. If you’d like to hear Leslie’s recording, you can find it HERE. (If you’re adventurous you can play her recording along with ours and make your own mix!)
Finally, “Water” starts at 44:17. Leslie’s performance is back in the mix. This section has some manipulation and processing applied to Al’s and my parts, while the previous two are sonically unaltered.
Al Margolis played tenor sax on “Air” and “Water”, and alto clarinet on “Sea Soil”.
Many thanks to Leslie Ross for the composition(s) and permission to use her recording in this.
Leslie’s album, drop by drop, suddenly CD is available on XI Records. And on Bandcamp: https://xirecords.bandcamp.com/album/drop-by-drop-suddenly
This month’s podcast features composer / multi-instrumentalist V. Vecker (Keith Wecker) from Vancouver, BC playing saxophone and synthesizer.
We first met at Space Out, Outside 3, which was featured on podcast #51. A few days later, Keith came by the studio for a podcast session. The results are pretty experimental, with lots of loops and drones and saxophoning, great for late night listening.
This month’s podcast features some beautiful, contemplative improvisations with pianist Sandy Santra. These recordings capture our first time playing together; I think there’s a special quality that comes through as we learn to communicate musically. And it’s always nice to play with an acoustic instrument, as I spend so much time in the world of electronics.
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