Yayy

This is a record of my moderation concert that took place on december 8th 2016.
I put this concert on in order to moderate into the music department at Bard College. There are four pieces that I composed and/or improvised. Big thanks to my friends for playing this music and working with me to produce tunes that I am really proud of. Cal Fish (Flute on FADE), Hank Zwaan (Piano on FADE and Duss), Paul Duhe (Alto Saxophone on FADE), Henry Birdsey (Electric Guitar on FADE and Simulcast), Quentin Lundstedt (Cornett in Bb on Duss), and Dylan Greene (Drumset on FADE and Duss. 
    
    DJ my Life - cassette tape/laptop improv (Solo)
    
    FADE - Thru-composition for Alto Sax, Flute, 2 Electric Guitars, Piano, and Drumset. (I am playing Guitar!)
    
    Simulcast - Electric Guitar Duo improv (I play Guitar here as well!)
   
    Duss - Jazz tune for 2 Pianos, Cornett in Bb, and Drumset (I'm hitting Piano on this one!)

All of these pieces deal with quotation as a compositional tool. References to popular or well known music in any context fill me with joy and nostalgia. Friends have told me that some of my music sounds like it came from a video game. 

 The title of the first piece "DJ My Life" stems from a philosphy of mine in which a DJ mixer is an analog for my decisions and uncontrollable events, constantly making combinations and alterations. "DJ My Life"  uses a variety of sampled material. Among these materials are the Christina Aguilera song "Without You", field recordings taken around Bard College, Serge modular synthesizer improvisation recorded in the Bard electronic music studio, piano improvisations guitar improvisations, flute improvisations from Cal, percussion samples that I recorded and chopped, old jams with friends, and various 'bad' or botched recordings where you hear excessive banging and clanging sounds.

FADE is named after a chord that is spelled with the pitches F,A,D, and E
The piece is based around a recurring phrase that I lifted from the tune "On Broadway" by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. I discovered the song in highschool by way of guitarist and singer George Benson. Through applying various note-order changing numerical processes, altering rhythms,  as well as introducing melodies and harmonies not existing in the original piece of music, I created a sometimes discordant/sometimes wonderfully harmonic work of thru composition. There is room for performers to improvise and experiment within the "ink."

The definition of a simulcast is a simultaneous transmission of the same program on radio and television, or on two or more channels. The duo improv for electric guitar featured here is in fact a simulcast. Henry and I played together for extended periods of time and agreed to replicate certain phrases, ideas, techniques, etc. in the performance. We are referencing the same material and outlining the same form. Pieces quoted are "Body & Soul" by Johnny Green, "Cross-Sections" by Lisa Renee Coons, "Composure" by Kyle Gann, "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane, and a violin etude I used to practice when I first began playing guitar at age 8.

Duss is an original jazz tune with experimental form and instrumentation. I am heavily inspired by Thelonius Monk, Cecil Taylor, and Sun Ra as pianists, improvisors, and composers. In composition this piece takes cues from Monk's tight chord voicing and close harmonies, i set out to compose a jazz tune in which the harmonies are so consistently close and dissonant that nearly any pitch played could be "correct." This compositional approach opens the door for rampant and intense chromatic improvisation, an area I can inhabit comfortably as a budding piano player. Pieces referenced: "Cherokee" by Ray Noble, "My Foolish Heart" by Victor Young, and "Criss Cross" by Thelonious Monk.

Special thank you to my board members:
Professors Kyle Gann, Erica Lindsay, and Matt Sargent
Thank you to Raffi for working the mixing board and recording the show.

All Applause In 5 Secs

Duss

Simulcast

FADE

DJ My Life

djeep improv 1

multispacial informational Instrumentalist, composer, hipper hopper, producer, mix/mixingboy, remixing boy (1's, 2's, and 1.5's as well) hmu if u want something

Kren