These are studio recordings for a planned CD (but never released - I honestly can't tell you why) of selected arias/songs from the American Trilogy a set of three experimental music theater works- Slow Fire (1985-88), Power Failure (1989) and Pioneer (1990). These songs were meticulous studio recordings produced by Jay Cloidt working in my home studio (with one exception, "Cortez" was taken from a live two track recording also engineered by Jay Cloidt). 

While I composed the music for all these works (with two songs contributed by Terry Allen in Pioneer), they were all collaboratively-created and performed by the following teams of artists: 

Slow Fire - text and performance (vocal and physical:  Rinde Eckert; directed by Richard ET White, Paul Dresher: electric guitar, keyboard and live tape loop processing: Gene Reffkin - drums, Jay Cloidt - sound design & audio engineering; produced by Robin Kirck. 

Power Failure:  Rinde Eckert: libretto, tenor; John Duykers - tenor, Thomasa Eckert - soprano; Stephanie Friedman - mezzo soprano; directed by Richard ET White and Tom O'Horgan,  Saxophone and Bass Clarinet - Ned Rothenberg; Keyboard - Miguel Frasconi: Gene Reffkin - drums; Paul Dresher - electric bass, keyboard; Jay Cloidt - sound design & audio engineering; produced by Robin Kirck. 

Pioneer:  Directed by Robert Woodruff; text by Rinde Eckert, Terry Allen, Jo Harvey Allen and historical sources (most of the songs excerpted here are from actual true historical sources);  Rinde Eckert - tenor; Jo Harvey Allen, speaking voice; John Duykers -  tenor; Phil Aaberg - keyboard, Craig Fry - violin, Gene Reffkin, drums; Paul Dresher - electric guitar, bass, keyboard; Jay Cloidt - sound design & audio engineering;  produced by Robin Kirck.

7 And So I Dream  (from Power Failure)

6 Peary At The North Pole  (from Pioneer)

5 President McKinley (from Pioneer)

4 Columbus Writes Home  (from Pioneer)

3 So Sleep (from Power Failure)

2 Twenty Years (from Power Failure)

1 A Common Man  (from Power Failure)

This is the 3rd movement of Unequal Distemperament - a Concerto for Cello & Electro-Acoustic BandIt was originally commissioned for and premiered by the wonderful cellist Joan Jeanrenaud  with the Dresher Ensemble Electro-Acoustic Band.  On this recording, the cellist is the amazing Ashley Bathgate.   In the first section, the electronic accokeyboard is performed by Marja Mutru, in the 2nd section, the Marimba Lumina (an electronic mallet controller invented by Don Buchla) part is played by Joel Davel.

Unequal Distemperament  3rd Movement

Composer, musician, instrument inventor, producer

Tracks by Paul Dresher