8pm Claire de Brunner Freeway 3:
Carol Liebowitz: Piano, Adam Caine: Guitar, Claire de Brunner: Bassoon
9:30 Anders Nilsson featuring members of the 12 Houses
Mary Cherney: Flutes, Matt Lavelle: Trumpet, Ras Moshe: Saxophones, Catherine Sikora: Saxophones
Claire de Brunner: Bassoon, Chris Forbes: Piano, Francois Grillot: Bass, Anders Nilsson: Guitar, Kevin Shea: Percussion
I wish to premier a series of experimental ensemble music I deviced a couple of years ago under the umbrella title “Gravity” (30 short pieces), and a longer new piece designed like a rhythmic map called “Rotation”. I want to invite the core members of 12 Houses to play it. The more players, the more fun!!!
Here’s what I envision;
“Gravity” - The 30 or so short pieces, are all guided ensemble improvisations with differing areas of ensemble interplay in focus. Each piece is written on one page with basic graphic notation and simple verbal directions. For instance there will be some background/middleground/foreground thinking, opposites attract, clashing of musical charges, shifting roles with another player etc. There are hardly any specific notated notes or rhythms so the actual music will be expressed through the players on whatever instruments played. I’ll guide the proceedings for these pieces and won’t play much myself, if at all, as I’ll be “conducting”.
“Rotation” – This rhythmically driven piece will consist of short and mostly basic rhythmic cells of a simple melodic nature. Each player gets a specific written part which has several of these cells in it. On cue these individual patterns change and the overall aim is for a gradually evolving trip to occur for the players and the listeners as we listen to the balance of the whole totality and add what comes up to the picture.
The drums are essential here and will largely feature the energizing pumping out of two main rhythmic grooves, that I will play on the guitar as well, along with bass at times. I might play light percussion also.
Within all this there will be much room for soloing and the players’ own expressive spaces, don’t worry, I don’t want to dictate very hard, just set some things in motion and shape the pieces with all you players and generate a beautiful order/freedom aware of the individual/collective soundworld at hand that night.
Matt Lavelle curates
