www.peppergreenmedia.com
nEWS
18 JUN 13
Featured Event - June 21
More iNFO HERE: http://tinyurl.com/kcvdd8v
16 JUN 13
"Dad's Detroit - a video memoir" for Father's Day, 16 min. Dad's Detroit from Patrick Grant on Vimeo.
Direct link for viewing: http://vimeo.com/68445490
13 JUN 13
"Four Ambient Cellos #2" (2013) 18'02"
Listen here: http://tinyurl.com/laty55p
04 JUN 13
Happy Birthday, Judith Malina!
"Patrick Grant composed a brilliantly energetic score for the play. Driven by live piano (played at full tilt by Patrick himself like a carnivalesque master-of-musical-ceremonies) and synthesized riffs, the music for 'The Rules of Civility' was more deeply embedded in the staging and in the company's consciousness than any written score with which I can remember our working."
This comes from the late Hanon Reznikov's "LIVING on Third Street," recounting the plays of the Living Theatre from 1989-1992. The "Rules of Civility" (based on a found text attributed to George Washington) was our mini-opera that protested the first Gulf War. All told, the piece had over 150 performances between 1991-1993 in the U.S. and in Europe. While performing the piece in Europe, the NY cast was musically lead my my dear friend Michael Shenker, another soul lost too soon. Reznikov writes:
"Michael Shenker, a talented musician and community activist, ran the show in New York, using a synthesizer set in clavichord mode which created a special, period kind of elegance unlike Patrick Grant's music-hall acoustic piano, although Patrick's razor-sharp, driving sense of rhythm infused the actors onstage with an obsessional dynamism that set the play aglow on tour and somehow, was bombastic in a way well suited to the 'we'll tell you have to behave' attitude inherent in the text and gave it epic stature."
Published by Autonomedia (c) 2008
01 JUN 13
PG Partners with ComposersCollaborative to Break World Record on June 21
Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village (near W. 4th St and Sixth Ave)
11:00am – 2:00pm
Make Music New York presents the world premiere of Jed Distler's Broken Record, a piece composed for 175 battery-powered Yamaha keyboards and one Yamaha acoustic grand piano on Cornelia Street in the West Village on Friday, June 21st. There will be two performances at 11am and 12 Noon in front of the Cornelia Street Café.
This is a special featured event as part of Make Music New York's popular Mass Appeal series. Players will include luminaries of the piano world, local amateur pianists, school children, and city officials. Highlighted guests: Eleonor Sandresky, Kathleen Supové, Gene Pritsker, Patrick Grant, Joseph Pehrson, Simon Mulligan, Andrew Byrne, Robert Paterson, Victoria Paterson, Taka Kigawa, Stephen Gosling, Darynn Zimmer, Molly Mokorski, Alexandra Honigsberg, Tristan McKay, 15 year-old Christopher McGinnis and many (many) more.
This performance will set a new Guinness Book record for the world's largest keyboard ensemble. Following the performance, Yamaha will donate all of the keyboards to the New York City Department of Education. This event is produced in collaboration with ComposersCollaborative Inc, Peppergreen Media, the Cornelia Street Café, Yamaha and Viacom.
How to Join: Come make musical history! The 30-minute piece will be performed twice, in the late morning and early afternoon. The music is extremely easy to perform and coordinate, and there are even parts for those without any keyboard skills! Click HERE to register, watch this video for an introduction to the piece, or email Pierre at pierre@makemusicny.org with any questions.
29 MAY 13
REVIEW: Robert Fripp & The Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists - The Patriot Ledger
I heard the sounds of silence Friday night.
Not Paul Simon’s famed Sixties ditty but Robert Fripp’s arguably weird concert experiment in a 243-year-old church in Cambridge.
It happened almost at the end of a 90-minute long performance by an eclectic ensemble of 70 very accomplished guitarists. The musicians—with guitars strapped around their shoulders—lined themselves in the front, back and aisles of the congregational section to form a tight circle around the audience seated in the pews. Instead of strumming on their instruments, which is the way we’re accustomed to hearing a guitar played, each musician picked on a single note—assigned to him or her.
When plucked all at the same time, the notes sounded more like wind chimes than music. Then, the guitarists played their notes one at a time, creating a sound that traveled around the church in a counter-clockwise direction. While striking their notes, the musicians also jerked the head of their guitars towards the next performer, creating a sort of “Wave” effect, we see at Boston Red Sox games at Fenway Park. As the tinkling-bell-like sound traveled around the church, it grew quieter and quieter until it went totally silent.
But the guitarists continued to jerk their guitars towards one another passing along—as it were—their un-played note. The note was passed around several more times. I couldn’t hear the note (because it was silent) but I could see it in “The Wave,” going around the audience again and again. And again and again. Like an astronomer peering through a giant telescope at dark matter out in space, I realized then that, for the first time in my life, I was staring at the dark energy of sound. If there is negative matter, then what I saw was definitely negative sound. I not only saw it, I swear, I heard it.
I must apologize. The only descriptive word that comes to mind is—weird-- giving any one who attended the performance by Robert Fripp and The Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists VII at First Church at Cambridge’s Harvard Square the right to call it whatever they’d like. The guitarists—all of whom looked like they could, in a moment’s notice, segue into a rousing rendition of Ernesto Lecuona’s “Malaguena,” played single notes, or an occasional chord, throughout the evening, while standing or walking around in stiff-back postures. They formed circles and semicircles and lines and various other configurations as they played. At times they even mimed Tai-Chi-like movements with one hand as they marched in formation.
Fripp, the group leader, looked on--like a general over his troops--from a slight distance at various times during the performance. He barked out commands occasionally in words that only the troupe understood. And when he moved from command spot to command spot, his gait was more like a tiptoeing act than a walk, to keep his black leather shoes from making a sound on the hardwood floors of the church.
The graying bespectacled Brit is no stranger to the world of music. He is the Robert Fripp of the progressive rock bank King Crimson and venerable band member of a sundry of well knowns such as David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Daryl Hall, Talking Heads and Blondie.
After first looming into the public eye in the 1960s, his passion for the guitar morphed into a Zen-like discipline of tireless study and then into “Guitar Craft,” which is the name of a course he has taught on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean in various academic capacities. Many members of The Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists are former and current “Guitar Craft” students. Part of Fripp’s allure is his uncanny ability to transform the hard-rock guitar into an instrument of the avant-garde.
Even the tuning of 70 guitars all at once in a room in midperformance sounds like a symphonic exercise. At the end, Fripp and his guitarists received a standing ovation, amplified with the stomping of feet on the church’s wooden floor. Not once but twice, the audience called for encores.
http://tinyurl.com/l93eb8u
15 MAY 13
ROBERT FRIPP & the Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists VII
NYC SOLD OUT! Tickets still available for Boston and Hadley, MA
Robert Fripp and the Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists VII
Special Performance Project
Sunday May 26
Saint Marks Church in-the-Bowery
131 East 10th Street
New York, NY 10003
Doors: 3pm
Showtime: 4pm
What is The Orchestra Of Crafty Guitarists?
One possible answer is a lot of people making a lot of noise with guitars. Sometimes they even perform in public, as in Spain, Italy, Argentina, and in the USA, in places like Hadley, Boston, Seattle and New York City.
Another possible answer is a specialized study in the self-organizing properties of complex wholes. How does Intelligence act in and through many individuals, coming together as one? What if a high level of Conscious or Creative Intelligence needed to enter this world, what kind of body or vehicle would it need?
The global challenges we face, to be addressed by current and following generations, are beyond the capacity of individuals to meet. Solutions are more likely to be found in groups and networks than in the efforts of individuals acting alone.
The quality of solution required, to problems now of global proportion, is creative; that is, at the level of genius. The solitary, individual genius is, by definition, solitary and individual. The question, then, is how may we cultivate and develop group genius?
Come share in the spectacle that is the Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists!
Get tickets HERE
09 MAY 13
A MUSICAL SACRIFICE: New York Times Critics' Pick
A MUSICAL SACRIFICE
Kathleen Supove, piano & James Moore, guitar
TRIBECA NEW MUSIC 2013 FESTIVAL
Friday, May 10 at 8pm
http://tribecanewmusic.org/a-musical-sacrifice/index.html
Streaming live: http://littledoglive.com/LittleDogLive/TNM.html
Program:
Joshua Lopes - Boots for the Stouthearted
Jacob TV - Saudade
Daniel Felsenfeld - Golliwog Agonistes (from Cakewalking)
Florent Ghys - Bouquet Garni
Lisa R. Coons - A Quiet Struggle
Patrick Grant - Three Times One Minus One
Terry Riley - Simone's Lullaby
03 MAY 13
SHROOM TRIP OPERA by Joseph Keckler - BBC America Video
Here is a video of an aria from April's month-long run of "I AM AN OPERA" at Dixon Place. Joseph will appear on BBC America's "The Nerdist" on Saturday, May 4th, at 10 PM EST.
28 APR 13
Tribeca New Music 2013 Festival
"Three Times One Minus One"
a world premiere for piano, electric guitar, & pre-recorded track
performed by Kathleen Supove & James Moore's new duo A Musical Sacrifice
Program note: "This work began last year as a solo piece for Robert Fripp's Guitar Circle Course that was called Dude, Where's My Band? and its themes were elaborated on in further sketches until it earned the Beckettian working title of To Find a Form That Accommodates the Mess. A computer meltdown prevented that version's premiere so, it was shelved until another opportunity, this one in fact, would arise. When pressed for a title (for this almost unrecognizable variant) the name of the fictional R&B duo from HBO's Mr. Show seemed perfect for this finalized version for Supove & Moore plus track - Three Times One Minus One.'
More iNFO HERE
25 APR 13
I AM AN OPERA - Last 2 Performances
More iNFO HERE: http://www.dixonplace.org/html/Keckler_Apr13.html
09 APR 13
"I Am an Opera" Opens at Dixon Place
Joseph Keckler's "I Am an Opera" Opens at Dixon Place
A highly subjective musical take on what it means not only to write an opera, but to encompass and even embody one in the modern age of internet witnessed its world premiere launching on April 5th at Dixon Place, New York City’s “Laboratory for Performance.” Written, composed and performed by ASCAP member Joseph Keckler, this conceptual tour-de-force also provided a vehicle for fellow ASCAP member Patrick Grant, collaborating as music producer, with violin arrangements added to the artistic mix by Dan Bartfield. Directed by Uwe Mengel, this highly operatic exposure of Keckler’s inner subconscious, transparent at its most ridiculous and sublime, is propelled through a multi-media series of phantasmagoric tableaux with many an unexpected turn. “I Am an Opera” steadily escalates with its unspoken pronouncement that life, especially at its most primal and personal, is supreme artistic game. Performances will take place on Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the month of April.
http://www.ascap.com/Playback/2013/04/faces-places/concert/joseph-kecklers-i-am-an-opera-opens-at-dixon-place.aspx
02 APR 13
Joseph Keckler in the NY Times
Read the March 31 interview HERE
All part of the build up leading to...
Joseph Keckler
I AM AN OPERA
Created and performed by Joseph Keckler
Director - Uwe Mengel
Music Producer - Patrick Grant
Lighting by Ben Kato
Video design w/ Ned Stresen-Reuter & Laura Terruso
Costume elements by Andy Jordan
Add'l Musical Arrangments by Dan Bartfield
DIXON PLACE
161 Chrystie Street, New York, NY
(212) 219-0736
More iNFO HERE
29 MAR 13
PG Interview on the MMiXdown - Backtracks
"Ever wonder where Tilted Axes creator Patrick Grant finds inspiration for those infectious riffs? We’ll find out on this edition of BACKTRACKS, when a 4 year old future composer discovers his musical destiny on TV."
Listen to Patrick’s story HERE
25 MAR 13
TILTED EXCESS – Mobile Guitars in the Media
Tilted Axes Detroit: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars
Procession for the First Day of Spring, March 20, 2013
Media Coverage
DETROIT FREE PRESS
Names & Faces
Video
FLICKR
Photo set
INSTAGRAM
http://statigr.am/tag/tiltedaxes
METRO TIMES
Cover story
Follow-up
M-LIVE
B&W photo essay
POSITIVE DETROIT
Events
TWITTER
https://twitter.com/search?q=tilted%20axes&src=typd
VIMEO
http://vimeo.com/62288481
WDET
Events
Ann Delisi’s Essential Music
Craig Fahle Show
WKAR
Current State interview
YOUTUBE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECzmeOcj4Ok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8apJoLsPFM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7iitLAjZaQ
XTRA
A blog in Belgium
A blog in Michigan
13 MAR 13
TILTED AXES Cover Story in the Metro Times:
ROCKING IN THE STREETS
The pioneer of the electric guitar procession brings the phenomenon home to Detroit
By Michael Jackman
Read it HERE: http://metrotimes.com/covers/rocking-in-the-streets-1.1457524
09 MAR 13
Interview on WDET's "Ann Delisi's Essential Music"
Here's an interview that aired today on WDET's "Ann Delisi's Essential Music" where we describe TILTED AXES DETROIT and put out the call for even more electric guitarists and other participants.
Listen to the interview HERE: http://www.peppergreenmedia.com/TAD-Delisi.mp3
08 MAR 13
New Video of TILTED AXES 2012 NYC by Sergio Ortiz
A new video just sent to me of the Make Music Winter Dec. 21, 2012 performance of TILTED AXES by Sergio Ortiz.
Musicians: Cristian Amigo, Angela Babin, Alex Baxter, Dan Cooper, Nick Didkovsky, David Gould, Randolph Hudson, Daniel Reyes Llinas, Cesare Papetti, Gene Pritsker, Izzi Ramkissoon, Larry Simon, Mark Stewart, & Patrick Grant.
06 MAR 13
TILTED AXES DETROIT in the Detroit Free Press
27 FEB 13
TILTED AXES DETROIT: Press Release, Route Map, & Kick-Off Event
* Want to be a part? Guitarists please click HERE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press contact: TAD2013@peppergreenmedia.com
Download the PDF press release HERE
Web page: http://www.peppergreenmedia.com/TAD2013.html
In celebration of the first day of spring on March 20, Detroit-born NYC composer and performer Patrick Grant will create Tilted Axes Detroit: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars, a procession of over two dozen musicians that will move its way through Midtown Detroit with stops at key locations between 12:30 and 2:00 PM. (See map above)
The project is an ensemble made up of local musicians, in this case Detroit’s which, through preparation and rehearsal at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, will perform a variety of music created by Grant that is to be played in processional and stationary formations, much of it created specifically for the event. While there will be solos from local musicians that will be showcased, the overall musical message of the event is that of a unified ensemble made up of talent that comes from diverse backgrounds.
“I’ve been hoping to bring a musical project back to my hometown for some time now,” says Grant. “It seems like we really hit on something with the Tilted Axes project and it seemed to be the perfect thing to do in Detroit. It’s a well-known fact that Detroit has created numerous musical talents, far more than most. I’m positive that the music we’ll make will sound magnificent and like no other.“
The musicians will be accompanied by percussion and play their instruments through small but powerful mini-amps they are given that clip onto their belts. The procession has banner carriers and performers that hold up signs from which the musicians and the public are aware of name and purpose of each music section. More importantly, this aspect informs any of the unsuspecting public that it is the first day of Spring and that they are invited to celebrate it and rock out with Tilted Axes Detroit.
The Tilted Axes project began as a Winter Solstice event for Make Music New York in 2011. Its name derives from the axial tilt of the Earth, the causes our seasonal changes, as well as incorporating the word “axe,” the well-known nickname for the electric guitar.
One of these events will be a solo performance & kick-off event by Patrick Grant at PJ’s Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave. in Detroit, on Sunday, March 17 at 6:00 PM. Admission to the public is $5.
Also, Grant will be making appearances on WDET 101.9 FM and will be featured in the Metro Times leading up to Tilted Axes Detroit.
Interested musicians and other participants are asked to visit the project’s web page at: http://www.peppergreenmedia.com/TAD2013.html (applicants please click HERE). There they will find out information as to what will be required of them and how to apply. The deadline for applicants is March 14. The public can also go to this page for further event information, a procession map, and other events leading up to this project.
Tilted Axes Detroit is sponsored by Midtown Detroit Inc. and Peppergreen Media with the support of our partners Cafagna Arts, The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, The Detroit Artists Market, The Detroit Institute of Arts, The Majestic Theater, The Metro Times, The Motor City Brewing Works, PJ’s Lager House, Wayne State University, and WDET 101.9 FM Radio.
05 FEB 13
TILTED AXES DETROIT: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars - March 20, 2013
It's official: Tilted Axes comes to Detroit on March 20th, the first day of Spring. Stay tuned for more details coming February 25 HERE
03 JAN 13
On January 25 at 7:30 PM, Con Edison Composer-in-Residence Patrick Grant presents a concert of works created and developed during his Fall 2012 residency at Turtle Bay Music School. Admission is free.
Grant performs excerpts from The Velcro Variations (2012) for electric guitar, keyboard, & electronics. Using the tools of classical compositional rigor and in-the-moment improvisation, the piece is a multi-movement journey that deconstructs and rebuilds rock and dispels the myth of the guitar hero. On Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars, he presents material created for this year’s Make Music Winter NYC procession that was performed on the streets of Lower Manhattan on Dec. 21st. For this performance he will be joined by some of the musicians from that event and will roam the space around the audience in “…a moving, polyphonic sound cloud layered in compelling, electric rhythms.” The program includes Seven Years at Sea (Sept ans sur mer) and Breaking Butterflies Upon a Wheel.
Participating musicians include Cristian Amigo, Angela Babin, Dan Cooper, Randolph Hudson III, Daniel Reyes Llinas, Cesare Papetti, & Gene Pritsker.
Complete iNFO HERE
27 DEC 12
TILTED AXES 2012 - Video & Blog by I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
See it HERE
24 DEC 12
TILTED AXES 2012 - Photos, Video, Audio, & Slideshow by GUITARKADIA
See them HERE
17 DEC 12
TILTED AXES 2011 - Documentary & Slideshow by GUITARKADIA
© Emon Hassan
Watch the documentary HERE
"The first Tilted Axes, a guitar parade masterminded by NYC composer, Patrick Grant, took place on December 21, 2011, in lower Manhattan as part of Make Music Winter. 16 guitar players took part in the event. This is a documentary about the events leading up to the parade, and the parade."
14 DEC 12
One Week from Today:
TILTED AXES 2012 - Music for Mobile Electric Guitars
TILTED AXES 2012 - Q&A with Guitarkadia
text to accompany the mini-documentary coming out Monday, Dec. 17
Guitarkadia: What surprised you about the first guitar procession in terms of the event, musicians and the response you'd gotten from New Yorkers that night?
PG: The great thing about doing anything new is that you never know what kind of response you'll get until you put it up before the public. I thought that by going through the East Village and up to Union Square was that we'd get that typical "I've seen this before" attitude. But we didn't because they hadn't! We all remember the countless faces breaking out into smiles as we wound our way through the city streets. That's hard to forget. We'll be doing a variation on that same route this year making sure to pass Rivington Guitars on E. 4th Street, a key supporter of this event. As always, I'm looking at every weather almanac out there. The one element, literally, that is always unknown and that will keep us adjusting variables up until the event.
Guitarkadia: When did you know you'd do another process the following year? Conceptually, how did you want to approach doing the music differently?
PG: I was wondering myself if we'd do it again. Things went well last year, many aspects just fell into place, so I was wary of asking lightning to strike twice. I was encouraged by a number of things. First off would be Aaron Friedman, the founder of Make Music New York. We met for lunch throughout the year and kicked around a number of ideas but this one kept coming back. Many of the musicians from last year were already looking forward to it as that I had "begun a tradition." The deciding factor was when I received a Con Edison Musician Residency at the Turtle Bay Music School for Composition. This year's procession is due, in a large part, to that award.
Musically, I didn't want to change things too much, I didn't want to re-invent the wheel on this one. Since I'm producing this event, I always start with a number of scenarios and kick them around to various potential sponsors and organizations and see what takes hold. I seem to start out with big, impossible ideas and, eventually, reality whittles those down to something possible. I will reverse this process in the future but that's how it started. At one point I wondered if the musicians in the group could contribute music, that was when there was a possibility of this event ending as an actual concert, but that quickly became too unwieldy for what was eventually required. However, if we can form a solid core from this event, I would look forward to that in the future.
This year, we are keeping the main theme and playing variations upon it. Remember, when we are in the procession, our ideal audience member is the unsuspecting person on the street: they never hear a beginning or end to the music. It's a loop. However, what will be truly different this year is that, along the route, there will be something like 7 stations where we will stop and create a circle or some other formation. This will give us an opportunity to play atmospheric music upon which there can be a featured soloist. Then we will resume the procession and move to the next station. I believe that these moments will have a great musical effect.
Guitarkadia: Can you tell me a little about the route this year, the gear, and the launching point, which is Joe's Pub?
PG: When I proposed this event last year, I found that it left a lot of potential partners scratching their heads as to what exactly was I talking about. Now that the idea of an electric guitar procession is established, it was much easier for people to get behind it. Aaron Friedman connected us with Joe's Pub. They liked the idea. One thing I learned last year was that having the starting and ending point being two different locations created logistical problems in terms of the players' guitar cases and other personals. We had to have a rented car follow us around. This year, having the start and end point be the same, Joe's Pub, makes everything easier. We will end in the newly renovated lobby of Joe's and, I'll tell you right now, it's going to sound great there with all the natural reverb.
Also, we'll be using Marshall MS-2 mini-amps this year, a step up in getting that iconic electric guitar sound. There'll be last year's Danelectro HoneyTones for back up and last minute additions but I'm very happy with the Marshalls. They're really crunchy sounding if one plays chords but I'd like the ensemble to play as monophonically as possible this year because those little amps have a killer sustain like you won't believe, truly living up to the Marshall name. Another thing we learned from last year is that different guitars eat up the battery power differently. We'll have plenty of batteries on hand and can also make use of the 7 stations along the route as battery pit stops if needed.
Guitarkadia: You must have a host of new musicians participating this year. How is the lineup different, or same, from last year?
PG: For this year's event, I first put out the call to everybody that participated last year and half are coming back. Everybody wanted to do it but many would be out of town, it being so close to the holidays. I broadened the search to include guitarists I've always wanted to work with or that I've met within the course of the year. All of these guys are great. Many of them I feel almost too lucky to have but I'm glad I do. Stylistically everybody is across the board so the tricky thing for us to do is, while incorporating our differences to find the commonality that holds our respective practices together and build from that. There'll be room for everybody to individually shine within the procession's framework but it must come from a dedication to the ensemble's sound first.
Guitarkadia: Are you still accepting/inviting musicians to take part in the procession? Do you expect non-musicians to participate as well this year?
PG: There's always room for a few late-comers but that always boils down to available mini-amps and their ability to be available for the couple of rehearsals we have scheduled. In many ways, this event is tailored to those who are present so the sooner I know that, the better the result will be. There have been similar events where musicians just show up and jam on well-known standards but our event is different, it's original. That requires a little more dedication on the ensemble's part if it is to be, as we all hope, good music, on top of everything else that will be happening.
-NYC, December 2012
30 NOV 12
3 Weeks from Today in NYC
More iNFO HERE
27 NOV 12
Three Pieces to be Performed on the Composers Concordance Festival NYC: Nov 30-Dec. 4
NOV 30
New York City
First concert of the
Composers Concordance Festival II: 'Evolution'November 30th at 8pm at Spectrum
121 Ludlow Street, 2nd floor, NYC - Tickets $10https://www.facebook.com/events/130251643791529/
More iNFO HERE
=================================================
DEC 02
New York City
Third concert of the
Composers Concordance Festival II: 'Evolution'Composers Play Composers Marathon
Instrumentation: Solo, Duo, Trio
30 Composer-Performers
Sunday, December 2nd from 3pm to 7pm at Drom NYC
85 Avenue A, NYC, Tickets $15 (includes one drink)https://www.facebook.com/events/297587537018987/?fref=ts
This piece is made possible by the The Con Edison Musicians’ Residency: Composition Program administered by Exploring the Metropolis
More iNFO HERE
=================================================DEC 04
New York City
"Cures" from "Genome: The Autobiography of a Species"
arranged for clarinet, horn, trumpet, violin, piano, voice, electric guitar, electric bass, & glockenspiel.Composers Concordance Ensemble
Tuesday, December 4th at 7:30pm at Shapeshifter Lab
18 Whitwell Place, Brooklyn
Tickets $10https://www.facebook.com/events/404014559669641/
This arrangement is made possible by the The Con Edison Musicians’ Residency: Composition Program administered by Exploring the Metropolis
"Cures" (2003 rev. 2012) is a movement from the larger work "Genome: The Autobiography of a Species," loosely based on the book of the same name by Matt Ridley. Its structure is in 23 parts in that each section represents a chromosome in the human genome. The musical work takes the title of each of its parts after Ridley's naming of the chapters in his book where he emphasizes a particular characteristic of each one in order to create a narrative. “Cures,” a quasi-passacaglia arranged for the Composers Concordance Ensemble, represents the 18th chromosome of the human genome. The complete work was premiered with video projection at the Annina Nosei Gallery in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the discovery of DNA and was made possible in part by CUNY's Science & the Arts performance series. http://www.patrickgrant.com/genome.htm
More iNFO HERE
07 NOV 12
Excerpts from The Velcro Variations November 16th in NYC...
INTAR Roots & New Music Festival
Complete festival iNFO HERE
09 OCT 12
Exploring
the Metropolis' interview with Patrick Grant, composer & performer
10 Questions
1. You have a
huge compositional range - scoring for theatre, film, dance, concert and more.
Did you start out in one genre, or were you always looking for collaborations?
2. You moved
to NYC in the mid-80s. Could you describe the new music scene then? What
elements have changed or stayed the same?
3. Your
collaborations include working with theatrical giants such as Robert Wilson,
Gerald Thomas, The Living Theatre to creating music
installations at The Louvre. How did they shape or influence your creative
work?
4. You’ve
taken three trips to Bali to study gamelan. When did you take these trips, and
how have they influenced your work?
5. In light of
your impressive compositional range, do you have a singular approach when it
comes to deciding upon a composition or project? Or are there many factors that
come into play?
6. We’re
curious as to how you came to work with John Cage’s production team? And
produce your first recordings in Philip Glass’ studios?
7. You created International Strange Music Day, a real holiday that’s celebrated on August 24.
Could you describe how you conceived of this musical holiday and its
activities?
8. You’ve been
an active performer, curator and producer of many NYC events for almost thirty
years, what are some of your favorite spots from over the years?
9. As an
active and multi-talented artist, what keeps you motivated and fresh? What are
some future project ideas?
10. Could you describe
your plans for your Con Edison Musicians' Residency at Turtle Bay Music School?
Read the complete unedited interview HERE
06 OCT 12
PG Recieves an ASCAP Plus Award for Composition
The ASCAP Plus Awards program provides cash and recognition to writers who create music with a value beyond the scope of performance surveys.
http://www.ascap.com/members/ascaplus.aspx
03 SEP 12
Terry Riley's "In C" @ ComposersCollaborative Season Kick-Off
Photos by Jocelyn Gonzales
30 AUG 12
IN & AROUND C by Nouveau Classical Project @ Gallery 128
Photos by Jocelyn Gonzales
25 AUG 12
iNTERNATIONAL STRANGE MUSIC DAY Performance Soiree @ Spectrum
Photos by Erick Gonzales
Complete event iNFO at http://www.peppergreenmedia.com/ISMD2012.html
13 AUG 12
PROG GNOSIS: Patrick Grant @ the NYX Festival
photos by Jocelyn Gonzales
iNFO on the whole festival HERE
01 AUG 12
International sTRANGE mUSIC Day Performance Soiree
International sTRANGE mUSIC Day Performance Soiree
Fryday, August 24th @ SPECTRUM, 121 Ludlow St., NYC
8PM-11PM, tickets $10 at the door
Hosted by Patrick Grant
starring
Angela Babin + Cristian Amigo = Much Les Paul
The Dreamscape Floppies
Now Eleonor Sandresky
Gene Pritsker's Cage ReUnMixed
An Intimate Moment w/ Glenn Cornett
Hotdog Snotty R.I.P.
Jesse Krakow's Greatest Hits
Micro-Tons o' Fun w/ Johnny Reinhard
Jolly Ramey (Steve Carter & Maddi Horstmenn)
Card Tricks with Kathleen Supove
rahrahree! (Kurt Gottschalk vs. Tamara Yadao)
Miguel Frasconi LLC
Symphony Baby & Wormhole Chili
and Jed Distler as himself
...plus everybody's favorite...
Zero Boy
More iNFO HERE
or check out the Facebook event page at
https://www.facebook.com/events/110930295718800/
26 JUL 12
2012-2013 Con Edison Composers-in-Residence - Exploring the Metropolis
Announcing the 2012-13 Con Edison Composers-in-Residence
(New York City - July 26, 2012) Exploring the Metropolis is pleased to announce the eight composers chosen for the 2012-13 Con Edison Musicians' Residency: Composition Program. These eight composers will begin their residencies in September.
In its fourth year, this residency program will provide composers with a stipend and three months of free workspace in cultural and community facilities. All composers must complete one free public program in cooperation with the host facility. The four host cultural facilities are Bloomingdale School of Music, Brooklyn Youth Chorus Academy, Flushing Town Hall, and Turtle Bay Music School.
The eight composers are: Guy Barash, Jeff Fairbanks, Patrick Grant, Gabrielle Herbst, Molly Herron, Elizabeth Lim, Theodore Metz and Jeff Myers. The 2012-13 Composers-in-Residence are active in the New York music community, and have had works performed in diverse and innovative venues, such as The Stone, Galapagos Art Space, Roulette, HERE Arts Center, New York City Opera, and Issue Project Room. Their work spans classical, musical theater, pop, opera, jazz and electronic.
Composers were chosen by a jury of professional musicians, composers, curators and administrators. Composers were chosen based on artistic merit and suitability of their proposed project for the host organization. Panelists will be announced in the coming days. For the second year, the New York Foundation for the Arts generously donated space for panel deliberations.
The Con Edison Musicians' Residency: Composition Program is funded by Consolidated Edison, Credit Suisse, the George L. Shields Foundation, the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation, AOH Foundation, DJ McManus Foundation and individuals. The Con Edison Musicians' Residency: Composition Program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and Office of Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
More information on the 2012-13 Con Edison Composers-in-Residence can be found on the Exploring the Metropolis website.
21 JUL 12
"CRANBERRY SOURCE" - variations for chamber orchestra & rock band
Cranberry Source, a set of variations for chamber orchestra & rock band, celebrates the 45th anniversary of the Beatles' 1967 landmark 45 RPM single "Strawberry Fields Forever."
This project imagines a set of interconnected musical miniatures as heard through the original's unique instrumentation, musical forces that combined successfully, and arguably for the first time, the fields of popular, classical, and world music.
That instrumentation, as orchestrated by Beatles' producer George Martin for the original recording, consists of: 4 trumpets, 2 electric guitars, swarmandel (an Indian zither), piano, mellotron (flutes), timpani, guiro, maracas, tambourine, 3 celli, electric bass guitar, drum kit, and of course, vocals.
More iNFO TBA
Strawberry Fields Forever
Words and Music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Copyright (c) 1967 Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright Renewed
This arrangement (c) 2012 Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
All Rights Administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC,
8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203
International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved
18 JUL 12
Call for Proposals - Deadline July 27, 2012: International Strange Music Day Performance Soiree
Call for Proposals - Deadline July 27, 2012: International Strange Music Day Performance & Par-tay, August 24, 2012 at Spectrum, 121 Ludlow Street, NYC
For all the serious work we do, here's one just for fun. August 24th is International Strange Music Day. It's a real holiday, yes it is, look it up. To celebrate we're looking for musical and performance based acts that are 7-10 min. in length that require minimal set-up. A sound system, some amps & drum backline, a Steinway D grand piano, and video projection are available.
If you're already a musician, use it as an opportunity to reveal your guilty pleasures, break out of your comfort zone, work off some bad karma. If you're not, if you've been harboring hidden talents usually reserved for last call, need to get that Performance Art monkey off your back, or just plain old lost a bet, this is the place for you too.
You've suffered for your art, now it's our turn.
Most importantly, use this as an opportunity to share unusual sounds, unusual instrumentation, and unusual compositions rarely heard or new ones that will never be heard from again. This is the night.
Send proposals to info@strangemusic.com with "ISMD" as the subject by midnight July 27th. Your work will be carefully reviewed by our esteemed panel of musicologists and social scientists for an announced line up during the first week of August. There will be a suggested donation at the door for the event that will be split between the performers and the house. At least you'll be able to get home.
Fun can be a very serious thing.
Good luck.
15 JUL 12
NYX FESTIVAL - Schedule Announced
SPECTRUM PRESENTS
THE NYX FESTIVAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & PROG MUSIC
AUGUST 10-12 at SPECTRUM, 121 LUDLOW STREET, NEW YORK CITY
A festival that celebrates the historical interaction between the genres of classical Experimental Music and Progressive Rock since their beginning and into the 21st century.
Spectrum, a recently-opened new-music performance venue in NYC's Lower East Side, presents the NYX Festival: Three days of music where Experimentalism and Prog Rock merge. Since the last century, these two genres have shared a number of key features: the free use of emerging technologies by way of synthesizers & electronics, ambitious musical structures, asymmetric time signatures and, notably, virtuosic performance involving "traditionally-amplified" electric guitars and their kin as well as “traditionally-acoustic” instruments such as piano. The NYX Festival has a line-up of highly-talented and exciting musicians from NYC and elsewhere. This will be an enjoyable, envelope-expanding experience for participants, both audience and performers alike.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10 at 7:30 PM, doors open at 7:00 PM, tickets $15.
Chapman Stick Night hosted by Greg Howard with
Brett Bottomley
Rob Martino
Steve Adelson
Michael Bernier
Bright Brown
and Greg Howard.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 from 2:00 PM until midnight, doors open at 1:30 PM, tickets $10 for individual acts or $25 for an All Day Pass.
2:00 PM: ensemble et al.
3:30 PM: David Smooke & Courtney Orlando
5:00 PM: Erbium
6:30 PM: TBA
8:00 PM: Little Worlds - Bartok's Mikrokosmos Re-imagined
9:30 PM: Sarcaustic - Ron Anderson, Tim Dahl, & Weasel Walter
SUNDAY, AUGUST 12 from 2:00 PM until 10:30 PM, doors open at 1:30 PM, tickets $10 for individual acts or $25 for an All Day Pass.
2:00 PM: Damien Olsen & Robert Pepper
3:30 PM: Brad & Doug Balliett
5:00 PM: Prog Gnosis: Patrick Grant
6:30 PM: Blair McMillen / Melody Fader
7:30 PM: MoeTar (from CA)
9:00 PM: miRthkon (from CA)
3-Day Festival Passes are $45 - all tickets on sale soon
About The NYX Festival
The NYX Festival of Experimental and Prog Music is a three-day celebration of the interplay of classical (“traditionally acoustic”) and rock (traditionally amplified”) music. The festival brings under one roof virtuoso performers from both fields, many of the being active in both as classical and rock musicians. NYX is taking place at Spectrum on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and is sponsored by the New Spectrum Foundation. The festival’s Co-Directors are composer/performer Patrick Grant and biotechnology entrepreneur Glenn Cornett.
More iNFO at www.spectrumnyx.org
15 JUN 12
Spectrum Announces the NYX Festival
NYX is a festival that celebrates the historical interaction of experimental music (emerging technology, synthesizers, computers, etc.), along with virtuosic perfomnce, asymetric time signtures, ambitious musical structures, etc. with "traditionally-amplified music" (e. .g, involving electric guitars). This is intended to be an envelope-expanding experience for its participants (both audience and perfoirmers), but also to be enjoyable.
http://www.spectrumnyx.org
23-29 MAY 12
The Guitar Circle of North America with Robert Fripp
The Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists logo by Steve Ball
"Dude, Where's My Band?" aka "There's No Place Like Home"
NST Guitar Solo, 26 May 2012, Royalston, MA
21 MAY 12
Composers Concordance at the Bohemian National Hall, May 18, NYC
Photos by Jocelyn Gonzales
18 MAY 12
Composers Concordance Records and the Czech Center present
Ladies First
Bohemian National Hall
321 E 73rd Street NYC
Friday, May 18
Held at New York City’s historic Bohemian National Hall, this event is brought to you by Milica Paranosic, Keve Wilson, and Lynn Bechtold.
The Bohemian National Hall, a venerable hub of New York’s Czech and Slavic culture since the 19th century, sets the tone for the evening. A special award will be created by NYC artist Cecilia Mandrile.
Event Details:
7 - 8PM – Opening Reception and Video Installation
The evening commences with a reception and video installation which will present interviews of women whose works have made a significant contribution to cultural life. The film will involve notable women of all fields:
Composer Gloria Coates, Co-Founder of Sing for Hope Camille Zamora, Micalea Ferreira of ARTErra - residências rurais artísticas, ABC news producer Christine Romo, Lara Land of Land Yoga, celebrated photographer Theresa Ortolani, award winning author and founder of the Storylines Project, Neela Vaswani, Anja Wood, co-founder of The Lelt Foundation, and many others.
8 - 9:30pm - Concert
Conceived as a flowing voyage through times and Bohemian aesthetics, this concert will present music of past and present performed by New York's finest chamber musicians.
Music by:
Lynn Bechtold, Peter Breiner, Dan Cooper, Antonin Dvorak, Lady Gaga, Patrick Grant, Vitezslava Kapralova, Alvin Lucier, Alma Mahler, Milica Paranosic, Astor Piazzolla, Gene Pritsker, and Keve Wilson. Three compositions will receive their world premiers: Milica Paranosic's "New Bohemian Suite", Gene Pritsker's "Ladies First Tango" and a new piece by Peter Breiner.
Performers include:
Milica Paranosic, Lynn Bechtold, Keve Wilson, Irina Chirkova, Dan Barrett, Peter Breiner, Dan Cooper, Patrick Grant, Taka Kigawa, Gene Pritsker
9:30 - 11pm After-party
Please join us for mingling and food sponsored by Balls Vodka, Trader Joe's, Kafana, Pain D'Avignon, Orwashers Bakery and Chez Jacqueline.
The women of Ladies First will wear jewelry by Sequin Jewelry and scarves by Elizabeth Gillett.
For more information, please go to:
http://www.wix.com/ladiesfirstnyc/ccr
or to buy tickets: www.ladiesfirstnyc.eventbrite.com
21 APR 12
MAY 4 & 5
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, BRAZIL
BAIT MAN
Written and directed by Gerald Thomas
Performed by Cia. dos Atores' Marcelo Olinto
Original music & sound design by Patrick Grant
Lighting & stage design by Caetano Vilela
Movement preparation by Daniella Visco
Sound operator Rodrigo Marçal
The 7th Festival Palco Giratório SESC
in the Teatro Renascença at 9:00 PM
Av. Érico Veríssimo, 307 - (51) 3289 8066
An Intense Spectacle: Marcelo Olinto, one of the founders of the Cia. dos Atores, will be seen here under the direction of the legendary Gerald Thomas to carry the torn and heartbreaking tale of a man who wants an end to the disasters that are befalling his body. "I'm hurt .. I'm hurt," he whispers, screams, anguished in the opening scenes. (The piece's) lighting and the music by Patrick Grant help to give weight and energy to a piece both intense and disturbing."
More information & tickets HERE
17 APR 12
FALL 2012
Peppergreen Media presents a collaboration
with New Spectrum & ComposersCollaborative
"NOTHING IS REAL:
The Strawberry Fields Forever Project"
A concert of new music created by contemporary composers and performers based upon the instrumentation of and in celebration of the 45th anniversary of the 1967 release of the Beatles' landmark 45 RPM single "Strawberry Fields Forever."
This project, made possible through permission from Sony/ATV, asks a number of notable composers to imagine new musical miniatures, no longer than 4 min. in duration, as heard through the original's unique instrumentation, musical forces that combined successfully, and arguably for the first time, the fields of popular, classical, and world music.
That instrumentation, as orchestrated by Beatles' producer George Martin for the recording, consists of: 4 trumpets, 2 electric guitars, swarmandel (an Indian zither), piano, mellotron (flutes), timpani, guiro, maracas, tambourine, 3 celli, electric bass guitar, drum kit, and of course, vocals.
The composers are invited to create original music for the full ensemble or any subset thereof, i.e. a trio for trumpet, cello, and bass guitar, a quartet for two celli, electric guitar and drums, etc. etc. These subsets will create unexpected musical textures coming from the whole, yet will still have the ingredients that communicate that Strawberry sound, a sound that went on to influence much of the popular music (and one could arguably say classical music through its use of close-mic recording techniques) in the year of 1967 and beyond to the present.
More iNFO TBA
25
MAR 12
The MATA Festival Kicks Off April 17th
MATA composers speak out
More iNFO HERE
9 MAR 12
THE LADDER OF RED @ Robert Wilson's Watermill Center
Created for ROBERT WILSON's WATERMILL BENEFIT 2002, THE RED NIGHT. Conceived, designed, & directed by ANDREY BARTENEV, original music by PATRICK GRANT (music a.k.a. "INFLUX"), text by CHRISTOPHER KNOWLES, stage managed by SUE JANE STOKER, produced by ROBERT WILSON, performed by the WATERMILL ARTISTS of 2002. http://watermillcenter.org
Music performed by: Patrick Grant (keyboard), Jed Distler (piano), Paul Desilva (organ), Keith Bonner (flute), Thomas P. Oberle (clarinet), Darryl Gregory (trombone), David Simons (percussion), Michael Evans (drums), Alejandra Mahave (viola), Grace Lin (cello), & Mark Steven Brooks (electric bass)
06 MAR 12
Primary Blue(s) - Super Tuesday Mix
Original music: Patrick Grant
Guitar solo: Nick Didkovsky
An early mix from the forthcoming CD, "Driving Patterns"
05 FEB 12
Seven Years at Sea (Sept ans sur mer)
Original music: Patrick Grant
Video edited from sources found-on-web
“Perhaps no other sailor's chantey can compare with 'Seven Years at Sea' for fame and historical interest. It is one of the most extensively traveled songs of European folk repertoires.
Best known on the shores of Brittany and Poitou where it seems to have originated, It has spread across France and followed the seacoast into neighboring countries, north and south.
It occurs in Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Catalan, Portuguese, Spanish and Swiss (sic) versions. Thackeray adapted it for a humorous rhyme called 'Little Bille'.”
- from 'Our Singing Country' by John and Alan Lomax
The source recording for my version is sung by Elita, Mary & Ella Hoffpauir, recorded by Alan Lomax in Louisiana in 1942, and can be found on the anthology series A Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings, - Rounder CD 1500.
01 FEB 12
Breaking Butterflies Upon a Wheel
a time-lapse trip through America
Original music by Patrick Grant
31 JAN 12
Composer Patrick Grant
video profile by Jocelyn Gonzales
19 JAN 12
Composers Concordance Festival 2012 - TEASER
http://composersconcordance.com/festival.php
16 JAN 12
Composer Profile in Brazilian Theater Magazine ANTRO POSITIVO
Photo by Jocelyn Gonzales
Brazilan theater quarterly ANTRO POSITIVO contains a composer profile on pp. 40-41 in its latest edition.
Texts were contributed by Maria Pessino and Tom Walker.
See/read the magazine HERE
13 JAN 12
PRESS CONFERENCE for the Composers Concordance Festival 2012
January 27th at 5:30pm
Turtle Bay Music School
Em Lee Concert Hall
244 East 52nd St, NYC
(212) 753-8811
http://www.tbms.org/
The panel will consist of three CompCord directors -
Dan Cooper, Milica Paranosic, & Gene Pritsker
plus representatives from each of the five concert events:
1. 'Songs'
Taka Kigawa
2. 'Composers Play Composers Marathon'
Jed Distler
Franz Hackl
Eleonor Sandresky
Michael Wolff
3. 'Electronics'
Mari Kimura
4. 'New Blues'
Patrick Grant
5. 'Ensemble'
Peter Jarvis
with moderator: Joel Chadabe
Composers Concordance Festival 2012, Jan 27 - Feb 6
http://www.composersconcordance.com/festival.php
11 JAN 12
Preview of the Upcoming Documentary Short "Patrick Grant: Tilted Axes"
by Emon Hassan for Guitarkadia
Watch the preview HERE
06 JAN 12
The Revolution Will Not Be Autotuned
This week on Public Radio International's STUDIO 360:
I speak with Jon Pareles, chief pop music critic for the NY Times, about the History of Audio Effects in Pop Music over the last 60 years in a segment hosted by Kurt Andersen and produced by Jocelyn Gonzales.
Locally, it airs in New York City on Saturdays at 4 PM on WNYC 93.9 FM. National times for the week will vary on PRI's affiliates.
Here's a link where it's available as a stream or as a podcast. Check it out if you can. Thx.
http://www.studio360.org/2012/jan/06/the-revolution-will-not-be-autotuned/
04 JAN 12
"The Mozart Influence" at the Austrian Cultural Forum
photos by Jocelyn Gonzales
JAN 03, 2012
New York City
Patrick Grant premiere: "The Emperor Responds to Mozart's Request for a Raise" for baritone solo, horn, bass trombone, violin, cello, & electric bass, libretto by Anthony Burgess
The Austrian Cultural Forum NY
11 East 52nd Street
New York, NY 10022
NYC's quintessential multi-genre ensemble, The International Street Cannibals, performed a concert at The Austrian Cultural Forum whose thematic core is Mozart, his influences, and the stylistic and structural ramifications of his work. Works by Gene Pritsker, Dan Barrett, Dan Cooper, Patrick Grant, John Clark, & Milica Paranosic were on the program.
Curated by Gene Pritsker
Complete program information HERE
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