Studio-Phoenix Blogspot: Composers Concordance festival Part 2 ("Marathon")

S.P cover #5- 2012.
On the cover Milica Paranosic
& Patrick Grants.

Composers concordance festival part 2 ("Marathon") @ Drom. 1/29/12

The sun was already going down and the stars were coming to play, as they do most nights. Riding between the cars of the Q-train crossing the Manhattan bridge, the chill in the wind and noise of it was nothing compared to "strange overtones", feelings of excitement. Composers concordance @ Drom ("marathon"), part 2 of their 5 part festival.

Dan Barrett, Franz Hackl & Michael Wolff.

30 composers/performers representing different aspects of contemporary music and the multi-cultural American music scene. The show was broken-up into three parts, and within the dim lit, shadowy glamor of Drom they took the stage. Solo's, duets, and trio's, all slightly changing the mood, feel, and vibrance of the place. Some incorporated tech into there pieces (via laptops or other strange devices I would never understand), still yet the vector of some was just them and their instrument (s). And whatever magic they came with.

Yael Archer ("Kat")/flute & effects and electronic tracks: 'A "Kat" song' provided sudden jolt, slight tech problem aside with her laptop, a cool radiating sound imbued with the spirit of her Israeli heritage and obvious skillz. Her piece was playful, great arrangement, with a lovely contemporary Jazz edge. "Three movements to scale" by Michael Wolff/piano: Franz Hackl/trumpet & Dan Barrett/Cello, was an amazing performance of a very moving piece. The notes and scales floated through the air like the reverberation of juicy gossip. The three were electric, guided by the very music they brought forth.

Yael Archer: A "Kat" Song.

Wolff, Hackl, & Barrett: "Three movements to scale"

"Six"(In memory of Michael Babic) by Sara Holtzschue/flute, gave the crowd something to savor, and remember. Her piece gave life to the moment, its sound like graceful birds arranged by skillful human hands. The piece had a near perfect arrangement and execution. "Blues #2" by Jonathan Kane/drums & Dave Solider/violin, in many ways was extraordinary and inventive. The two really made music, and gave the crowd something beautiful. It was truly awesome when Kane stood up and strapped a single drum to himself and started wailing away on it, in time to Soldier's violin playing. They were really great. "Slow motion" by Luis Andrei Cobo/piano, is just what the title promises. However, as in life, nothing is as it appears. It was a lovely piece that had so much to it, in between the lines and notes, of which there was only so much. It all came at you with precision timing and arrangement which was haunting and left you wanting more.

Sara Holtzschue: "Six"(in memory of Michael Babic)

Luis Andrei Cobo: "Slow motion"

Dave Soldier & Jonathan Kane:

Blues #2

"Rubisphere" by Valerie Coleman/flute, with Mariam Adam/clarinet, & Monica Ellis/Bassoon, in its self came off as a stylish, dapper, glamorous number. These three were in complete control and knew how to work the crowd with just their sound. The piece was well constructed and flowed with the grace and rage of Nile. One could feel the blues and Jazz vibe permeating the room. The three Deva's were certainly hot stuff. "The Fritz Etude"(1979)by Larry Simon/Guitar, with Angela Babin/guitar and Patrick Grant/piano, brought into the minds of the crowd a sense of wonder and joy. The feel of it was one of a "bloody good show". The three came together like the parts of a fine musical machine. There guitars ripped into the air like a hot knife through butter, while the Grant tickled the keys and made you want more. Babin was icing on that cake, as talented as she is beautiful with a soulful power all her own.

Valerie Coleman, Mariam Adam & Monica Ellis:
"Rubisphere"

Larry Simon, Angela Babin and Patrick Grant:
"The Fritz Etude"

"Trio"(2011) by David Saperstein/piano, with Gene Pritsker/guitar and Peter Jarvis/vibraphone(synth), started out mellow then gained its pace and made you feel it. The sound was amazing in its control and vibe. The three let lose fire through their instruments that could not be denied. "The 32 Beethoven Sonatas in one minute" (2003), "An infinity for Mr K."(1993) & "Stuck Klavier" (2012) by Jed Distler/piano, was awesome, a stunning display of virtuosity. His performance had a comical edge but with the grace of real talent permeating the whole place. A damn good show "old boy", cheers!

"Sabih's Dream" by Svjetlana Bukvich-Nichols/minimoog, electronics and voice, with Leonardo Suarez Paz/amplified violin, gave a strange delightful feeling. Something wonderful from the Balkans with a wicked-cool arrangement and sound that pulls you in and won't let go. Still now I can feel the reverberation of its sound in my minds eye. The minimoog & amplified violin came together quick like lighting and energized the place. Svjetlana's creation is one that stood out beyond the dark of the place on the edge of reason, totally giving you sweet dose of her reality. "It happens like this" by Eve Beglarian/spoken voice with Mary Rowell/ Mandolin and back-up vocals stands as one of the most unusual, kooky-cool pieces of the evening. A burst of joy and light in the dim-light liquored atmosphere that is Drom. Part dark comedy and poetic satire, it has the sound and feel of something the mad-hatter would really enjoy. Way cool!

Svjetlana Bukvich-Nichols & Leonardo Suarez Paz:
"Sabih's Dream"

Eve Beglarian & Mary Rowell:
"It happens like this"

"Roundelay" by Gene Pritsker/guitar with Peter Jarvis/drumset, must be spoken of, and well. It was a smooth cool, seriously great piece, coming at you with the force of Gene's skillz filtered through his own personal brand of musical madness. All this backed by one of the most amazing drummers and percussionist(Jarvis)I've seen in a while. Together they were a dynamic duo.

Gene Pritsker

Peter Jarvis

"Schlafende Zhu-wolf"(based on Hugo wolf's Schlafendes Jesuskind) by Dan Barrett/cello with Franz Hackl/trumpet, and Michael Wolff/piano, is genius! It flowed with style, nerve, and savvy. The sound and arrangement was damn near perfect, giving you Jazz, classical, blues, and the feel of late 19th century European avant garde, accompanied by the force of Jack Kerouac and the beats. When Dan started uttering those cool German sounds, it became a strange 'happening'. "MRAK" by Milica Paranosic/vocals with Margaret Lancaster/flute, can be summed up in many words, but I'll start with two, f#$king beautiful! Paranosic's piece is daring, inventive, giving you something of the wilds of old Serbia in a modern construct. Her voice is haunting with a sexy strangeness made all the more interesting by Lancasters superb playing, that leaves you wanting more. Lancaster's skill is as powerful as she is lovely to behold, a modern day pied-piper, siren of the stage.

Margaret Lancaster

Milica Paranosic

Milica Paranosic & Margaret Lancaster:"MRAK"

Dan Barrett, Franz Hackl, and Michael Wolff:
"Schlafende Zhu-wolf"

'Dutchess Starlight revisted'-Peri Mauer/cello,
Elliot Sharp/guitar, Art Baron/trombone.

'Dutchess Starlight revisted' by Peri Mauer/cello, with Elliott Sharp/guitar and Art Baron/trumbone, was a beautiful piece that exuded a sharp tenderness matched only by its near perfect arrangement. The combination of the three musicians brought out the joy and heartache of the composition, its notes reverberating in the air like ripples on the surface of a pond. Peri's playing was superb, her cello hummed with the gentle yet powerful vibration of her soul.

"Sarastro Turf" by Dan Cooper/7 string bass guitar, with Dimitri Dover/piano and Gernot Bernroider/drumset, was a wicked little piece coming out of left field with a force all its own. The whole thing had combination of classical, Jazz, and "indie rock". Cooper skillfully guided the flow with the precision of a musical battlefield general. "Breaking Butterflies Upon a Wheel" by Patrick Grant/electric guitar & live electronics was one of the most stellar pieces of the evening. His playing was on point, the arrangement and notes for it all became the howling voice of the gods of rock. The man had the whole place spell-bound, "Dazed&Confused" as if on drugs, until some person who worked at Drom accidently pulled the plug on the sound. The whole place in unison through a collective hush became upset, which made it a little cooler. Patrick took control of the wheel (after sound was quickly back on) and guided the crowd back on course. The sound of his playing was god-damn amazing, cool as "Bitches brew". If you would like to know more, go to:www.composersconcordance.com "Art is the reason, art is the way"