Numinous

Sold out 321 Band Concert

2012-02-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sold out! If you didn't get tickets to our 321 Band concert this afternoon Sunday February 12 at 2:30pm at P.S. 321 (180 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn) there's always next year...

Lin-sanity!

2012-02-11T09:58:00.001-05:00

Jeremy Lin from AP

"The talent’s there, but sometimes the opportunity isn’t. It takes the right circumstances and timing..."

I like this quote because it can be true about many of those, whether in athletics, music, or society, who are often overlooked or "invisible" to the gatekeepers of influence and power.

Black Glass

2012-02-11T09:34:00.000-05:00

Photo by Steve Kyle, from Village Voice

Here is an interesting Q&A in the Village Voice with Philip Glass on "Black Music and African-American History." It's part of a series that's going on about Glass: "Life as an East Village Voice."

3-2-1 Band back in the Saddle

2012-01-27T20:13:00.000-05:00

Last year our 321 Band played a incredible benefit concert with Dan Zanes.

321 Band with Dan Zanes, February 12, 2011

Well, we are rockin' it again for the kids, this time (sadly) without Dan. Sunday February 12 at 2:30pm at P.S. 321 (180 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn) our 321 Band will perform a concert to help raise funds for programs at our school. Come hear me and other teachers at the school: Bill Fulbrecht, Elizabeth Heisner, Adam Lane, Frank McGarry and some special guests! Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here. It's a sing a-long, so come with kids (yours or others) and have a great afternoon!

Something Almost Being Said: Simone Dinnerstein returns to Neighborhood Classics

2012-01-26T17:47:00.000-05:00

Tuesday January 31st, 2012 7 pm brings Simone Dinnerstein back performing at my school, PS 321, for her wonderful Neighborhood Classics series that helps fund programs at our school. The concert is in support of her January 31th US release of a new Sony Classics recording Something Almost Being Said. The album combines J. S. Bach's Partitas Nos. 1 and 2, with Franz Schubert's Four Impromptus, Op. 90, and was recorded at the Academy of Arts and Letters in New York by Grammy-winning producer Adam Abeshouse.

You can buy tickets here (they will sell out!).

Here's a nice preview of Simone's album.

'S Wonderful FIVE POINTS

2011-12-18T13:23:00.001-05:00


Composers, Choreographers, Dancers, Musicians, Crew of FIVE POINTS (photo by Kokyat)

Last night ended a quite successful run of the project FIVE POINTS with Pulse and Take Dance! Thanks to all that came to Merce Cunningham Studios to fill the house each night. Here's a good write-up with photos from Oberon's Grove, also here's a link to an interview I gave to Sequenza 21 about FIVE POINTS.

Beethoven's Band

2011-12-18T13:05:00.000-05:00

Funky

So we put the chips on the table and told 'em to let it ride

2011-12-08T09:05:00.001-05:00

We made it! We reached our Kickstarter goal, so thank you to all who are helping to make our Pulse-TAKE Dance collaboration happen. Now, if you haven't bought your tickets, they are selling fast so you might want to click this link so you don't miss out...

FIVE POINTS
TAKE Dance + Pulse: Part II

FEATURING

COMPOSERS: Jamie Begian, Melissa Dunphy, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., JC Sanford, Joshua Shneider

MUSICIANS: Hannah Levinson, Jacob Garchik, Ana Milosavljevic, Chris Reza, Mariel Roberts

CHOREOGRAPHERS: Takehiro Ueyama, Jill Echo, Kile Hotchkiss, Kristen Arnold, Milan Misko

DANCERS: Kristen Arnold, Brynt Beitman, John Eirich, Jillian Hervey, Kile Hotchkiss, Gina Ianni, Cliinton Edward Martin, Sarah Mettin, Milan Misko, Nana Tsuda Misko, Lynda Senisi, Kristi Tornga and Marie Zvosec.
Where: Merce Cunningham Dance Studios, 55 Bethune Street, NYC
When: DEC 15-16 @ 9:00PM

DEC 17th @ 8:00PM

Tickets: $20/$15 Students & Seniors
Can purchase tickets in advance only, HERE

Things are coming together...FIVE POINTS

2011-11-30T19:39:00.001-05:00

This afternoon I went to the dancer's rehearsal for my new piece "Unlimited," which is choreographed by Kile Hotchkiss and will be called "TheSubstance of Things Unseen" for the Pulse/TAKE Dance show in December. Always a thrill to see your music danced to and Kile has come up with some dynamic, exciting movement that will be a great closing for FIVE POINTS! Hope you can join us.

FIVE POINTS
TAKE Dance + Pulse: Part II

FEATURING

COMPOSERS: Jamie Begian, Melissa Dunphy, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., JC Sanford, Joshua Shneider

MUSICIANS: Hannah Levinson, Jacob Garchik, Ana Milosavljevic, Chris Reza, Mariel Roberts

CHOREOGRAPHERS: Takehiro Ueyama, Jill Echo, Kile Hotchkiss, Kristen Arnold, Milan Misko

DEC 17th @ 8:00PM

Tickets: $20/$15 Students & Seniors
Can purchase tickets in advance only, HERE

Five Points

2011-11-29T20:45:00.001-05:00

Pulse, the composer's federation I lead, will present "FIVE POINTS" on December 15-17, 2011 at the historic Merce Cunningham Studios in NYC. Tickets are ONLY available in advance, which you can get here. Our second collaboration with Take Dance, FIVE POINTS "showcases an omnivorous collection of 'synaesthesia',i.e. an exploration of the potential mash-up of the senses including touch,sound, vision, etc…" Representing five distinct points of view, each piece is byfive different choreographers of TAKE Dance (Kristen Arnold, Jill Echo, Kile Hotchkiss, MilanMisko, and Takehiro Ueyama) set to new post-classical/jazz music by the fivedifferent composers of Pulse (Jamie Begian, Melissa Dunphy, Joseph C. Phillips, Jr., JC Sanford, and Joshua Shneider) performed by five musicians of Pulse (Chris Reza, woodwinds; Ana Milosavljevic, violin/Viper; Hannah Levinson, viola; Mariel Roberts, cello; Jacob Garchik, accordion, laptop, trombone).

Pulse (l to r, front to back): JC, Josh, Melissa, Joe, Jamie)

From our press release:

FIVEPOINTS is a true marriage of contemporary dance and music inspired by thesenses and synesthesia – people’s different perceptions on reality. In SummerCollection 2012, choreographer Takehiro Ueyama pairs up with composerMelissa Dunphy to examine the deceiving sense of vision. Influenced by Edvard Munch’s “TheScream” painting, it takes a look at the blurry line between beauty andterror. Choreographer Kile Hotchkissbrings together six female dancers in TheSubstance of Things Unseen, an exploration of the science of Cymatics, thevisual and physical impact of sound upon matter. The music of Joseph C.Phillips, Jr., creates "adventitious synesthesia", altering personalperceptions and amplifying an integrated state of mind.

The third piece, From Over Here, brings together choreographer Milan Misko andcomposer Jamie Begian. Instead ofprobing the actual senses, they’re probing the brain and how it processes sensationsout of normal context such as mystery, confusion and enlighteninganalogies. In Views from the Inside, composer JC Sanford questions the universaltruth through the usage of a “sonic palette.” Staged for seven dancers and choreographed by Jill Echo, therecurring ‘sonic palette’ evolves, leaving the dancers to question their ownindividual truths. Finally, unclearlydeparted investigates phantom limb syndrome - the sensation of an amputatedor missing limb still being attached to the body and capable of moving. Featuring choreography by KristenArnold and music by Joshua Shneider, the piece delves into the intersection ofscience and art and the aspects of human resilience in response to a physicalchange.

We need your help to make this project happen. We have a Kickstarter fundraising campaign that we are trying to raise $4000 to allow us to realize this incredible project (check out the great video above). Hope you can help and/or hope to see you at one of the shows!

Bach takes over P.S. 321 in Cello Invasion

2011-10-20T19:24:00.000-04:00

Laura Metacalf

Cellists from Special Music School

Photos I took from today's Bach Cello Invasion at P.S. 321.

Laura Metcalf and Analissa C. Martinez visited two of my kindergarten music classes today but during a break in my schedule I was able to go around the building to check out what was happening in other classes. It was wonderful to walk down the hallway and hear strains of various Bach Cello Suites wafting through the air. It made me doubly aware what a special place P.S. 321 is! Much thanks to Simone Dinnerstein, one of the other music teachers Frank McGarry, and the parents that made the day successful.

Jody Redhage

Kieran Campbell

Analissa C. Martinez

By the way, this was all in preparation for tomorrow's Neighborhood Classics performance of Zuill Bailey at P.S. 321.

Ethnographic Study of the Mysterious Alpine Race

2011-10-19T21:27:00.000-04:00

Bach Invasion of the Cello Kind

2011-10-18T14:03:00.000-04:00

This Thursday my school P.S. 321 will suffer a most mellifluous invasion of cello. This is all in preparation of Friday's Neighborhood Classics performance by Zuill Bailey of selections from J.S. Bach's Cello Suites.

Now I've mention this before, but cello is my favorite string instrument so I'm going to enjoy this musical assault thoroughly. A number of cellists will be coming to the school to perform selections from the Cello Suites for various classes throughout the school day (I'll even have some come by my kindergarten music classes; the kids will be excited to see and hear the cello especially since we are talking about different family of instruments at the moment and since my cello skills are a little...rusty, it will be great having a professional demo rather than me). Now some of the cellists coming to the school are old friends: such as Jody Redhage (who has a great new album out) or Eric Schoen-Rene (who was at some of the first Numinous rehearsals many, many years ago); one, Laura Metcalf, I know of, but haven't worked with yet. The rest are new to me, but I look forward to meeting: Sang Yhee, Patrick McGuire, Alex Green, Caleigh Drane, Analissa C. Martinez, Audrey Nadeau, Claire Bryant, Alice Levine, Karen Ouzounian, Martha Siegel, Kieran Campbell, as well as a few cello students from the Special Music School.

This is going to be a fun event and if I have a chance I'll try to post a few photos from the cello surge...

(photo credits are from the respective websites: Claire Bryant (Top); Jody Redhage (R); Laura Metcalf (L))

Bach it on Up: Zuill Bailey plays Neighborhood Classics

2011-10-17T20:32:00.000-04:00


Zuill Bailey and Simone Dinnerstein (from www.zuillbailey.com)

This Friday October 21st the internationally renowned cellist Zuill Bailey opens the third year of Simone Dinnerstein's Neighborhood Classics concert series with selections from J.S. Bach's Cello Suites. This wonderful concert series was started (and hosted) by Simone as a way to bring quality classical music for families into her neighborhood of Park Slope, Brooklyn as well as provide an additional revenue boost, in this economically challenging time, to various programs at P.S. 321 (which many of you know is my school). All of the musicians on the series donate their time so every single penny of the income goes to the school. It has been a GREAT success and has even expanded to now include concerts at P.S. 142 in lower Manhattan and P.S 69Q in Queens. Check out everything on the Neighborhood Classics site. Come and support!

Neighborhood Classics

Friday October 21, 2011

7 PM

at P.S. 321 180 7th Avenue (between 1st and 2nd Streets), Brooklyn

You can purchase tickets here or just show up

(if it doesn't sell out, which almost all the concerts do...on second thought, you better use the link)

Black C-3PO

2011-10-06T19:38:00.001-04:00

All Cello in a Night

2011-09-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Monday night September 12th, I attended the CD release concert of cellist and vocalist Jody Redhage's newly released recording of minutiae and memory (New Amsterdam Records NWAM031) at DROM on Avenue A on the Lower East Side. Jody is a "cello emeritus" with Numinous, having been in a number of performances over the years as well as on the Vipassana recording. Her emeritus status comes as she has been increasingly in demand and out of town, for example, playing with Grammy-winner Esperanza Spalding on her world tour. But I digress, so seeing how back in 2008 I was at Jody's All Summer in a Day CD release concert at the old Galapagos Art Space, I believe (which happened to be the first release and first public show? of New Amsterdam Records), it seemed fitting to hear how Jody's stirring mix of cello and voice has developed since that earlier recording.

The night opened, not with Jody, but with Corey Dargel and Cornelius Dufallo and a set of art pop songs for voice and violin. If you don't know Corey's music, you probably should check out this feature in the New York Times earlier this year. Going in, I was a bit skeptical about how intriguing voice and violin really could be. But with Cornelius doing a great job of electronically looping various motifs/riffs and then subsequently playing other figures over them/with them, as well as Corey's always compelling and droll words and vocal delivery, I felt the instrumentation complemented the compositions wonderfully and provided a smooth transition into Jody's solo set.

Just after intermission, as Jody was setting up music on her stand, the house music died out and clearly something quite different started to play over the PA. The audience did get quieter, although I think everyone was trying to figure what was going on. Some were kind of listening and others continued with their intermission activities. Once the piece was over however, Jody mentioned that it was Anna Clyne's "paint box" from of minutiae and memory that was played as a sort of prequel to the live performance. Jody proceeded to perform all the compositions from the new recording although not in album order. All of the pieces fit in a more somber, contemplative emotional zone and I could clearly see how some kind of visuals or lighting design coupled with the compositions would make for an even more powerful performance experience (maybe something similar to Maya Beiser's World to Come). As it was, I enjoyed most of the music and Jody's playing was passionate, heartfelt, and well-done. As she mentioned at the end of the show, all of the pieces on the new album spoke to her strongly and that love came through beautifully in her playing and singing.

Some compositions featured Jody's signature (singing while playing the cello) and a few pieces were just for cello alone or cello with electronic backing tracks. At the halfway mark of the concert I thought my favorite piece was going to end up being Missy Mazzoli's "A Thousand Tongues." I'm a fan of Missy's work (her group Victorie's album Cathedral City is one I get continual listening pleasure from) and love how she subtly mixes electronic textures in acoustic environments in many of her compositions and this piece was no exception. This quote from composer Sarah Kirkland Snider (which I used in my recently completed thesis) sums up what I like about Missy's work in general and "A Thousand Tongues" specifically:

[Missy's music] inhabits a weird emotional space that's dark and anxious…. there are so many odd notes and clashing chords…. there isn't a lot of traditional goal-directed motion, but rather this feeling of a pot forever on the boil — yet you're left feeling like you've gone somewhere.

While I enjoyed "A Thousand Tongues" thoroughly, it was a later piece, "Static Line" by Wil Smith, that ended as my favorite of the night. From an opening with drone-like sliding figures that evoked a similar sonic world of Michael Harrison's just intonation drones to a later motivic sensibility that vaguely reminded me of South Indian classical vocal writing to a beautifully elegiac melodic build-up toward the end, I was completely engaged in "Static Line" and look forward to exploring it, as well as all the other compositions, in more depth on the actual recording.

(photo credit: Joseph C. Phillips Jr.)

The Welcome Table: Notes from the Teaching Field

2011-09-08T08:30:00.001-04:00

Ah, the first day of school. Well to get me back into the swing of things I wanted to share a few cards and letters I received from the kids last school year (it helps me to remember all the cuteness which somewhat ameliorates the pain of the end of summer). I also did this at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year too, so I guess it is now a tradition...

Just like the welcome table of the song, we're all friends in kindergarten...

This one letter is from a girl, who then was in first grade, so I know longer taught her (I only saw her at lunchtime recess). Glad I was still "osum" (awesome) in her eyes!

These two drawings both show me teaching math to disembodied kindergarten heads on the rug (love my spider-like limbs on the second drawing)...

September 11 vs. 9/11, a remembrance

2011-09-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

The past two years I have posted about my experience on September 11, 2001 and the subsequent composition, The Spell of a Vanishing Loveliness, that came from that experience. Recently there was that big (in the new music community at least) controversy of the cover of the new Steve Reich recording of his composition WTC 9/11 which showed a slightly darken image of one of the planes about to strike one of the towers; such was the uproar that Nonesuch Records decided to remove the image from the recording. Despite some beautiful and powerful moments (the sections with the singing of the Psalms and Exodus were especially riveting), overall I was not particularly moved by WTC 9/11 when I heard the NYC premiere at Carnegie Hall on April 30th. Some of the reasons for my ambivalence can be read in some of my tweets after the Reich cover photo went live:

C'mon @NonesuchRecords, yes we know the @stevereich piece is about Sept. 11 don't hit us over the head with "9/11!" sanctification #subtlety
20 Jul

I wasn't thrilled w/"WTC 9/11" when heard @carnegiehall, because, for me, it represented precisely what having that photo on the cover means
20 Jul

not against Sept. 11 pieces per se just when they draw too much attention as 9/11! pieces (ala Rudy "noun, verb, 9/11" Giuliani) #endofrant 20 Jul

As far as my response, The Spell of a Vanishing Loveliness is not about September 11 but rather a reflection of the reality that even in horrific experiences, there can be found beauty and knowing this is a part of being human. With all of the events and artistic responses set for the 10th anniversary, I think it is good to remember that there is a difference between "9/11" and "September 11": one reflects simple binary thoughts ("good vs. bad", "right vs. wrong", etc.) and often jingoism and the other speaks of universal complexity and subtlety of emotion and feelings. This September 11th I'm wishing for more of the later in the artistic responses than the former. To paraphrase Dr. Ian Malcolm in the movie Jurassic Park, I hope artists thought not only of whether they could respond to September 11, but to think if they honestly should.

Here is my story:

It has been 8 years since the events of September 11, 2001 and recently I've been thinking about John Adams's, and subsequently my own, musical response to that day. John Adams in an interview originally posted on the New York Philharmonic website (and now on his site), talks about his trepidations when asked to write a work, On the Transmigration of Souls, to have been performed almost exactly one year after the attacks of 9/11:

"I didn’t require any time at all to decide whether or not to do it. I knew immediately that I very much wanted to do this piece–in fact I needed to do it. Even though I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of a shape the music would take, I knew that the labor and the immersion that would be required of me would help answer questions and uncertainties with my own feelings about the event. I was probably no different from most Americans in not knowing how to cope with the enormous complexities suddenly thrust upon us. Being given the opportunity to make a work of art that would speak directly to people’s emotions allowed me not only to come to grips personally with all that had happened, but also gave me a chance to give something to others."

I started the composer group Pulse in May 2004 with an initial meeting of six other like-minded composers. From this initial fellowship gathering, all through that summer and fall, we worked on organizing our premiere performance to be that December. For that first performance, I knew I wanted my piece to be based on 9/11, but was unsure of what direction to take. Like John Adams stated, it felt too big and too raw an event to process my feelings enough in order to create something decent let alone meaningful. After a few sketches and false starts, which looking back now, tried to do and say too much, I decided that the best way for me to approach the composition was to reflect on my own experiences that day. To create something with simple and direct expression that did not tackle 9/11 directly, but tangentially; something not exactly programmatic but still able to convey the story of an unexpected pulchritudinous moment that day.

I was in Brooklyn at the time of the attacks, substitute teaching a high school math class at the Brooklyn International School, in a building next to and overlooking the Manhattan Bridge. I first noticed something was wrong when I casually looked out the window to see the usual bustling rush-hour car traffic flowing over the bridge was non-existent. Someone eventually came to the classroom I was in and said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Many of the students became visibly upset. I looked out the window again and where just a few minutes before no one or thing was coming over the bridge, now the bridge was beginning to fill with people streaming from Manhattan eastward across the roadway. The first tower had fallen before I had a chance, during my prep period, to run out onto the bridge toward Manhattan (just before the police stopped anyone from traveling westward) to see what was happening for myself. I reached the center of the bridge and could see the top of the second tower in flames. Less than a minute later the second tower, hauntingly silent and seemly in slow motion, imploded upon itself with audible gasps and cries of horror from the crowd which turned to look.

After retuning to the school, you can imagine that it was difficult to focus for the remainder of the school day. With people passing in front of the school, it was a constant reminder of the enormity of that morning's events. The fear and confusion was particularly palatable in the students. As the news coverage slowly uncovered the terrorist plot, this being a high school of all recent immigrants (many of whom were Muslim and wore Islamic veils and scarfs), it was hard not to control my own fears of what would happened to the students when school let out and they would have to pass through the crowd on their way to the subway. Despite the police presence, would they be blamed and suffer verbal or physical abuse from the understandably bewildered and upset crowd coming over the bridge? At the end of the day, many of the teachers, myself included, decided to walk with some of the students to the subway to make sure they were ok leaving the school.

Later in the early evening with two other friends, I was on a townhouse roof in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn surveying the entire lower Manhattan cityscape. I watched as a distant flickering mass seemed to be coming closer toward us from the World Trade Center site. At first it looked like a swarm of white butterflies, glittering in the evening sun, but as it got closer we realized that it was paper rising with the heat from the site and floating toward us from lower Manhattan. An immensely beautiful and ethereal sight, none of us spoke as the swarm came directly over us with some of the many pages from law books and computer printouts fluttering above and some landing all around the roof. We watched as the swarm passed over us and quietly continued farther into Brooklyn. No more than five minutes, this small and ephemeral moment, still resonated with me all those years and when I was ready, found outlet in my composition. Inspired by a short poem by Li Po, I wrote the text for my piece:

High in September's winds
Drifting white butterflies
Passing silently by
With a shadow of autumn in their eyes
we may never know

© Joseph C. Phillips Jr.
The Spell of a Vanishing Loveliness premiered at the inaugural concert of Pulse on December 1, 2004 and you can hear the mp3 here. The performance featured Amy Cervini (vocals), Sebastian Noelle (guitar), Jody Redhage (violoncello), Diana Herold (vibraphone), with me conducting. It was one of those moving performances where everyone in the audience and the musicians (including myself) were wrapped inside an all-encompassing bubble of the moment. After the piece ended and we were changing over to the next composer, Jody remarked "Did you feel that?" and indeed, the air seemed charged with something tangible and indescribable during and just after the performance (I realized had goosebumps during the end of the piece as the vibraphone and guitar drifted into their final nothingness). There was something magical, real, and true about the performance with the events of 9/11 only three years removed and still so close to people's emotions. It remains one of my most special musical memories so far in New York.

(photo by Marcy Begian at Pulse concert December 1, 2004)

Where Have You Gone, Joe Phillips?

2011-08-30T12:52:00.001-04:00

I'm still around! While my postings over the past year have been, let's say sporadic, it has been with good reason. I was writing my thesis and completing my Masters degree in Music Composition from Stephen F. Austin University. Now that I'm an official Master, my blog writings will be a little more frequent including a future post detailing some of my grad school experiences including some of my thesis: The Music Composition MISCĒRE, the Historicity of Mixed Music and New Amsterdam Records in the Contemporary New York City Mixed Music Scene (sounds scintillating, right?!). Also, while it won't be called Miscēre, you'll be hearing some of the music from the thesis as a future large-scaled Numinous project, premiering in 2012!

One thing that has been great since graduating is now I actually have time again to read for pleasure and NOT for school (not that school reading was unpleasant, actually much of it was, but I think you understand what I'm sayin')! Before the research for my thesis began in earnest I was enjoying reading the George Lewis book A Power Stronger Than Itself about the AACM. Needless to say, I had to put it down as I focused on more things immediately pertinent to the thesis.

Actually I wished I hadn't put it down, because as I began reading the book again from where I left off (had just started Chapter 7-"Americans in Paris") I've found that some of it was/could have been quite useful to the thesis, particularly some of the fascinating later discussion such as in Chapter 9 ("The AACM in New York") about new music, mixing genres, society and culture, especially the lack of cross-pollination and critical acceptance within the general new music community of the 1970s to some African-American composers/performers who were working in similar modes of expression as those "pan-European" composers in the "downtown art world" nexus. Oh well, if I decide to continue to a PhD., perhaps the Lewis book will find its way into my research.

Frankly anyone interested in the current debate in the new music community about music that fuses elements from a wide variety of sources and inspirations including vernacular music (the mixed music, alt-classical, post-classical, indie classical, is-it-classical-or-is-it-pop-or-is-it-jazz-or-WTF-is-it debate) really should read the book.

Some More Common Sense

2011-07-30T18:05:00.002-04:00

...as we are running the next generation into debt, we ought to do the work of it, otherwise we use them meanly and pitifully. In order to discover the line of our duty rightly, we should take our children in our hand, and fix our station a few years farther into life; that eminence will present a prospect, which a few present fears and prejudices conceal from our sight.

-Thomas Paine, "Common Sense"

Paine Collected Writings. New York: The Library of America, 1955. pg. 25.

Common Sense

2011-07-30T18:04:00.000-04:00

With all that's going on in Congress these days, I just needed a little "Common Sense":

The more men have to lose, the less willing are they to venture. The rich are in general slaves to fear, and submit to courtly power with the trembling duplicity of a Spaniel.

-Thomas Paine, "Common Sense"

Paine Collected Writings. New York: The Library of America, 1955. pg. 42.

Eine Brisechen

2011-06-21T19:30:00.000-04:00

Today the first day of summer also was Make Music New York, where musicians spread out throughout the entire city and burst into songs, jams, and noise. I took part in the New York premiere of Mauricio Kagel's Eine Brise for 111 bicyclists sponsored by Red Light New Music. Cornelia Street was closed down and all 111 bikes (well, really about 30 of us) rode down the street ringing bells, whistling, and making various (prescribed) sounds. It was a lot of fun, although very short (less than a minute). In fact once we got to the end of Cornelia Street, we all turned around and had an impromptu encore performance going back the way we came!

There were a number of video takers so when the video is up I'll post a link to it. But here are a few shots as we were gathering before the performance.

Passion Flower

2011-06-17T00:56:00.000-04:00

On Monday John Turturro screened his film Passione at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) as a fundraiser for the school I teach at P.S. 321 (THANKS JOHN!!!). The film, which he directs, is a heartfelt tribute, a musilogue if you will, through Naples, Italy. John described it at the fundraiser as a sort of "Italian 'Buena Vista Social Club'" and there are some similarities between the two films (GREAT music and personalities). However most people in the States probably have little knowledge of Neapolitan music going in, whereas Cuban music is more widely known. Personally, I knew very little about the music of Naples before seeing the film and must say was quite impressed with the mixed music tendencies inherent in the influences; music from the Middle East, Spain, reggae, Catalan, America, and more all meet in a culture of miscegenation. It was an ear-opening experience and when the film is released in the States on June 22, I would suggest GO-SEE-IT!

Making Music in New York

2011-05-26T20:15:00.000-04:00

Check out the wonderful MakeMusicNY site and their blog, for a new contributor...me!

There was nowhere else to climb standing on the top of the world

2011-04-28T20:50:00.000-04:00

Just received word from my friend Dave Hagedorn that the St. Olaf College Jazz I, the band he directs at the wonderful Northfield, Minnesota college, just received downbeat magazine's "Best Large Undergraduate Jazz Ensemble" award!

If you've read my blog for awhile you'll know that I have a connection with St. Olaf, not as an alum but as a resident with Dave and Jazz I as well as with the St. Olaf Band, in which each visit I was commissioned to write pieces for each ensemble (for jazz band, Seeker in 2005 and an arrangement of Race in 2009; for the St. Olaf band, The Long Now in 2009). The award speaks well to the incredible instruction and to the musicianship Dave, Phil Hey, and Laura Caviani instill in the students, not to mention the quality of instruction in the other teachers at the St. Olaf Department of Music. Each of my visits was a fabulous time and Dave and the students were wonderful. I am extremely pleased to read that they won this highly competitive and well-deserved award and humbled that I was cited in the article as an influence.

Congratulations to Dave and the St. Olaf Jazz I!!!

Check out video from their November 2010 concert! http://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/streams/playevent.cfm?eventid=398

Their upcoming May 6th concert can be streamed live: http://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/streams/upcoming.cfm?category=concerts

June 2011 downbeat article

I am a Man

2011-04-27T21:00:00.000-04:00

Numinousmusic Joe Phillips

sad, upset, & embrassed Obama 'had' 2 release BC, then @baratunde response helps bring some of my feelings into words http://ow.ly/4IqXg)

Numinousmusic Joe Phillips

of course @TheOnion breaks it down even further "BREAKING: Trump Unable To Produce Certificate Proving He's Not A Festering Pile Of Shit"

I think these recent tweets of mine sum up my thoughts about Obama releasing his birth certificate today. Baratunde's response, which is embedded below, is worth contemplation for all Americans...

I think we've started something here...

2011-03-22T21:13:00.000-04:00

Numinous @ Tea Lounge 3.21.11

Numinous and the Tea Lounge tonight! 9PM

2011-03-21T10:01:00.008-04:00

TONIGHT!!!!

Numinous

Monday March 21, 2011 9 PM to 11 PM

$10 suggested donation

Tea Lounge

837 Union Street

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Ben Kono, Rob Mosher (woodwinds), Amanda Monaco, Sebastian Noelle (guitars), Tom Beckham (vibraphone), Carmen Staaf, Mike Eckroth (keyboards), Jean Rohe, Sara Serpa (voices), Kiku Enomoto, Scott Tixier (violins), Nick Revel, Surai Nesrine Balbeisi (violas), Will Martina (violoncello), Evan Gregor (electric bass), Joseph C. Phillips Jr., (conductor, composer)

Liquid Timepieces: Numinous Crib Notes

2011-03-20T12:00:00.008-04:00

Liquid Timepieces

Since I gave some notes on Liquid Timepieces for its premiere last year by Face the Music, I'll direct you to that post: http://numinousmusic.blogspot.com/2010/04/liquid-timepieces.html.

Numinous

Monday March 21, 2011 9 PM to 11 PM

$10 suggested donation

Tea Lounge

837 Union Street

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Dreams of Wonders Undreamt: Numinous Crib Notes

2011-03-19T11:19:00.001-04:00

Dreams of Wonders Undreamt

"...may your generation see wonders undreamt."
-Carl Sagan, The Pale Blue Dot

Dreams of Wonders Undreamt is another part of my dance project, To Begin the World Over Again, based on the writings of Thomas Paine. For this new piece, I set some words of Paine from Common Sense ("...the sun never shined on a cause of greater worth") in counterpoint to a passage from John Wintrop's City upon a Hill sermon from 1630 (the famous "we shall be as a City upon a Hill" that Ronald Reagan made famous) and Nicholas Black Elk's On the Battle at Wounded Knee from Black Elk Speaks ("Now that I can see it all as from a lonely hilltop...", describing the terrible massacre in 1890, this last major battle in the "Indian Wars").

Dreams of Wonders Undreamt takes its title from the dedication Carl Sagan wrote to his son at the beginning of his book The Pale Blue Dot. Where he envisions for his son a more global hope of future wonders, I have translated the phrase to a more local level: the wonders and potential that the promise of America presages, and of which, by implication, has not fulfill. This might seem a critique on the state of America, and in many ways it is. However, Dreams of Wonders Undreamt does not come from a place of political polemics, where any critique or questioning is an apostasy. Rather, my composition is a love song to the promise of America, to that unbound potential and ideal that Thomas Paine wrote and spoke about so eloquently and which I believe all Americans would like to see it be even more worthy to.

Numinous

Monday March 21, 2011 9 PM to 11 PM

$10 suggested donation

Tea Lounge

837 Union Street

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Check back as I'll post some more crib notes about the compositions we'll be performing.

photo credit:

L to R: Obama 'Hope' poster (by Shepard Fairey),

Boston Bus Riots 1976 (by Stanley Forman), Battle of Wounded Knee 1890)

19: Numinous Crib Notes

2011-03-18T09:07:00.002-04:00

photo Angela Davis at St. Cloud University
From public domain, PhotoJournal.com

“…we must fight for your life as though it were our own—which it is—and render impassable with our bodies the corridor to the gas chamber. For, if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.”

James Baldwin, from
An Open Letter to My Sister, Miss Angela Davis

19 is inspired by two, seemly disparate sources: Arnold Schoenberg's Sechs Kleine Klavierstücke Op. 19 from 1911 and Angela Davis. The initial musical impetus was with the Schoenberg, specifically it was one of my "what if" questions, where I challenge myself with a compositional quandary. In this case, can I make Schoenberg funky? But the emotional timber of 19 is inspired by the activist Angela Davis, specifically her iconic status in Black culture of the 1970s. Particularly I was moved by James Baldwin's An Open Letter to My Sister, Miss Angela Davis from November 19, 1970, which while condemning the arrest of Angela Davis a few months before the letter, also goes on to describe, in biting and incisive commentary, the state of racial dynamics in the United States and paints Davis as a soldier in that on-going struggle for racial and social equality.

19 is one part of a larger, as of now untitled, mixed music composition that will be recorded next year.

Numinous

Monday March 21, 2011 9 PM to 11 PM

$10 suggested donation

Tea Lounge

837 Union Street

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Check back as I'll post some more crib notes about the compositions we'll be performing.

Miserere: Numinous Crib Notes

2011-03-17T11:10:00.002-04:00

Miserere

I first heard J.S. Bach's cantata Ich habe genug BWV 82 in the hauntingly beautiful version sung by mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson on her much praised 2003 Nonesuch recording. The German title, which translates as "I have enough," is a sublime spiritual expression about fulfillment and acceptance of the life waiting beyond the living.

I first heard Donny Hathaway's Someday We'll All Be Free sung by Aretha Franklin on the end credits of the great Spike Lee movie Malcolm X and later found the original on Hathaway's last studio album, Extensions of a Man.

Whereas the words and music of the Bach and Hathaway reflect a faith in salvation in the hereafter, my Miserere does not seek any kind of religious statement or connotations. While most Miserere's in music come as a setting of the 51st (or 50th) Psalm ("Miserere mei, Deus", translated as "Have mercy on me, O God"), I am using miserere in one of its other non-religious meanings: as a vocal lament. In ancient Greek drama and later in operas, the lament was a moment of focused expressive intensity in the overall formal structure of the drama or opera.

Taking inspiration from the Bach, my original lyrics open with "I have had enough" and continue to expresses a weary frustration and doubt in the ability to solve or come to terms with the many struggles and problems facing us. Although like the Hathaway song, with its optimism that someday will come, I do convey a muted sense of earthly hope in the face of a seemingly increased hopelessness; and perhaps it is by that hope in hopelessness and doubt, that we will "emerge from all the suffering that still binds [us] to the world."

Miserere is one part of a larger, as of now untitled, mixed music composition that will be recorded next year.

Numinous

Monday March 21, 2011 9 PM to 11 PM

$10 suggested donation

Tea Lounge

837 Union Street

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Check back as I'll post some more crib notes about the compositions we'll be performing.

Memory of Red Orange Laid Out in Still Waves: Numinous Crib Notes

2011-03-16T11:14:00.014-04:00

Memory of Red Orange Laid Out in Still Waves

Photo taken May 16, 2010 by Joseph C. Phillips Jr.
© 2010 Joseph C. Phillips Jr.

Memory of Red Orange Laid Out in Still Waves was originally commissioned last year by Dave Douglas and the 2010 Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT). It premiered featuring Lew Soloff and Taylor Ho Bynum as trumpet soloists. For the Numinous concert, I've recast the trumpets as alto saxophones as well as expanded the ensemble from the original version.

The title comes from a line in the opening of the sobering book by Edward P. Jones, The Known World which, while a work of fiction, was based upon the true incidents of African-Americans owning slaves during the 19th century. The book's subject, as well as the beautiful Kathelin Gray from the Ornette Coleman/Pat Metheny 1986 album Song X, are refracted and transmuted into an original composition that hopes to express the truism of James Baldwin's words about African-American culture (in An Open Letter to My Sister, Miss Angela Davis from 1970, which actually more directly inspired another composition for the 21st gig):

There is always, of course, more to any picture than can speedily be perceived and in all of this—groaning and moaning, watching, calculating, clowning, surviving, and outwitting, some tremendous strength was nevertheless being forged, which is part of our legacy today.

Memory of Red Orange Laid Out in Still Waves will also be one movement of a larger, as of now untitled, mixed music composition that will be recorded next year.

Numinous

Monday March 21, 2011 9 PM to 11 PM

$10 suggested donation

Tea Lounge

837 Union Street

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Check back as I'll post some more crib notes about the compositions we'll be performing.

New York Counterpoint: Simone Dinnerstein and Richard Stoltzman

2011-03-15T09:45:00.002-04:00

This Friday evening, March 18th at 7pm Simone Dinnerstein's Neighborhood Classics concert series returns with Simone playing piano with Grammy winning clarinetist Richard Stoltzman. As always the concert is at P.S. 321 in Brooklyn (180 7th Avenue, between 1st and 2nd Streets in Park Slope). The dynamic duo will be performing two pieces I love Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint (a work written for Stoltzman) and Johannes Brahms' Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in F minor, Op. 120. The program will be rounded out by a work of J.S. Bach Sonata for Viola da Gamba and Keyboard in D Major.

Tickets are no longer available online, but you are welcome to come by the school in the morning (8:30am to 9:00am) where they can be purchased in the lobby.

Neighborhood Classics, started by Simone last year, is a great series of concerts (previous concerts of the new season of the series featuring cellist Maya Beiser in October and harpist Bridget Kibbey in January). In addition to concerts at P.S. 321, the series has expanded to P.S. 142 on the lower East Side and ALL of the proceeds from each concert goes to each school (the musicians donate their time and services) and will help mitigate some of the effects the MAJOR budget cuts will inflict on all schools next school year. I teach kindergarten music and math at P.S. 321 and know firsthand how much the proceeds from the Neighborhood Classics has helped our school, even now. So beyond the great music, you'll be support the kids by coming out to the Neighborhood Classics.

(photo credit: from www.neighborhoodclassics.com)

To Kyoto: Numinous Crib Notes

2011-03-14T10:14:00.002-04:00

Like many people I am thinking of Japan after the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and on-going nuclear danger. I am wishing the best not only for my friends, former students and their families, but for all of the people affected.

To Kyoto

Ando Hiroshige Station 48: Sakanoshita-juku, Mie Prefecture

In anticipation of the upcoming Numinous concert on March 21st, in the spirit of my Inside Vipassana series, I started a Numinous Crib Notes series to profile the compositions for the show. First up To Kyoto, a composition from our first CD and my homage of sorts to Steve Reich. I wrote the piece back in 2000 after my first trip to Japan, which did include a trip down from Tokyo to Kyoto. Here's my original program note for the piece:

Tokaido Road was feudal Japan’s most traveled route. From Edo (old Tokyo) to the ancient capital Kyoto, it was used by nobles and peasants alike. Tokaido Road’s scenic landscapes of distant mountain views, open sea, and quaint towns and villages along the route, inspired Ando Hiroshige’s (1797-1858) famous painting series, Views from the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido. Today, the scenery is still inspiring, as seen from the Shinkansen (bullet train), which follows the old Tokaido route to Kyoto.

Numinous

Monday March 21, 2011 9 PM to 11 PM

$10 suggested donation

Tea Lounge

837 Union Street

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Check back as I'll post some more crib notes about the compositions we'll be performing.

The Musical Offering: Numinous at Tea Lounge 3.21.11

2011-03-13T12:06:00.001-04:00

Come help Numinous celebrate J.S. Bach's birthday at the Size Matters Large Ensemble Series at the Tea Lounge in Park Slope, Brooklyn (837 Union Street). It's a new instrumentation and new works, including: one piece partly inspired by papa Bach's great cantata Ich habe genug BWV 82; previews of two compositions from a new, larger multi-movement mixed music work (that will be recorded next year); a new composition as part of my Thomas Paine dance project, To Begin the World Over Again (I won't be dancing though); and a Numinous favorite. Hope you can come out next week, have a drink, some food and listen, feel, think, and know Numinous.

Numinous

Monday March 21, 2011 9 PM to 11 PM

$10 suggested donation

Tea Lounge

837 Union Street

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Ben Kono, Rob Mosher (woodwinds), Amanda Monaco, Sebastian Noelle (guitars), Tom Beckham (vibraphone), Carmen Staaf, Mike Eckroth (keyboards), Jean Rohe, Sara Serpa (voices), Kiku Enomoto, Scott Tixier (violins), Nick Revel, Surai Nesrine Balbeisi (violas), Will Martina (violoncellos), Evan Gregor (electric bass), Joseph C. Phillips Jr., (conductor, composer)

Check back as I'll post some crib notes about the compositions we'll be performing.

Bachiuminous

2011-02-21T12:06:00.001-05:00

The next Numinous concert is Monday March 21, 2011 at 9pm at the Tea Lounge in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Hope you can come out and celebrate J.S. Bach's birthday; there will be a new instrumentation, new compositions (including a work influenced by J.S.), and new attitude!

Dan Zanes and 321 Band rocking it for the kids

2011-01-31T08:14:00.005-05:00

If you have kids you might want to come to our 321 Band concert where we have the honor of being the E-Street Band backing children music's Springsteen: the wonderful, Dan Zanes. The show is Saturday February 12th 2pm at P.S. 321 (180 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn). Oh wait, the 2pm show sold out in less than a day! Well have no fear, like the Boss, we're adding a second show later that afternoon at 4:30pm, so better get your tickets now! IT WILL SELL OUT! $20 in advance $25 at the door. Tickets at www.ps321.org.

Despite PS 321's great reputation among NYC schools, with looming budget cuts, there is no guarantee that we'll be able to maintain and fully fund all of our great programs and teachers (including maybe, gulp...me!). So like the Neighborhood Classic concert series pianist Simone Dinnerstein started at our school, ALL the money earned from the Dan Zanes concerts goes to help minimize the tremendous effects those cuts will have to our school. Please consider coming out, it will be a fun time...and it might help save an afterschool program or a job!

321 Band

"Nobody deserves to be treated as a black man"

2011-01-25T20:29:00.000-05:00

Love the juror clutching purse...this is classic...

XTC

2011-01-18T23:55:00.015-05:00

Last night on the date for observing Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth, I attended a music festival that seemed to resonate Dr. King's dream of integration: an integration where all music is valid as inspiration ("that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight") and can combine to form something different. Yesterday was the kick-off Marathon to the Ecstatic Music Festival at Merkin Hall and I was there for all 7.5 hours of it! In general I LOVED the Marathon and think the concept of the Festival is just the thing I've always been looking for and interested in: musically and aesthetically. So with Steve Smith doing a nice write-up on the Marathon in the NY Times, I thought in this season of awards and Top Ten Lists instead of a straight run-down of yesterday's performances, I'd give you my real-time Twitter thoughts and then a little commentary which includes some love...and a little pain:

Most Fascinating Piece:

-Julius Eastman "Stay on It" performed by Ne(x)tworks

repeating groove & electronics w/echos of new music godfather Reich, probably a prelude of music to come #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

interesting to hear many of the music currents swirling in 1973, and made more popular by others, come together in an intriguing and unique way. Also nice to have an African-American composer featured (the only one among composers or performers), especially on MLK day--would love to see more of it and other brown faces in the composers, performers and audiences on other new music (non-jazz) concerts (we are out there).

Ne(x)tworks performig Julius Eastman's "Stay on It"

Piece(s) I wish I had written:

-Judd Greenstein "City Boy" performed by NOW Ensemble

-Jefferson Friedman "String Quartet No. 3" performed by Chiara String Quartet

Friedman and @juddgreenstein definitely mining the same "new beauty" some of us youngsters are trying out these days #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

both pieces were beautiful and lyrical and intense in different but altogether very satisfying ways: Judd's was rhythmically driving and melodically active, while Jefferson's was more of a explorative emotional journey. Both ensembles seemed truly committed to the music.

Group I wish I was a member of:

-So Percussion

love lrg table full of percussion that So Percussion is standing around, heads bowed, like T-day (or Seder...this is Merkin) #ecstaticmusic

banging on cool stuff and looking good doing it...nuff said!

Piece(s) that cause the most intense "WTF is this?" moments from me:

-Michael Gordon "Industry" performed by Ashley Bathgate

-Gabriel Kahane "Neurotic and Lonely" from Craig's List Lieder

"Industry" was another well-received piece; w/hammer blows, growing noise & distortion, thought it was "Eruption" #vanhalan #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

best shoes and sock combination award of the evening goes to Gabriel Kahane #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

still trying to process what I heard here...

Borderline pretentious moment or (this is certainly cool kid music moment):

-Timo Andres performing his piano piece "Everything is an Onion"

Timo Andres is playing his piece from an iPad #21stcentury #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

I thought it was cool and probably would have done it too, but it also was a little show-offy...kind of like just having an iPad...

Timo Andres with aforementioned iPad

Borderline too smart for the crowd (or perhaps, knowing the crowd, just right):

-John Mattias/Adrian Corker/Andrew Prior

matthias/corker/prior from England is up (violin/singing, piano, laptop with neuro-sampling technology?) #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

brooding moor-ish landscapes and fog enveloped seascapes are perfect images for matthias/corker/prior #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

it was a really Sigur Ros-like slow mood throughout (I do like Sigur Ros though); lyrics were hard to understand (some sound issues on various artists throughout the day); and even though they are from England, seemed a little TOO Brooklyn indie cool for me. But some of the sounds were lovely...

Most Inspiring Moment:

-Face the Music Quartet performing

"Volcano" very exciting and energetic...a crowd pleaser! #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

said this when Face the Music played my piece last year, I wish I had something like the group when I was young #WIN #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

Christine Southworth's "Volcano"-some sound balance issues with electric quartet & piano; kids seem to enjoy playing it #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

Face the Music quartet did a lovely job w/ textural challenges of @missymazzoli's "Death Valley Junction" & they pull it off #ecstaticmusic 17 Jan

the new music future looks bright with the youngsters coming up...

Worst Moment:

-realizing Merkin Hall doesn't allow food in the theatre

during this break, advice for @merkinhall & next @ecstaticmusic featival: allow food in theater #hungrybutdontwanttoloseseat #ecstaticmusic
17 Jan

a call went out for open seats, seems like there is a line waiting to get in. #hopinggingeraltoidsholdmetodinner #ecstaticmusic
17 Jan

understand the rule, bad for those of us people "in it to win" all-day Marathoners.

Most Fantabulous, Fun non-musical Moment(s):

-Getting Q2 button

-Niceness of Ecstatic Music staff to help a brotha out with some chocolate

-Kaufman center director recognized me, due to my Face the Music connections, and escorted me to VIP room to increase my blood sugar levels with wine, cheese, and crackers

-trying to parse Corey Dargel's lyrics

-watching Missy Mazzoli and Lorna Krier of Victoire, with their hand gestures during their final song with Buke & Gass

For more on the Festival, you can read my coverage of the Marathon at www.twitter.com/numinousmusic or just search #ecstasticmusic on Twitter.

(photo credit: taken by me before the Merkin police crackdown)

I Just Need One (...although Two is definitely better!)

2011-01-09T09:33:00.000-05:00

Saturday Night Live's Worst of Soul Train with Triangle Sally, Bro-botix, Diversity...Loved it!

Bridget Kibbey harps up Neighborhood Classics

2011-01-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow afternoon Simone Dinnerstein's newly renamed Neighborhood Classic concert series returns with harpist Bridget Kibbey. The concert is Sunday January 9th at 2pm at P.S. 321 in Brooklyn (180 7th Avenue, between 1st and 2nd Streets in Park Slope). The first concert of the new season was in October with Maya Beiser.

If you are a regular reader, you know that P.S. 321 is the school where I teach kindergarten music and math. Last year Simone began the concert series and I was luckily enough to be commissioned to write a piece, Liquid Timepieces, for the April 2010 performance of the student group Face the Music. This year Simone has expanded the series to also include P.S. 142 on the lower East Side. As always, ALL of the proceeds from the concerts goes to each school (the musicians donate their time and services) and with the killer classical musicians Simone brings in to play, Neighborhood Classics is definitely worth supporting.

On Friday morning Bridget Kibbey came to P.S. 321 and gave a mini-concert for many of the kids. While I wasn't able to make that in-school performance, I was able to hear her run through some pieces warming up before and it was fantastic. So if you want to hear some incredible harp action (and help support kids), Sunday afternoon at 2pm is your chance...

(photo credit: from bridgetkibby.com)

A Tear of the Clouds: Numinous performance from April 24, 2002

2011-01-04T07:13:00.006-05:00

A Tear of the Clouds by Joseph C. Phillips Jr.

performed by Numinous at the Renee Weiler Concert Hall at the Greenwich House Music School on April 24th, 2002.

Soloists are Tom Christensen (English Horn), Nick Mancini (vibraphone), Jon Uman (percussion).

Ben Kono, Tom Christensen, Ray Franks (woodwinds), Charlie Porter (trumpet), Deborah Weisz (trombone), Nick Mancini (vibraphone), Michael Laven (marimba), Tim Harrison (piano), Jon Uman (percussion), Dave Grunberg, Sarah Bernstein (violins), Victoria Leavitt, Catherine Bent (cellos), Noriko Ueda (bass)

Quantum Fluctuations: Numinous performance from April 24, 2002

2010-12-31T10:00:00.003-05:00

Quantum Fluctuations by Joseph C. Phillips Jr.

performed by Numinous at the Renee Weiler Concert Hall at the Greenwich House Music School on April 24th, 2002.

Soloists are Charlie Porter (trumpet), Ben Kono (alto saxophone), Jon Uman (percussion).

Sounds like Teen Spirit, IHS Jazz at Clark College 1995: Notes from the Teaching Field

2010-12-30T10:21:00.000-05:00

More fun from my Interlake High School band director archives: a great first place award-winning performance from the January 27, 1995 Finals performance at the Clark College Jazz Festival in Vancouver, Washington. We performed "Technically Speaking" by Mike Pendowski and finished with a spirited version of Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing."

Technically Speaking

(Finals performance)

Sing, Sing, Sing

(Finals performance)

When we were Young, IHS Jazz at Clark College 1998: Notes from the Teaching Field

2010-12-29T16:28:00.002-05:00

During my years teaching high school band and International Baccalaureate music at Interlake High School in Bellevue, Washington (many years ago now), we had some fantastic groups (for example, I've previously discussed our residency with composer Maria Schneider here, here, and here). Now that I'm converting some of my old VHS tapes into digital, I'm going through many old videos of all of the groups I taught at Interlake and getting to see again and remember how much talent were in those groups. It is bringing back some great memories for me so I'll be sharing some of those performances with you and you can see and hear for yourself (including some time in 2011, our aforementioned legendary concert with Maria Schneider).

First I have three videos from January 30, 1998 in which the Interlake High School Jazz Ensemble won first place in the AA division at the Clark College Jazz Festival in Vancouver, WA. This was a great festival for it featured many of the great high school programs in Washington and Oregon (including the much bejeweled Garfield and Roosevelt High School Jazz Bands, although not in our division since they were AAAA schools owing to their larger populations). We performed two compositions for the preliminary competition during the afternoon ("Wyrgly" by Maria Schneider and "After the Rain" by John Coltrane and arranged by me) and when selected as one of three bands for the evening competition, we performed "Wyrgly" again along with "Fingers" by Thad Jones. So here are the performances, enjoy! (more to come later, so keep checking back)

Wyrgly

(Preliminary performance)

After the Rain
(Preliminary performance)

Wyrgly
(Finals performance)

Fingers
(Finals performance)

Dance Machine

2010-12-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

With the 2010 Christmas snowmageddon, I've had a little time (when I wasn't shoveling) to get to a few things I've been wanting to do for years. One of those things was to transfer some old VHS tapes into digital files. With help from Santa, who supplied me with a video capture device, these past few days I've been doing the slow slog of converting those tapes and uploading them. It actually has been wonderful to see some of the long ago events/performances/concerts that I participated in. So over the next few months I'll be sharing some of the treasure trove with the world.

Back in 2000 I was commissioned by JoLea Maffei and the Maffei Dance Company of NY to compose a new work. The resultant composition, "Flying" was used for the dance Multimatrix, choreographed by JoLea Maffei and performed February 11-12, 2000 at the Theatre of the Riverside Church in New York City. For the Maffei Dance Company's 2002 season, with financial help from the American Music Center's Live Music for Dance grant, Multimatrix was performed with live accompaniment by members of Numinous, with myself conducting. In addition, I was commissioned to write a new composition, "Penumbra." Penumbra and Multimatrix were performed on March 21-23, 2002 at the Merce Cunningham Studios in New York City.

So here are the opening night performances of both Penumbra and Multimatrix.

Penumbra

Multimatrix

These are the Times that Try Men's Souls (June 2010 video)

2010-12-14T20:39:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I posted video of my dance piece, The Distance of the Moon, featuring TAKE Dance and the Pulse ensemble. Now I have the footage from my other dance collaboration this year: These are the Times that Try Men's Souls. Performed as a works-in-progress on June 3rd and 4th 2010 at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, this work is part of a larger piece, To Begin the World Over Again. Based on the writings of Thomas Paine, this collaboration with choreographer Edisa Weeks and Delirious Dances is partly funded through the American Music Center's Live Music for Dance grant and will premiere in June 2011 at the Irondale Theater.

The June 2010 performances featured:

Cristal Albornoz, Paul Hamilton, Maxx Passion (dancers); Ben Kono, Steve Lyon (woodwinds); Stephanie Richards (trumpet); Amanda Monaco, Mike Baggetta, (electric guitar); Megan Levin (harp); Deanna Witkowski, Aaron Kotler (keyboards); Charenee Wade, Sara Serpa, Melissa Stylianou (voice); Jared Soldiviero (snare drum); Ana Milosavljevic (violin); Will Martina (violoncello); Shawn Conley (bass); Joseph C. Phillips Jr., conductor

The Man Can't Bust Our Music

2010-12-06T22:49:00.000-05:00

Right now while I'm in the middle of writing music for some upcoming projects, I've actually had a little time to read for fun. Like many people I have a stack of 'to read' books that I always plan to get to 'someday.' Sadly someday ends up being later than I hoped for and of course, my 'to read' stack gets taller than my shelf I stack them on.

One of those books I've been hoping to pull down off that shelf, and have now started, is A Power Stronger than Itself by George Lewis. Written in 2008, it is the account of American Experimental Music in the 1960s through today, especially as it relates to the neglected (or less heralded) exploits of African-American experimenters working contemporaneously as the more trumpeted 'New York' school of music avant-gardist in the 1960s like John Cage, Morton Feldman, Earle Brown, Robert Ashley, Steve Reich et. al. And so far is an inspiring and fascinating read. Along with a dizzying cavalcade of musicians, both known and unknown to me, are the accounts and struggles of the artists both socially and musically (remember this was the 1960s when "race, itself was assumed to overdetermine the identity of the black creative artist"; actually, I think this statement might, in some ways, still be true today).

I'm only a few chapters in right now but I'm sensing this is going to be one those books that influences me on a deep level long after the book returns to my shelf of 'read' books...

Kindergartephorism #3: Notes from the Teaching Field

2010-11-24T21:02:00.000-05:00

A little pre-Thanksgiving kindergartephorism--an overheard conversation while teaching one of my classes today:

Kindergarten girl: "You are my boyfriend."
Kindergarten boy: [blank stare, coupled with a 'why me look?']
Kindergarten boy: "Why me, you should pick (name withheld to protect the innocent); he's the one that has a crush on you?"
Kindergarten girl: "Because I want someone beautiful."

Kindergartephorism #1
Kindergartephorism #2

Kindergartephorism #2: Notes from the Teaching Field

2010-11-21T22:02:00.001-05:00

"Today's #kindergartephorism: 'Have you ever thought of running for President? You are already so famous'"

-6:15 AM Nov 17th via Twitter for iPhone

Kindergartephorism #1

The Distance of the Moon (October 15, 2010 video)

2010-11-11T10:38:00.001-05:00


"The Distance of the Moon" photo credit kokyat

Well as I mentioned in an earlier post, 2010 has turned out to be quite the dance year for me. Not actually dancing myself (although THAT would be interesting) but rather a number of commissions for works for others to dance. In June a showing of one section (These are the Times that Try Men's Souls) from my collaboration with Edisa Weeks, To Begin the World Over Again, which is based on the writings of Thomas Paine. And last month on October 14 and 15th, another collaboration with TAKE Dance and my 'other' group Pulse, The Distance of the Moon.

Both collaborations you'll hear and see more of next year, with the full evening premiere of To Begin the World Over Again taking place the first two weeks of June 2011 at Irondale Theater in Brooklyn and another Pulse and TAKE Dance project tentatively schedule for Fall 2011. So check back for more details.

For now you can see for yourself some of what I've been doing this year, so let's roll the tape...first up, The Distance of the Moon.

You can watch all of the dances of The Distance of the Moon from the other composers and choreographers at the Pulse blog or my Numinousmusic Youtube channel and can check out other great photos from the show here.

I can see the Moon from here

2010-11-08T07:54:00.000-05:00

Check out some of the great photos from last months Pulse dance project with Take Dance, The Distance of the Moon. The photos are by the wonderful photographer kokyat and you can see shots before, during, and after the October 2010 shows.

(the dance "The Distance of the Moon" choreography by Takehiro Ueyama and music by Joseph C. Phillips Jr. from October 2010 performance, photos by kokyat)

Kindergartephorism #1: Notes from the Teaching Field

2010-10-28T09:35:00.001-04:00

Being a kindergarten teacher, the kids often say some funny and cute things to me so I thought I'd start a little sub-series in my Notes from the Teaching Field posts: Kindergartephorism (hey, Sarah Palin is not the only one who can make up words...). If you aren't following me on Twitter (and why aren't you?) then you might have missed some of them, so here are two recent ones:

yesterday at the end of one of my math classes a kindergarten girl raised her hand and said, "you weren't funny today." #futurecritic
5:34 AM Oct 22nd via Twitter for iPhone

cute kindergartephorism said 2 me: "I love you. You are like a pizza!" Hmm, 2 fund next CD I'll write kid book "Joe's a Pizza" ala Steig
about 18 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone

One more time! The Distance of the Moon

2010-10-15T08:15:00.000-04:00

Great show last night and you have one more time to catch Pulse and TAKE Dance in The Distance of the Moon. Tonight 8pm at the Judson Memorial Church (55 Washington Square South)!

The Eagle has landed: The Distance of the Moon premieres tonight and tomorrow!

2010-10-14T08:05:00.001-04:00

TAKE Dance and PULSE present

the world premiere of

THE DISTANCE OF THE MOON

Featuring choreography by Takehiro Ueyama, Jill Echo,
Kile Hotchkiss, Julie Tice

Music by Darcy James Argue, Jamie Begian, Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.,

JC Sanford, Joshua Shneider, Yumiko Sunami

October 14 and 15 at 8:00 PM

Judson Memorial Church

55 Washington Square South at Thompson Street

Purchase tickets online now at: BROWN PAPER TICKETS

DANCERS

Kristen Arnold, Elise Drew, John Eirich, Kile Hotchkiss, Gina Ianni, Mariko Kurihara,

Clinton Edward Martin, Nana Tsuda Misko, Jake Warren, Marie Zvosec

MUSICIANS

Woodwinds: Ben Kono

Guitar: Pete McCann

Violin: Ana Milosavljevic

Cello: Will Martina

Bass: Eva Lawitts

Percussion: Max Jhin Jaffe

For more information contact TAKE Dance

info@takedance.org | 917.591.1413

DJ (Sort-of) Jazzy Joe

2010-10-13T07:37:00.009-04:00

Tonight I'll be co-hosting WKCR's Jazz Alternatives radio program with three of my Pulse colleagues (Jamie Begian, Joshua Shneider and Yumiko Sunami) from 6 pm to 9 pm. This is in advance of our project with TAKE Dance, The Distance of the Moon, which hits the dance floor this Thursday October 14 and Friday October 15 (you can buy tickets here!)

On the radio show we'll be discussing the dance project as well as playing and talking about our influences as well as DJ-ing tracks of our own music (including pieces from our other Pulse-sters: Darcy James Argue and JC Sanford). So if you're in the New York City area, tune in to 89.9 FM from 6 pm to 9 pm or if you're not, listen on-line.

Of course, since my music doesn't quite fit the 'jazz' label, my emphasis will be on the...alternative part of Jazz Alternatives.

On Earth, our Moon shines brightly

2010-10-05T20:00:00.004-04:00

Scene from Jill Echo ad Yumiko Sunami's "Moon"

Yesterday was our first rehearsal combining the live musicians and the dancers for the Pulse project The Distance of the Moon. So, while I've heard all of the pieces from our musician's rehearsals and have seen video of the dancers rehearsing my piece The Distance of the Moon, this was the first time seeing and hearing everything together. And I can say it is going to be quite a dynamic and exciting show; you really should make one of the evenings (details below).

Scene from Kile Hotchkiss and Darcy James Argue's "Imperfect Synergy"

BTW, next week on Wednesday October 13th from 6pm to 9pm some of us Pulse-sters will be hosting WKCR's Jazz Alternatives Musician's radio show where we'll be talking about our music, the upcoming project, and our influences.

Scene from Julie Tice and JC Sanford's "Lunar Cycles"

TAKE Dance and PULSE present

the world premiere of

THE DISTANCE OF THE MOON

Featuring choreography by Takehiro Ueyama, Jill Echo, Kile Hotchkiss, Julie Tice

Music by Darcy James Argue, Jamie Begian, Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.,

JC Sanford, Joshua Shneider, Yumiko Sunami

October 14 and 15 at 8:00 PM

Judson Memorial Church

55 Washington Square South at Thompson Street

Purchase tickets online now at: BROWN PAPER TICKETS

Scene from Takehiro Ueyama and Joshua Shneider's "And Dance by the Light of the Moon"

Help us meet our fund raising goal !!!

visit our project at: KICKSTARTER

WE HAVE UNTIL OCTOBER 10th to reach our goal!!!

DANCERS

Kristen Arnold, Elise Drew, John Eirich, Kile Hotchkiss, Gina Ianni, Mariko Kurihara,

Clinton Edward Martin, Nana Tsuda Misko, Jake Warren, Marie Zvosec

MUSICIANS

Woodwinds: Ben Kono

Guitar: Pete McCann

Violin: Ana Milosavljevic

Cello: Will Martina

Bass: Eva Lawitts

Percussion: Max Jhin Jaffe

For more information contact TAKE Dance

info@takedance.org | 917.591.1413

(Photo credit: all by Joseph C. Phillips Jr.)

(also posted slightly differently as "Survey of the Distance of the Moon"
at the Pulse blog: www.pulsecomposers.typepad.com)

Alive and Kickin': 10 Years of Numinous

2010-10-05T18:00:00.001-04:00

Ten years ago today on October 5th, 2000 was the first Numinous rehearsal. Sometimes I can't believe it has been that long. And while there have been many frustrations and happiness, disappointments and joys over the years, it has been a wonderful journey toward the long now that is Numinous. And in many ways I feel that my path is really only just beginning. So onto the next 10 years of Numinousity...

2010, the Year of Live Dance & Music: The Distance of the Moon

2010-10-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

This is shaping up to be quite the year of dance for me. In June was the premiere of one part of To Begin the World Over Again, a collaboration with Edisa Weeks and Delirious Dances, based on the writings of Thomas Paine (I will post the video from that showing later this month) with the full evening length showing including symposium, premiering June 2011 as a co-production with the Irondale Theater in Brooklyn. And now later this month will be a long-awaited collaboration between Takehiro Ueyama's TAKE Dance and the composer federation I founded and lead, Pulse.

The Distance of the Moon features the 6 composers of Pulse writing compositions for the 4 choreographers of TAKE Dance, performed live by the 6-musician Pulse chamber ensemble. From the official blurb:

Ueyama pairs his "forceful, fluid movement" (Bloomberg News) with Joseph C. Phillips Jr.'s classical/jazz compositional style in The Distance of the Moon, a pas de deux depicting the love story between the Moon and the Earth (inspired by the short story The Distance of the Moon in Italo Calvino's phantasmagorical 1965 book Cosmicomics). Set to music creating a sense of wonder, mystery, and beauty, the work is a metaphor for two lovers, like the Moon and the Earth, slowly moving apart and never feeling closeness again. Ueyama's second work, And Dance By the Light of the Moon, is a men's quartet portraying quasi-human creatures who discover the Moon set to the music of composer/saxophonist Joshua Shneider.

Jill Echo, a former Paul Taylor dancer and founding member of TAKE Dance, brings two works that illustrate the various effects that the Moon has on us. In Moonshine, theatrical choreography and funk-laced music by composer/guitarist Jamie Begian together portray the enigmatic influences the Moon has on a group of seven people. Add a bar scene with the effects of alcohol and you get a comedy of mayhem and uninhibited behavior. In contrast, Echo's second piece depicts the Moon's luminous beauty and its ability to ignite one's unconscious. Set to music by Japanese composer Yumiko Sunami, the piece is a reflection of the Moon's ethereal power on a quintet of women through four phases – New Moon, Ascending Moon, Full Moon, and Descending Moon.

Similarly, choreographer/dancer Julie Tice, a fellow Paul Taylor alumnus, is also captivated by the changing phases of the Moon in a new piece entitled Lunar Cycles. Set to music by composer/trombonist JC Sanford, it symbolizes the Moon's transformations and how they affect people's characters.

Rounding out the program is the choreographic debut of TAKE Dance member Kile Hotchkiss. His section, Imperfect Syzygy, features a quintet of dancers outlining the alignment and dissolution of a lunar eclipse. Moving with the principles of observation and obstruction, the dancers explore the measures of shadowed darkness from astral projections as well as from within. Topping the "Composer Rising Star" and "Arranger Rising Star" categories in the 2010 DownBeat Critics Poll, composer Darcy James Argue sets the tone with his much talked about "wickedly intelligent dispatch from the fading border between orchestral jazz and post-rock and classical minimalism" (New York Times).

We hope you can come out and support us in this wonderful project. How often do you see and hear modern dance choreographed to LIVE music! You can order tickets at the link below or get them at the box office. And if you are able, we do have a Kickstarter page where you can donate; even a small amount can go a long way to make this possible! Spread the word: Take & Pulse Live is a big WIN!

TAKE Dance and PULSE present

the world premiere of

THE DISTANCE OF THE MOON

Featuring choreography by Takehiro Ueyama, Jill Echo, Kile Hotchkiss & Julie Tice

Music by Darcy James Argue, Jamie Begian, Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.,

JC Sanford, Joshua Shneider & Yumiko Sunami

October 14 & 15 at 8:00 PM

Judson Memorial Church

55 Washington Square South at Thompson Street

Purchase tickets online now at: BROWN PAPER TICKETS

Help us meet our fund raising goal !!!

visit our project at: KICKSTARTER

DANCERS

Kristen Arnold, Elise Drew, John Eirich, Kile Hotchkiss, Gina Ianni, Mariko Kurihara,

Clinton Edward Martin, Nana Tsuda Misko, Jake Warren, Marie Zvosec

MUSICIANS

Woodwinds: Ben Kono

Guitar: Pete McCann

Violin: Ana Milosavljevic

Cello: Will Martina

Bass: Eva Lawitts

Percussion: Max Jhin Jaffe

For more information contact TAKE Dance

info@takedance.org | 917.591.1413

(Photo credit Take Dance by Quinn Batson; Pulse by Marcy Begian)

Can You Hear Our Voices?

2010-10-01T10:01:00.002-04:00

Now available for your listening pleasure (well, I hope so!), the audio from our recent concert last week at the Brooklyn Lyceum. Many thanks to Craig Slon for recording the gig.

Vipassana
1. Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing on the Earth (18:14)
2. Stillness Flows Ever Changing (12:25)
3. Into all the Valleys Evening Journeys (10:30)
4. The Nothingness that is the Source of Everything (22:13)

The featured soloists in each movement were:
1. Amanda Monaco (guitar), Tom Beckham (vibraphone), Carmen Staaf (piano)
2. Ben Kono (soprano saxophone)
3. Phil Rodriguez (trumpet)
4. Becca Stevens (voice), Rob Mosher (flute), Scott Tixier (violin)

Numinous: September 22, 2010

Ben Kono, Rob Mosher, Ed Xiques (woodwinds), Phil Rodriguez (trumpet/flügelhorn), Deborah Weisz, (trombone), Tom Beckham (vibraphone), Megan Levin, (harp), Amanda Monaco, Mike Baggetta (electric guitars), Carmen Staaf, Aaron Kotler, (keyboards), Jared Soldiviero, Nicola Cannizzaro (percussion), Charenee Wade, Nicky Schrire, Sara Serpa, Jean Rohe, Becca Stevens (voices), Ana Milosavljevic, Scott Tixier (violins), Nick Revel, Brian Lindgren (violas), Will Martina, Lauren Riley-Rigby (violoncellos), Steve Whipple, (bass), Joseph C. Phillips Jr., (conductor, composer)

Tonight Numinous and Vipassana, Brooklyn Lyceum 8pm

2010-09-22T07:03:00.008-04:00

Tonight!!!

Numinous performs Vipassana

Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM

$10

Brooklyn Lyceum

227 4th Avenue

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Learn more about Vipassana by reading the installments of the Inside Vipassana series:

2010 series

Inside Vipassana #11: Vipassana Reborn

(recap of the 2009 Inside Vipassana series)

Inside Vipassana #12: Bang a Gong with Jared Soldiviero

(Numinous percussionist speaks about Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness

(behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing)

Inside Vipassana #14: Electric Lady

(Amanda Monaco, Guitar, and Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #15: The Dharma in Music

(Vipassana, a journey of reflection)

Inside Vipassana #16: 'Cello Song

(interview with Numinous cellists Will Martina and Lauren Riley-Rigby)

Inside Vipassana #17: Feel the Vibes with Tom Beckham

(Vibraphone and Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #17: Feel the Vibes with Tom Beckham

2010-09-21T08:17:00.008-04:00

Vibraphone has always been a part of Numinous. In fact before I even had a group, in those dark times when I was only just planning how best to execute dominion over the musical establishment, I dreamed of having a music ensemble that included the vibraphone. Now some people might think this is because of Steve Reich and Musicians. In reality Steve and his 'band' were only a small part of my thought process. It really was much earlier in my career, long before I even knew who Steve Reich was, that the love of the vibraphone began.

Most likely it began, where so many first loves began, in high school. The set of vibes the school had were always so tantalizing close where they sat in the percussion section of my high school band. I couldn't really touch them, since I wasn't a percussionist, but I always wanted to. Every time someone played them, my ears perked up and my desire grew. I can't really explain why I liked the vibes, perhaps it was the tintinnabuli sound since I think I am predisposed toward bells (a secret desire of mine (not so secret now) is to write for a hand bell choir! Hey out there bell choir world, I'm open to commissions...). But the vibes, with its warm and roundness of tone, only hints at bell-ness so I guess the real answer is I just liked how it sounded. Simple.

So when Numinous began, the vibraphone was definitely going to be part of it. And years after the beginning, when I was writing Vipassana, I thought TWO vibes would be heaven! However, ever since last year, I have broken up my 'Noah's Ark' of instruments in Vipassana and replaced the second vibraphone with harp. Initially this was for pragmatic reasons, as chronicled in Inside Vipassana #3, but since then it is because I just love having the harp in the group. But the one vibraphone still has quite the heavy lifting in Vipassana, including a solo feature in Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing on the Earth and some intricate rhythmic work (with the harp) in Into all the Valleys Evening Journeys. And since the beginning of this journey that is Vipassana, the person doing a wonderful job with the demanding vibraphone requirements is Tom Beckham. So I thought it would be fun to hear what it is like playing Vipassana from his vantage point.

In Vipassana the vibraphone generally has a prominent role in the piece, particularly in the first and third movements. What kind of musical or technical challenges does the music create for you?

The First movement is really fun to play because it has tight ensemble sections, some nice chordal passages for the vibes, and later, an improvised duet with vibes and piano. Stylistically speaking, it really has the best of both worlds. The third movement seems to be more technically difficult movement for vibes. The challenge has always been to be rhythmically articulate, precise, and relaxed-sounding.

As a longstanding member of Numinous, how has performing Vipassana changed for you over the 5 years we've been playing it?

As time goes by, I find it easier to hear and appreciate the different ensemble sections while performing the piece. The process of recording music, committing it to CD has also changed my perception of the piece. I definitely feel more familiar with it's narrative as a result of going through that process.

What do you like about Vipassana?

I like that it strives to combine different aspects or genres of music. It aims to challenge the listener. As a performer, the part I like the most is that feeling that I get of "having meditated" after performing the concert. It's that feeling you get after being involved in a thought process which is taking you outside of normal flow. I hope to feel this at the end of each performance--that feeling of being involved in a process–being transported.

What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)?

Everywhere, everything! Especially through my family and my two and a half year old daughter, but also including: animals, ocean life, trees/forests, twilight, certain food, art, sound, laughter, the list is endless. Hopefully, as artists, we are all trying to be a part of a process of discovering 'what is beautiful'. I think if an artist is not involved in that process then he or she should ask oneself what they value about the music they are drawn to, and how they would characterize it.

Who are your musician heroes?

My musical Superhero list would have to include the great vibraphonists Milt Jackson and Gary Burton. They have really done the lion's share of innovation on the instrument. Whatever I am doing today most likely has a connection to something that those two musicians have put out there in the world.

What's your favorite Bjork and/or Gustav Mahler piece? Why?

I really like "It's Not Up To You" from Vespertine because of the way this tune opens up. The voices help make it lift off. I also like "All Neon Like" from Homogenic--the melodic and harmonic choices are compelling, and the groove is organic, heavy, and deep.

In addition to being a musician, you are a graphic artist so if you could have designed any logo/design what would it be (i.e. what graphic design do you find pleasing/inspirational)? Why?

The Coke Logo (for obvious financial reasons, ha ha!, just kidding.). Seriously, I am inspired by good typography and type design of any period, as well as ornament and design from 1900-1979. I am also currently renewing my love for Dr.Seuss' and Charlie Harper's body of work.

What is a book(s) that have inspired you?

Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet

What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something?

While driving my car at 55 mph with all the windows down on 4th avenue, Brooklyn, in January.

Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect?

I once played a gig on my instrument without a dampening bar. For all you non-vibists, the dampening bar is the thing that keeps the notes from sustaining. Not having one is like having someone pressing their foot down on the sustain pedal on a piano for the whole night. Anyway, for this particular gig, we were supposed to perform one of tunes from the "Blues on Bach" record by the MJQ. I had very little materials at the time to improvise an effective dampening system, so I eventually had to play the entire gig by muting the sounds of the instrument with either my hands, or with my mallets. It was an exercise I won't soon forget because it really made me think about the length of the notes that I would play, etc.

What's next up for you in your own music career?

Aside from other recording projects, I'm pulling my own music together for a vibes/guitar quartet project called "Slice", and I'm also continuing to fill out music for what will become the 3rd CD for my five-piece group.

You can learn more about Tom at www.tombeckham.net

Numinous performs Vipassana

Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM

$10

Brooklyn Lyceum

227 4th Avenue

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Learn more about Vipassana by reading the other installments of the Inside Vipassana series:

2010 series

Inside Vipassana #11: Vipassana Reborn

(recap of the 2009 Inside Vipassana series)

Inside Vipassana #12: Bang a Gong with Jared Soldiviero

(Numinous percussionist speaks about Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness

(behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing)

Inside Vipassana #14: Electric Lady

(Amanda Monaco, Guitar, and Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #15: The Dharma in Music

(Vipassana, a journey of reflection)

Inside Vipassana #16: 'Cello Song

(interview with Numinous cellists Will Martina and Lauren Riley-Rigby)

(photo credits, from top to bottom: photo from the artist; photo by Marcy Begian; photo from Tom's CD Rebound)

Inside Vipassana #16: 'Cello Song with Will Martina and Lauren Riley-Rigby

2010-09-17T08:00:00.006-04:00

Cello is my favorite string instrument. In college during my methods classes (this is where we learned how to teach each instrument by having to learn to play each instrument) I remember that semester excitingly walking with my cello every day 2 miles from the university campus bus stop to my home in order to practice. In my methods class we had French horn players, singers, pianists, clarinetists, and saxophonists like me; and all of us trying to make sense of bow grips and left hand positions. But I remember it all being great fun. Our teacher was the cello instructor of the university, so she actually had pretty high expectations which was wonderful because she really expected us to know how to play. She had us write arrangements for cello choir, which we, as a class, had to perform. I remember (and still have copies of) a number of my little compositions and arrangements. I was especially fond of two pieces: one which referenced the opening of the 1st Symphony of Brahms; the other, my arrangement of the opening of the Prelude from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde!

For my undergraduate senior saxophone recital I composed Urban Sketches for Alto Saxophone and Violoncello for a cello friend of mine and me to play (actually we used to have late night improvised jam sessions, the result of which lead me to actually composing a 'formal' piece, Urban Sketches, for us to play). I still love the piece (which you can hear at the above link) especially for how the cello and saxophone can be so sonically similar with a warmth of tone, as well as an easy flexibility and dexterity. One of the things on my 'to-do-someday' bucket list is to write a cello 'concerto' or a piece for cello choir or at least a major piece that features the cello in some fashion.

Now Vipassana doesn't specifically 'feature' the cello, except in a few spots, but my love of the instrument does come through in various passages. And for a number of years now I've been fortunate to have two wonderful cello players (and great persons) playing those passages with beauty and excellent musicianship: William Martina and Lauren Riley-Rigby. So I asked them a few questions about their experience with Vipassana:

Will Martina

How did you come to playing the cello?

I often read about musicians who had a compulsion to play - or felt drawn to - their instrument. That's not how it was for me. I was quite young when my parents suggested I take up an instrument. I was given the choice of cello or piano and had a lesson on each to see which one I preferred. The piano teacher was a bitch (from my six year-old viewpoint), so it was an easy choice to make.

Both you and Lauren have played Vipassana for many years now, so how has performing it changed for you over the years? What challenges does that pose to you in the piece and how is it different (or similar) from other kinds of music you perform? What do you like about Vipassana?

I often say that playing Vipassana is much like my experience of doing yoga. On the surface it appears serene and relaxed, but under the surface there's a lot of strain and energy. It requires me to use my body as efficiently as possible. The same could be said for the mental aspect. Counting, listening, and going for a rhythmically tight but sonorous approach/sound requires more effort than one might think. Each time I come back to play Vipassana, I find some physical and mental muscles that might have atrophied since the last time and need some working out and special treatment until they start working again.

What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)?

Everything, everywhere (or very near to it) has the potential to be beautiful, depending on one's ability to experience it. I do actively try to find beauty in the environment I inhabit (i.e. Queens). It's not easy.

What's your favorite Bjork and/or Gustav Mahler piece? Why?

I honestly don't have a favorite piece by either Bjork or Mahler, though I do like their music.

If you had a chance to perform with any musician/group in any style, who would it be and why?

I don't know where to begin. . .

What is a book(s) that have inspired you?

About ten years ago I devoured the novels of Herman Hesse, and while I don't have the same opinion about things now, they had an irreversible and positive affect on me at the time. Last year I read Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, and while it wasn't necessarily and 'inspiring' book, it clarified a lot of things I'd been thinking about, and I felt different (in a good way!) after having read it.

If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? why?

The Rockies in Winter. I've done a fair bit of traveling, and seen all kinds of landscapes from planes, but the Rockies (between Calgary and Vancouver) was the most intense and awe-inspiring view of them all. I hope to do it again.

What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something?

Listening to the Coltrane album Crescent. Cheesy perhaps, but true.

What's next up for you in your own music career?

Same old - gigging and recording - for the foreseeable future. I'm not complaining, though.

Lauren Riley-Rigby

How did you come to playing the cello?

My discovery of the cello was one of two genuine, powerful, and life-changing revelations I've had in my life. I was about 12 or 13, and I went to an outdoor Asheville Symphony concert. Something was drawing me to the cello, and it was so powerful in fact that I totally gave up riding horses, something with which I had been passionately involved since about the age of 4. So my parents sold my horse, and I started my journey towards becoming a cellist. I wish I still had such moments of clarity!

Both you and Will have played Vipassana for many years now, so how has performing it changed for you over the years? What challenges does that pose to you in the piece and how is it different (or similar) from other kinds of music you perform? What do you like about Vipassana?

Vipassana is one of my favorite pieces, especially for this type of ensemble. It is such a unique combination of classical, jazz, and less definable musical elements. There are some really serene, beautiful moments, and also some driving, groovy sections -- for a little while I was listening to the first and third movements on my long runs. I do think the music has a distinctive spiritual element -- sometimes there is an emotional vibe that you can't quite put your finger on. When I first heard/played it, there were spots that reminded me of Michael Nyman's music from Jane Campion's great film, The Piano. Great variations of moodiness, and with a strong sense of movement and direction. I also love Joe's conducting. Very beautiful to watch and easy to follow!
There are a couple spots that are tricky technically (cello-wise), but mostly it's the counting that is a challenge. As classical musicians, we're not too often called upon to read complicated rhythms or to feel time in multiple ways. Jazz musicians are so beyond us, generally speaking, in this way.

I'm a better cellist now than I was when I first played Vipassana (in 2006, I think), so some of the tricky repetitive figures are easier for me now...but still a good workout for the left hand! Overall, a joy to play this piece. It's also interesting to perform a piece multiple times. I've done a million performances that were one-time deals, so it's quite rewarding to revisit this music in different venues, different times of year...

What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)?

Mostly in nature and with my husband and family. Western NC, coastal New England, Sweden, Ireland - all faves. Also, sensual experience -- food & wine!!! Flowers, autumn, winter, snow, trees, mushrooms, critters of all kinds...

What's your favorite Bjork and/or Gustav Mahler piece? Why?

The 2nd movement, Andante Moderato, of Mahler Sixth. I had one of the most beautiful moments of my life listening to that movement.

If you had a chance to perform with any musician/group in any style, who would it be and why?

I'd have to say Rasputina. As a cellist who likes the music I do, there's no cooler band. Plus, how could one not want to wear 19th century corsets while playing moody, neo-classical, rock-inspired cello? It's something that could be totally cheezy & ineffective, but it's so not. Rasputina rules. I think Melora Creager (the creator of Rasputina) is a brilliant musician and has done something really unique with her band. There's really no one out there doing what she's doing. Her arranging is quite remarkable too.

What is a book(s) that have inspired you?

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom; The best book I've ever read. I love it so much, I may go so far as to regularly carry it on my person.

If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? Why?

Denmark, Sweden, or Ireland -- three of the most beautiful places on the planet.

What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something?

Last night I was playing some Chopin Nocturnes that I studied years and years ago. It was on my family's small butterfly grand piano, one that belonged to my great aunt. My parents came in to listen and then my husband played a standard. It was one of those moments where all of these memories and feelings intersect and time stands still.

Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect?

I am hoping to do my Master Gardener degree at the NY Botanical Gardens...just not right now, I've been in college way too long!

What's next up for you in your own music career?

Not totally sure. I just finished my PhD, so in many ways I'm sort of jobless except for freelancing. I do have an interesting concert with my quartet coming up in December. We're doing Shostakovich, Glass, and a really interesting piece called Pannonia Boundless by Aleksandra Vrebalov, who wrote it for the Kronos Quartet. The concert will be at Bloomingdale School of Music on the UWS, Dec. 10. Other than that, it would be wonderful to tackle Bach's Sixth Suite and actually be able to play it really well!

You can learn more about Lauren at laurenrileyrigby.com/

Numinous performs Vipassana

Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM

$10

Brooklyn Lyceum

227 4th Avenue

Park Slope

Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Learn more about Vipassana by reading the other installments of the Inside Vipassana series:

2010 series

Inside Vipassana #11: Vipassana Reborn

(recap of the 2009 Inside Vipassana series)

Inside Vipassana #12: Bang a Gong with Jared Soldiviero

(Numinous percussionist speaks about Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness

(behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing)

Inside Vipassana #14: Electric Lady

(Amanda Monaco, Guitar, and Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #15: The Dharma in Music

(Vipassana, a journey of reflection)

(photo credit, top to bottom: photo of Lauren and Will by Donald Martinez; photo of Will by Donald Martinez; photo of Lauren by Colleen Chrzanowski)

Inside Vipassana #15: The Dharma in Music

2010-09-15T08:00:00.003-04:00

Hearing about my composition a number of people have asked me, "Have you done the Vipassana meditation retreat?" or "Is the piece inspired by doing the Vipassana retreat?" I always have to answer "no, I haven't done the retreat." This is not from lack of interest however, but rather a lack of time as the retreat can be either a 10-day or 30-day stay (totally free, BTW). For those of you that don't know about Vipassana or the "noble silence" that is the Meditation retreat, in the very first Inside Vipassana series post, I explained how I came to know about it through an article in TimeOutNY in which the author does the 10-day retreat, and which I hope to do myself someday.

www.dhamma.org explains Vipassana thusly:

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art Of Living.

[A] non-sectarian technique...Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self-observation. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind. It is this observation-based, self-exploratory journey to the common root of mind and body that dissolves mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and compassion.

And while my composition Vipassana does not flower from the meditation, it does have similar goals as the above description. John Adams called his composition On the Transmigration of Souls a "memory space" for the victims of September 11th, 2001 and I think of my Vipassana functioning similarly, however as a space for a 'journey of reflection' toward one's self. It is not a hippie tune in, bliss out or new age-y crystals and chants, but rather Vipassana is a simple and humble medium that allows listeners to be active in reflecting on their own emotions and thoughts. Actually, my Numinous tag-line "Listen. Feel. Think. Know" is quite appropriate here, for after the hour-long journey through Vipassana and through the self, that one can emerge energized, refreshed, and inspired, is what I would hope listeners experience.

More information: Vipassana Meditation (www.dhamma.org) or Insight Meditation Center (www.dharma.org)

Numinous performs Vipassana
Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM
$10
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue
Park Slope
Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Learn more about Vipassana by reading the other installments of the Inside Vipassana series:

2010 series

Inside Vipassana #11: Vipassana Reborn

(recap of the 2009 Inside Vipassana series)

Inside Vipassana #12: Bang a Gong with Jared Soldiviero

(Numinous percussionist speaks about Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness

(behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing)

Inside Vipassana #14: Electric Lady

(Amanda Monaco, Guitar, and Vipassana)

(photo credit, top to bottom: Swedish Vipassana Center, www.inspiredorganisations.com; Gong from Massachusetts Vipassana Center, www.squarerootz.net)

Remembering 9/11-The Spell of a Vanishing Loveliness

2010-09-11T08:46:00.013-04:00

Last year I posted about my experience on September 11, 2001. My reason was as a way to keep in mind the actuality of the time as best as I could, rather than a fuzzy hagiographic eye-witness account sometimes found in the media around this time. And in light of all of the contemporary angst about a proposed Islamic Center two blocks from the World Trade Center site, I thought reposting my experience was, like my response to 9/11, an indirect way of commenting. By conveying some of the feeling of fear and terror of the unknown on September 11, but also a sense of community and realness, even in the face of abject horror, hopefully will give an idea of the ties we all have to each other and that there's a real beauty in that.

It has been 8 years since the events of September 11, 2001 and recently I've been thinking about John Adams's, and subsequently my own, musical response to that day. John Adams in an interview originally posted on the New York Philharmonic website (and now on his site), talks about his trepidations when asked to write a work, On the Transmigration of Souls, to have been performed almost exactly one year after the attacks of 9/11:

"I didn’t require any time at all to decide whether or not to do it. I knew immediately that I very much wanted to do this piece–in fact I needed to do it. Even though I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of a shape the music would take, I knew that the labor and the immersion that would be required of me would help answer questions and uncertainties with my own feelings about the event. I was probably no different from most Americans in not knowing how to cope with the enormous complexities suddenly thrust upon us. Being given the opportunity to make a work of art that would speak directly to people’s emotions allowed me not only to come to grips personally with all that had happened, but also gave me a chance to give something to others."

I started the composer group Pulse in May 2004 with an initial meeting of six other like-minded composers. From this initial fellowship gathering, all through that summer and fall, we worked on organizing our premiere performance to be that December. For that first performance, I knew I wanted my piece to be based on 9/11, but was unsure of what direction to take. Like John Adams stated, it felt too big and too raw an event to process my feelings enough in order to create something decent let alone meaningful. After a few sketches and false starts, which looking back now, tried to do and say too much, I decided that the best way for me to approach the composition was to reflect on my own experiences that day. To create something with simple and direct expression that did not tackle 9/11 directly, but tangentially; something not exactly programmatic but still able to convey the story of an unexpected pulchritudinous moment that day.

I was in Brooklyn at the time of the attacks, substitute teaching a high school math class at the Brooklyn International School, in a building next to and overlooking the Manhattan Bridge. I first noticed something was wrong when I casually looked out the window to see the usual bustling rush-hour car traffic flowing over the bridge was non-existent. Someone eventually came to the classroom I was in and said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Many of the students became visibly upset. I looked out the window again and where just a few minutes before no one or thing was coming over the bridge, now the bridge was beginning to fill with people streaming from Manhattan eastward across the roadway. The first tower had fallen before I had a chance, during my prep period, to run out onto the bridge toward Manhattan (just before the police stopped anyone from traveling westward) to see what was happening for myself. I reached the center of the bridge and could see the top of the second tower in flames. Less than a minute later the second tower, hauntingly silent and seemly in slow motion, imploded upon itself with audible gasps and cries of horror from the crowd which turned to look.

After retuning to the school, you can imagine that it was difficult to focus for the remainder of the school day. With people passing in front of the school, it was a constant reminder of the enormity of that morning's events. The fear and confusion was particularly palatable in the students. As the news coverage slowly uncovered the terrorist plot, this being a high school of all recent immigrants (many of whom were Muslim and wore Islamic veils and scarfs), it was hard not to control my own fears of what would happened to the students when school let out and they would have to pass through the crowd on their way to the subway. Despite the police presence, would they be blamed and suffer verbal or physical abuse from the understandably bewildered and upset crowd coming over the bridge? At the end of the day, many of the teachers, myself included, decided to walk with some of the students to the subway to make sure they were ok leaving the school.

Later in the early evening with two other friends, I was on a townhouse roof in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn surveying the entire lower Manhattan cityscape. I watched as a distant flickering mass seemed to be coming closer toward us from the World Trade Center site. At first it looked like a swarm of white butterflies, glittering in the evening sun, but as it got closer we realized that it was paper rising with the heat from the site and floating toward us from lower Manhattan. An immensely beautiful and ethereal sight, none of us spoke as the swarm came directly over us with some of the many pages from law books and computer printouts fluttering above and some landing all around the roof. We watched as the swarm passed over us and quietly continued farther into Brooklyn. No more than five minutes, this small and ephemeral moment, still resonated with me all those years and when I was ready, found outlet in my composition. Inspired by a short poem by Li Po, I wrote the text for my piece:

High in September's winds
Drifting white butterflies
Passing silently by
With a shadow of autumn in their eyes
we may never know

© Joseph C. Phillips Jr.
The Spell of a Vanishing Loveliness premiered at the inaugural concert of Pulse on December 1, 2004 and you can hear the mp3 here. The performance featured Amy Cervini (vocals), Sebastian Noelle (guitar), Jody Redhage (violoncello), Diana Herold (vibraphone), with me conducting. It was one of those moving performances where everyone in the audience and the musicians (including myself) were wrapped inside an all-encompassing bubble of the moment. After the piece ended and we were changing over to the next composer, Jody remarked "Did you feel that?" and indeed, the air seemed charged with something tangible and indescribable during and just after the performance (I realized had goosebumps during the end of the piece as the vibraphone and guitar drifted into their final nothingness). There was something magical, real, and true about the performance with the events of 9/11 only three years removed and still so close to people's emotions. It remains one of my most special musical memories so far in New York.

(photo by Marcy Begian at Pulse concert December 1, 2004)

Inside Vipassana #14: Electric Lady, Amanda Monaco on Guitar and Vipassana

2010-09-09T09:50:00.004-04:00

Now you might not suspect it, but when I was younger I was the lead guitarist of a short lived synth-pop-rock band (think Rush meets Tangerine Dream). Actually I wasn't very good, as I only started learning the guitar just before starting the band (for you guitar-heads, I had a black Yamaha (Pacifica?) with a small Fender amp). But I became good enough that I was able to use the guitar to play and compose a number of songs (some of which, I'll transform into a Numinous opus one of these days). Anyway back in those days I was listening to rock guitarists for inspiration: Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Alex Lifeson, Steve Howe, Prince and later moved to people like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page. Sure I heard (and liked some) other guitarists like George Benson, Lee Ritenour and Al Di Meola (surprisingly knowing me now, Pat Metheny not to mention Grant Green and Wes Montgomery, came much later). So back then my conception of the guitar's usage was much more rock based.

It probably wasn't until years later, after moving to Seattle, that my compositional concept of the guitar changed. When I joined the Seattle Young Composers Collective (now called the Degenerate Art Ensemble) as a player/composer, I was inspired by the guitarists in the group who often, it seemed to me, to write the most interesting music and whose usage of the guitar was so intriguing. Sure they used the guitar to create power chords and screaming lines, but also they used the guitar to create subtle colors, weird effects, or melodic lines with other instruments in the ensemble. Seeing and hearing this as part of the ensemble was a revelation in my thoughts of what a guitar can do and lead me to explore it when I moved to NYC.

For Vipassana, I wanted guitars because they can offer all of those things above. There are some places in the music where the guitars are used for their chordal ability, but mostly the guitars are playing melodic figures. And a guitar solo gliding over gentle waves created by a two piano figure and long, languid sustained pitches heard in the voices, was always one of the features I envisioned as I was composing Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing on the Earth. And ever since Vipassana's second performance, including on our recording, the person doing those beautiful guitar solos has been Amanda Monaco.

So I asked Amanda a few questions about her experiences with guitar and with Vipassana.

How did you come to playing the guitar?

My dad played guitar, so I wanted to be like him and play guitar too. He had a band in high school with three of his six brothers, and used to tell me stories about the gigs my grandmother would book for them.

What challenges does Vipassana pose for you as a guitarist? what is it like being in a guitar 'section'?

I love being in a guitar ‘section’! Guitar is such a social instrument to begin with, so the more, the better, and when the parts intertwine the way they do in Vipassana, it’s a great time. This is also where the biggest challenge of Vipassana lies, because all of the individual lines sound effortless but in fact are quite intricate and one wrong note can lead to big trouble.

What do you like about Vipassana?

Vipassana is incredibly moving; I always feel like I’m on a journey whenever we play it.

What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)?

I usually notice beauty when I’m not looking for it; I’ll be walking down the street and I’ll see some flowers tucked away in a tiny front yard, or a little cat sitting in the window, curious about the sidewalk happenings.

Who are your musician heroes?

There are so many, but my top four: Ted Dunbar, Jim Hall, Eddie Van Halen (circa 1981), Wes Montgomery.

If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? why?

My favorite place to fly over is Central Park. Being a runner, and having spent so much time there, it’s one of those places that is very dear to me.

What is a book(s) that have inspired you?

One book is “John Coltrane” by Lewis Porter. It’s inspiring when you read about how hard he worked, and the beauty that came from his hard work.

What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something?

I was sitting on a dock by the East River, watching the sunset, looking at its rays resting on the water, with the breeze blowing through the grass and trees. The world felt eternal and majestic, very peaceful.

Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect?

I love doing counted-cross stitch. When I was a kid, I used to make these huge pictures of flowers, “home sweet home” samplers, etc. and now I make little pictures for friends when I get the chance.

What's next up for you in your own music career?

I’m writing music for a new CD that I will record soon with my quartet (aka Deathblow: Michaël Attias, alto and baritone saxophones; Sean Conly, bass; Satoshi Takeishi, drums). I’ve also started a non-profit organization called the Long Island City Jazz Alliance (http://www.licja.org) whose mission is to bring jazz to the neighborhood of Long Island City, Queens, through concerts and workshops. There’s also a CD of music I recorded of original music inspired by texts from the Pirke Avot, a collection of rabbinic teachings compiled in the third century C.E., that I’m hoping to release in the next year. It features Ayelet Rose Gottlieb (vocals), Daphna Mor (recorders, ney), Sean Conly (bass), and Satoshi Takeishi (percussion).

You can learn more about Amanda at www.amandamonaco.com.

Numinous performs Vipassana
Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM
$10
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue
Park Slope
Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Learn more about Vipassana by reading the other installments of the Inside Vipassana series:

2010 series
Inside Vipassana #11: Vipassana Reborn

(recap of the 2009 Inside Vipassana series)

Inside Vipassana #12: Bang a Gong with Jared Soldiviero
(Numinous percussionist speaks about Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness

(behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing)

Through Eyes of a Child: Notes from the Teaching Field

2010-09-07T08:00:00.113-04:00

"No, I'm not a nurse, its Switzerland"

Well today is the first day back for New York City teachers, with tomorrow being the first official day for the students. And in a wonderful twist, that can only happen with the New York City Department of Education, after Wednesday's first day school, we have another two days off for Rosh Hashanah! Shana Tova Umetukah! So to get myself back in the mode (mood), I wanted to share some of the thank you cards I received at the end of last school year. My wife always says "you are so lucky" to have so many kids love you and I do feel lucky and happy to be a little part of their lives.

Last November I started this series of posts called "Notes from the Teaching Field" to chronicle some of the going-ons in my 'other' life--teaching. The first post ("Um, yes Actual Notes") featured some of the notes and letters I received throughout the year from students, mostly kindergarten and first grade. So I wanted to share some of the notes and cards from this past school year. My thanks to Kim and her first grade class for most of the cards (for those of you out there who don't know the insanity that is often the NYC Department of Education and how it affects some teachers, read Kim's story about almost being 'let go' for this year because of budget cuts. She was on the chopping block not because she isn't a great teacher (she is!) but because she was unlucky to be the low woman on the totem pole--DOE a meritocracy? Fail!).

Anyway, let the cuteness begin.

These two cards are slight variations on a typical role I have: problem solver on the playground. Notice in each there is one person smiling and someone crying (isn't this what happens in all disputes?)...

Joe as arbiter of justice

I didn't know I had a mustache

Again two cards with a slight variation on the same theme: me playing with a gaggle of kids, with a cloud in the way...

I like the detail here in the kids clothes, very observant

Here I'm being rounded up for heresy by the fair-headed Handmaidens of the End Times

Having a part of the day where I'm outside, especially on lovely days, is one benefit to being in charge of recess. Another is that I do get a chance to sneak in some sportage. During the World Cup, we had many little Italy vs. USA matches on the playground...

Why didn't anyone tell me my legs are that long?

Or hand ball...

Mostly I was retrieving the ball from high on the wall.

And sometimes the kids just tell you what you mean to them, and that is the best part of the job...

Be on the look out for another Notes from the Teaching Field post...

Inside Vipassana #13: Ever changing stillness

2010-09-05T14:39:00.204-04:00

Reviews of Vipassana often cite Steve Reich as a general and Music for 18 Musicians as a specific influence. Indeed while there are moments in some movements where the comparison is apt (and very flattering), the totality of Vipassana, in particular the second and the final movements, are much removed from Reich and 18. Whereas 18 is built on the repetition of churning short overlapping rhythmic cells, Stillness flows from weaving chains of larger melodic passages. Often these melodies are temporally distinct from one another: a melody of longer tones slowly moving in counterpoint against a more rhythmically active one. This happens throughout the piece. Two examples are: in the middle of the piece, Ben Kono's soprano saxophone floats on top of slow waves of melody from the strings with the piano, clarinet, and guitars moving at a more judicious pace; and near the end, with the trombone melodically heralding above a sweeping, long lined string melody, pulsing vibraphone and piano, and undulating flute, harp, tenor saxophone, glockenspiel. Another moment to directly illustrate this is from early in Stillness (shown below in a transposed score, minus the voices and a few other instruments): the English Horn throughout this section is moving at a much gentler pace than say the guitar and piano, who are spinning out a much faster, snakier melody and the violins and violas in a more middle ground between the two.

Stillness Flows Ever Changing (measures 63-68, showing just the melodic action)

The languid resultant effect is something akin to watching the evening sky during a crisp fall sunset, where you might see the high wispy cirrus clouds moving and changing slowly, while the lower puffy cumulus ones are moving and changing more rapidly. It is fitting that the first day of fall is our performance of Vipassana because to me the two inner movements, Stillness Flows Ever Changing and Into all the Valleys Evening Journeys always had an autumnal fragrance about them.

Numinous performs Vipassana
Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM
$10
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue
Park Slope
Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Learn more about Vipassana by reading the other installments of the Inside Vipassana series:

2010 series
Inside Vipassana #11: Vipassana Reborn
(recap of the 2009 Inside Vipassana series)

Inside Vipassana #12: Bang a Gong with Jared Soldiviero
(Numinous percussionist Jared Soldiviero speaks about Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #12: Bang a Gong with Jared Soldiviero

2010-09-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

Now there are no gongs in Vipassana but percussion is an important aspect of the composition. Whether it is adding rhythmic energy and drive or coloristic effects, there is a wide range of the function of percussion in the piece. There is a balance between things being written out completely (where I'm very specific to what I want instrument-wise as well as musically) and places where I give instructions on the effect or type of color I'm looking for, but the percussionist is free to choose how to make that happen. So this is why having someone who is classically trained, but able to play in a more free and loose way is very important and I'm lucky to have people who can do both equally well. Numinous percussionist, Jared Soldiviero is one of those type of musicians and so to find out what's it like banging and shaking his way through Vipassana I asked him some questions about the experience.

Tell us something about your background as a percussionist.

My first musical memories were of my parents record collection, a treasure trove of classic rock, blues and soul from the late 50s onward. I loved records and there are photos of me when I was 2 or 3 years old with big headphones on, holding onto John and Yoko's Double Fantasy album ("Watching the Wheels" was my favorite song.) My dad played guitar as a hobby and I naturally took to the rhythmic side of music. To make a long story short, I started taking drum lessons in the 3rd grade and started learning more classical percussion in high school. Now I play mostly orchestral percussion or contemporary music. I love big setups with lots of different percussion instruments, because I'm still a drummer at heart. And next year, I'll finally get to play drums again, so things have come full circle.

What are some of the many different instruments you use in performing Vipassana? what challenges does that pose to you in the piece?

There are a large range of percussion instruments, from metals to drums and even some woodblock. I use cymbals, triangles, many different shakers, a djembe (African hand drum), a cajon (a wooden box played with hands), and woodblock, to name a few. The challenge in the piece is to find the right sound to match the right moment. Sometimes the piece will call for a shaker, but it's up to me to determine what kind of shaker sound fits for that moment in the piece. If there is a loud moment I'll need a shaker that can project through that sound, whereas there are moments where I'm the only person playing and I need to make the softest sound possible. On the more practical side, I need to count very carefully during the piece because there are moments where the percussionists are allowed to be totally creative and improvisational. But I still need to know where I am so if there is a big musical change, I can be right there with everybody else.

What do you like about Vipassana?

My favorite thing about Vipassana is the fact that it is very difficult to categorize. The musicians must be comfortable having their feet in many worlds at once. Improvisation is important but there are written melodies that need to be played beautifully as well. Everyone in the group must have extremely tight rhythm to keep the huge piece moving forward. You can hear the influence of so many composers/musicians and the joy is in recognizing those influences and bringing out special things about each one to make the piece feel alive. Personally, I enjoy playing in a large group where it feels as though everyone really believes in the music. The sense of togetherness onstage during a performance of Vipassana is something I don't get to feel so often, especially in a traditional orchestra!

What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)?

I grew up on Staten Island and have been a city boy all my life. Beauty for me is not only in nature but also in architecture and design. I love cities for this reason. One of my mantras is 'simple pleasures' since I can find as much beauty in the enjoyment of watermelon, for example, as I can in listening to the St. Matthew Passion! Speaking of baroque music, the most beautiful kind for me is from the early Baroque period, particularly the opera written in Venice at the time. Nature: when I was in Vermont this past summer, there were nights when I finally got to experience something I missed growing up in New York: "big sky." After some of our outdoor concerts, we would stay and wait for the crowd to leave. Once all the light was gone on the ground, we could see unobstructed sky: planets, satellites, shooting stars, everything. I was telling my friend, I can't believe it took 30 years for me to see sky this clear and unblemished by ambient light on the ground. Truly marvelous.

Who are your musician heroes?

First and foremost, Bach. Then, Francesco Cavalli, a composer of some of the most melodious and beautiful opera from the 17th century, filled with humanity, humor and soul. To enter a completely different world, I would say that Michael Jackson was a prime influence on me, growing up. I have vivid memories of listening to each album of his as they were released, knowing all of his dance moves from all of his videos and playing drum set along with his records. Having my parents record collection at a young age exposed me to bluesmen, classic rock and even 80s music. One of my favorite songs as a kid was "Walk of Life" by Dire Straits and that band is still one of my favorite rock bands of all time. Likewise, Kate Bush will forever hold a place in my heart as a truly original and incredibly creative and influential artist. In jazz, I'm a devoted Charles Mingus fan and Keith Jarrett disciple. I love choirs, from Bach cantatas to gospel to the Bulgarian Women's Choir to Percy Grainger to Mahler symphonies.

What's your favorite Bjork and/or Gustav Mahler piece? why?

I don't feel as though I could choose a favorite of either! But I always love Mahler scherzos. The 2nd movement of Symphony 1, the 3rd movement of Symphony 2, etc.. They are so schizophrenic! Going from a mysterious and slithering melody to a grotesque waltz in a split second. I love the contrasts he finds in structure, orchestration, melody, harmony or anything else. I feel Mahler was the last great symphonist and if it's said that a great symphony should be like an entire world in one piece of music, then Mahler's complete symphonies must be like an entire universe?

I know you are a big Yankees fan, so if you could have been a member of any Yankee team in history, which one would it be and why?

Tough question! But I would say with certainty that I'd have wanted to be on the 1996 team. Since I was born in 1980, it wasn't until 1996 that I knew how it felt when my team won the World Series (now I'm quite used to the feeling...GO YANKS!) Also, I'm glad to have grown up a Yankees fan, because it helps to deflect the criticism of grumpy baseball fans bemoaning the "Evil Empire" and all its twists and turns over the years. I was born a Yankee fan and will stay that way!

What is a book(s) that have inspired you?

"The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks is inspirational in the sense that you can feel how much of a humanist the author is. His loving descriptions of his patients and their particular illnesses really highlights the fact that they are people first, case studies second. It inspired me to hold fast to the adage of not judging a book by its cover. "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino inspired me to find beauty in cities wherever I go, to try and fully experience the culture, food, architecture, parks, personalities, quirks and everything else about any place I visit.

What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something?

I was visiting Mexico this past July and went to the ruins at Ek' Balam, a relatively small but beautifully preserved archaeological site. Standing on top of the largest structure (called The Throne), it's calm, quiet and serene. Looking out over the ruins below gives you that birds-eye feeling. And looking around in all directions you can see trees for miles and miles never ending. I was there on an overcast day so that beautiful grey light gave everything a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" vibe. It's so peaceful up there, one can take some time to just be. Or imagine what life was like when the site was populated hundred and hundreds of years ago.

Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect?

When I was a kid, I loved magic. I would always beg my parents to buy me those magic sets that come with a bunch of tricks to learn and I would use my dad's camcorder to do shows. I loved card tricks and used to know tons of them. I've forgotten almost everything now but I still watch magic videos all the time. One of the greatest card magicians alive now is Ricky Jay. Watch his work on YouTube, you'll be amazed!

What's next up for you in your own music career?

I'm looking forward to another year of varied musical experiences. For example, I'll be playing the music of Elliot Carter and John Adams with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Frank Zappa tunes and cartoon music with the amplified chamber group Fireworks, and the music of Christopher Rouse at Zankel Hall. I love being a freelancer because it gives me the same kind of feeling I had when I was a kid with my records. I could pull out a different record with a totally different kind of music and love it as much as the previous thing I listened to. I cannot wait to go from Carter to Adams: two composers who couldn't be any more different!

You can find more info on Jared at www.jaredsoldiviero.com.

Numinous performs Vipassana
Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM
$10
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue
Park Slope
Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Learn more about Vipassana by reading the other installments of the Inside Vipassana series:

2010 series
Inside Vipassana #11: Vipassana Reborn

(recap of the 2009 Inside Vipassana series)

Inside Vipassana #11: Vipassana Reborn

2010-09-01T10:00:00.007-04:00

In anticipation of the Numinous performance of Vipassana on September 22nd, I'm reviving my series Inside Vipassana. Posted every few days leading up to the concert, the series features insights into the music as well as interviews with the performers. To start off the 2010 edition of the series I thought I would look back to last year's series to give everyone a little refresher on Vipassana. If you missed any or would like another look, see below for the links, with the new entries beginning tomorrow.

Numinous performs Vipassana
Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM
$10
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue
Park Slope
Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Ben Kono, Rob Mosher, Ed Xiques (woodwinds), Phil Rodriguez (trumpet/flügelhorn), Deborah Weisz, (trombone), Tom Beckham (vibraphone), Megan Levin, (harp), Amanda Monaco, Mike Baggetta (electric guitars), Carmen Staaf, Aaron Kotler, (keyboards), Jared Soldiviero, Nicola Cannizzaro (percussion), Charenee Wade, Nicky Schrire, Sara Serpa, Jean Rohe, Becca Stevens (voices), Ana Milosavljevic, Scott Tixier (violins), Nick Revel, Brian Lindgren (violas), Will Martina, Lauren Riley-Rigby (violoncellos), Steve Whipple , (bass), Joseph C. Phillips Jr., (conductor, composer)

Learn more about Vipassana by reading the previous installments of the Inside Vipassana series:

2009 series

Inside Vipassana #1: The Silent Treatment
(how did I come to Vipassana)
Inside Vipassana #2: Seeing the forest for the trees
(where the Vipassana cover photos came from)
Inside Vipassana #3: Harping with Megan Levin
(the story of how a harp came to be in Vipassana and an interview with Numinous harpist, Megan Levin)
Inside Vipassana #4: Finding More than the Red Lights of Amsterdam
(the inspiration behind Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing on the Earth)
Inside Vipassana #5: Eight is Enough, Ben Kono on Woodwinds and Vipassana
(woodwind specialist Ben Kono speaks Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #6: Inside the studio, no man is an island

(photos from the Vipassana recording session)

Inside Vipassana #7: Voices Carry, part one

(how voices came to be on Vipassana; interviews with Numinous singers Julie Hardy and Sara Serpa)

Inside Vipassana #8: Voices Carry, part two

(interviews with Numinous singers Amy Cervini and Wendy Gilles)

Inside Vipassana #9: When Ms. Guðmundsdóttir met Mr. Mahler

(what do Björk, Gustav Mahler and Vipassana have in common)

Inside Vipassana #10: Also sprach Joe

(Joe interviews Joe)

Numinosity Makeover: The Website Edition

2010-08-31T10:12:00.001-04:00

Well it is finally here! The new update to my website is now live and it looks great!

Go to www.numinousmusic.com and check out the new Numinous Experience. Here's what you'll see:

more audio from various Numinous performances throughout the years as well as from other ensembles performing my music. This will be updated constantly so check back often
more photos, again which will be updated often
now includes video, including our Numinous Experience "commercial"
better layout
ability to purchase old-school physical Numinous CDs and soon-to-be capability to purchase Numinous swag as well as buy and download individual mp3 tracks

And while you'll see those changes on the surface, the real action is behind the scenes. The website now allows me an easier and more efficient way to connect to the public. I am very excited about the increased Numinescence and I hope you stop by to take a look. And if you aren't on the mailing list, consider signing up to The Numinous Experience or leaving a message on the Contact page.

Thanks to White Coyote (www.whitecoyote.us) for the wonderful new website. If you are looking for a new website or want a fresh look to yours then I would suggest talking to Steve at White Coyote.

For they that experience Vipassana shall renew their strength and not be weary

2010-08-22T10:00:00.081-04:00

Returning to the scene of our last revival of Vipassana, Numinous will again be performing Vipassana at the Brooklyn Lyceum on Wednesday September 22nd from 8pm to around 9pm (one set only). The Lyceum is located at 227 4th Avenue in Park Slope and tickets are $10 at the door or in advance at the Lyceum website.

And like last year, starting in September on the blog, I'll be posting my Inside Vipassana series in which I pull the mask off and give you a peek behind the music. The series also includes interviews with some members of Numinous in order to get a player's perspective of performing the music. Here's a link to the 10 Inside Vipassana postings from last year (to refresh your memory), but check back in September for all-new installments!

Bring a friend (or two or three, the Lyceum is pretty spacious after all) and come experience the clarity and insight of Vipassana for yourself...

Numinous performs Vipassana
Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM
$10
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue
Park Slope
Take the M, R Train to Union Street

(photo credit: Donald Martinez)

I'm not Dead, it's just Summer

2010-08-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

I feel like it has been a while since I last posted, but the summer is when I actually have some time for a few activities that I usually don't have time for during the school year, so I've been off enjoying:

visiting Paris;

(photo by Joseph C. Phillips Jr.)

building fences (seems like an annual ritual);

(photo by Joseph C. Phillips Jr.)

reading (Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is my present book);

concertizing (last week saw William Brittelle's wonderful Television Landscape CD release concert at Le Poisson Rouge);

(photo by Joseph C. Phillips Jr.)

working on www.numinousmusic.com website revision and planning the next Numinous performance of Vipassana (Wednesday September 22 at 8pm at the Brooklyn Lyceum (check back for another round of the series, Inside Vipassana));

(photo by Donald Martinez, from Vipassana CD release concert)

organizing the next project of Pulse (myself, Darcy James Argue, Jamie Begian, JC Sanford, Joshua Shneider, and Yumiko Sunami) which is a collaboration with the Take Dance Company called The Distance of the Moon (those of you who are fans of Italio Calvino's phantasmagorical 1965 book Cosmicomics will recognize the title as the first chapter of the book; it is also the title of my entry to the project);

(Pulse photo by Marcy Begian)

(photo from takedance.org)

as well as planning future projects and compositions, including more of my other dance project with Edisa Weeks and Delirious Dances, To Begin the World Over Again which is set for a two-week run in June 2011 at Irondale Center in Brooklyn;

(photo from www.deliriousdances.com)

visiting with friends; and of course, I'm finding that, to reference one of my recent tweets, this summer is becoming my much needed Rocky IV, back to the basics training to get back my 'eye of the tiger.'

Hey DC Universe, can you make this into a movie please!

2010-07-26T13:12:00.000-04:00

I'm not a gamer, nor much of a DC Universe guy (Marvel was mostly my comic of choice back in the day) but I have to say that this looks cool. I'd pay $12 to see this movie (live action or CGI), well if it were a movie instead of a game. Glad Green Lantern's coming but where's the Wonder-Woman movie? Or how about a Deathstroke movie? From this game clip, I'd say bring it on! Well I hope DC gets their act together someday for a Justice League movie at least, Marvel can't have all of the fun with the Avengers...DC, I'd even pay $20 for the 3D version...

On a Marvel note, heard the first looks at Comic-Con of the upcoming Captain America and Thor movies, were positive. I hope so...Avengers Assemble! (thanks Shadow and Act for the tip on the video)

Video Games | DC Universe Online | Exclusive Who Do You Trust Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Basie-cally Bad

2010-07-17T17:57:00.002-04:00

Recently NPR's Patrick Jarenwattananon of A Blog Supreme asks:

"Hey Seattle: is this 'Basically Basie' proposal a good idea?"

Now being a former Washingtonian, I was interested to find out what Basically Basie was. From the Mission Statement on the link, I found out that the objective for Basically Basie is:

The organization and promotion of an annual contemporary “competition and festival” anchored in the swing traditions of Count Basie, and patterned after the contributions of the Essentially Ellington program created by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

And that's the problem. The past is like an anchor; it's comfortable and safe to be moored in a little stylistic cove. However you can not move forward if you don't lift the anchor and venture away to see what else is beyond it. Many of today's composers and performers have sailed away from that cove, yet Festivals like BB and EE, that emphasize "swing traditions," seek to go back to (or to stay put in) that stylistic cove. The Basically Basie idea by Paula Nodtvedt at jazzoids.com seems noble in intent however I argue that, especially for students, we do not need Essentially Ellington let alone another similar one in Basically Basie.

While I haven't been a part of the Seattle scene for many years now, I still do have knowledge of and ties to what goes on educationally in the Seattle area because I was the former high school band director of award-winning bands at Interlake High School in Bellevue (read about bringing Maria Schneider to Interlake for her first performances in the Pacific Northwest: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). So believe me when I say I think playing repertoire from the past along with learning the traditions and the basic lingua franca of past masters is VERY important and necessary for students. But assuming they have basic technical skills, students particularly during their novitiate, should learn about and play ALL kinds of jazz, not just swing and blues (despite Jason Marsalis' recent comments) and not just Ellington and Basie, no matter how great or important. And my problem with these festivals is that because of their high-profile, they put too much emphasis on one style of jazz over another, to the detriment of the student's overall education. In this, I am reminded of the debate in general education circles about the raising of standards through state and/or federal testing of all students.

Sure high standards should be a requirement for EVERY student and teacher (read about some of my discussion of this in the Interlake-Maria story) and testing students is an important part of this. However, testing should not be the sole qualitative nor quantitative indicator of learning. For the best teachers, their focus is on individual achievement and how best to accomplish this, with preparation for a state/federal test as only one part of a well-balanced classroom. However, the danger in some classrooms is that the test becomes the driver of what mostly goes on in the classroom, with any learning not directly related to the test, deemed irrelevant and less important. Preparing for festivals like Essentially Ellington (and in theory, Basically Basie) because of their out-sized role in some schools minds as (falsely) representing 'the best' of high school bands, can result in a "teaching to the test" mentality. Of course this is a danger with any festival or competition, but with BB and EE, this seems an especially insidious risk with those impressionable future connoisseurs, consumers, and players being brainwashed (ah, influenced) by what jazz is (and is not) by the edicts of stylistic purity coming from the potentates of jazz. AACM founding father Muhal Richard Abrams tells Francis Davis in Bebop and Nothingness (Schirmer Books, 1996: 101),

“If you're not oriented toward innovation, then by all means keep up the flame! That's important work. But the tradition also calls for change, for renewal, for innovation. In the beginning, jazz was an abstract process. It wasn’t any particular style yet. It sounded like whatever the musician wanted it to sound like. It stood for the freedom to experiment, the excitement of things never quite coming out the same.”

When the standard of excellence of a festival is not how one can make the traditions your own, but rather how closely to the original past models you can emulate, this seems to me to go against the nature of jazz's origins and its spirit, as stated above. And while I agree BB (and EE) can bring and enthuse more bodies to the cause of jazz by celebrating "the rich heritage of Jazz as a central element of contemporary American music; by showcasing local, regional and national Jazz musicians, students and teachers, with the objective of maintaining the legacy of this music for future generations while increasing local audience participation," what kind of legacy and heritage do those Festivals leave students with, when they learn that it is more valued to sound like a facsimile of a band from a half-century ago rather than speaking the music language of today? that jazz is a series of fundamental, immutable standards (pun intended) or sounds like 'X' musician or group rather than a catholic philosophical way of thinking about or hearing music?

I do understand that learning the fundamentals of any language are important: you must be able to read Lunch before Naked Lunch. But at this level we aren't talking about the basics. The students and bands at EE are fairly advanced and could (and should) be playing in a high-profile festival that celebrates ALL of jazz's legacy and heritage not just Basie, Ellington, and swing (I'm definitely not against festivals; competition, especially for high school and younger can be healthy, offering many lessons on perseverance, determination, how to win and lose gracefully, etc., and if it supplements and enhances a program, rather than dominating it, then great).

If you want to have a festival that "celebrate[s] the rich heritage of Jazz as a central element of contemporary American music" why not rotate the focus? How about Totally Thad one year, followed by a Genuinely Gil, then a Mainly Maria Festival? Sure keep Ellington one year and Basie another; add Toshiko, Mingus, Brookmeyer in subsequent years. Or focus on styles of jazz, which could give things a more contemporaneous feel: Latin, electronic, soul jazz, free, jazz rock, whatever. And while you're at it, why not go as far as commissioning some of today's composers/arrangers to write/arrange music from or inspired by jazz greats who weren't big band players/writers (Coltrane, Ornette, Brubeck, Monk, Pat Metheny, Weather Report, etc.). Certainly this is a way to honor the past while recognizing that today's students should be intimately exposed to the writing and perspectives of today's large-ensemble jazz composers such as Jim McNeely, John Hollenbeck, Darcy James Argue, Guillermo Klein, Jason Linder, etc.). Frankly, a festival like this would REALLY show how much a school's program assimilated the total language of jazz, rather than a narrow focus on one person's music or one style of music (no matter how great it is).

Pat Metheny in his keynote address to the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) convention in 2001 challenged musicians “to recreate and reinvent the music to a new paradigm resonant to this era, a new time.” And Basically Basie or Essentially Ellington are doing this, how? To "recreate and reinvent" is difficult; it requires letting go of the past in order to find that future paradigm. Letting go doesn't mean forgetting or dishonoring the past. In fact I think by moving away from it you are honoring the past even more by recognizing that the future "stands on its shoulders." We must lift the anchor of the past in order to sail to the future.

Now even though I no longer live in Seattle, I still love the city and still have ties to it (I'll be performing there with Numinous in the fall of 2011) so I'll answer Patrick Jarenwattananon's question at the top: Is this Basically Basie a good idea? I'd have to answer, no.

(photo credits, from top to bottom: me conducting the Interlake High School Jazz Ensemble at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1998; Roosevelt High School Jazz Band of Seattle, perennial winners of Essentially Ellington, with Wynton Marsalis in 2009 (from J@LC website); Garfield High School Jazz Band of Seattle, perennial winners of Essentially Ellington, with Wynton Marsalis in 2009 (from J@LC website))

Santa Claus, Darth Ba Ba Black Sheep, and Funk Bagpipes

2010-07-13T20:37:00.001-04:00

Check out the crowd dancing behind Honey Blo, which reminded me of a white version of the classic 70s Parliment/Funkadelic 'stage of thousands'! Be sure to check out the little intro with Ratso, which actually comes near the end of the video (thanks to O Hell Nawl for the lead).

After seeing that, here's some more fun: 'jazz' bagpipes (Amazing Grace starts about a minute in). Is it me or does the bagpipes sound like an soprano saxophone with an especially bad tone?

Der Mahler

2010-07-07T22:55:00.002-04:00

"But I have written to you that I am engaged on a great work. Don't you see how that claims one completely, and how one is often so engrossed in it that one is virtually dead to anything else? Now think of a very great work in which the whole world is reflected--oneself is, so to speak, merely an instrument on which the universe plays...At such moments I do not belong to myself...There are terrible birth pangs the creator of such a work has to suffer, before it all arranges itself and constructs itself and flares up in his head, there has to be a good deal of absent-mindedness and self-absorption and deadness to the outside world...My symphony will be something such as the world has never heard! The whole of Nature finds a voice in it, and tells of such secret things as one may perhaps divine in a dream. I tell you, I myself get an uncanny sensation at certain points, I feel as though I hadn't written this myself."
-Gustav Mahler discussing his Third Symphony to Anna von Mildenburg (from "Mahler" by Kurt Blaukopf translated by Inge Goodwin, Praeger Books, 1973)

"And so we come to the final incredible page [of the Ninth Symphony]. And this page, I think, is the closest we have ever come, in any work of art, to experiencing the very act of dying, of giving it all up. The slowness of this page is terrifying...It is terrifying, and paralyzing, as the strands of sound disintegrate. We hold on to them, hovering between hope and submission.And one by one, these spidery strands connecting us to life melt away, vanish from our fingers even as we hold them. We cling to them as they dematerialize; we are holding two--then one. One, and suddenly none. For a petrifying moment there is only silence. Then again, a strand, a broken strand, two strands, one...none. We are half in love with easeful death...now more than ever seems it rich to die, to cease upon the midnight with no pain...And in ceasing, we lose it all. But in letting go, we have gained everything."
-Leonard Bernstein, from his The Twentieth Century Crisis, the 5th part of "The Unanswered Question", the Harvard University Norton Lecture Series (1973)

"I have been going through so many experiences (for the past year and a half) that I can hardly discuss them. How should I attempt to describe such colossal crisis? I see everything in such a new light and I am in such continuous fluctuation...I am thirster than ever for life, and I find the 'habit of living' sweeter than ever..."
-Gustav Mahler in a letter to Bruno Walter, 1909 (from "Mahler-The Man and his Music" by Egon Gartenberg, Schirmer Books, 1978)

Happy 150th Birthday, Herr Mahler!

(Text in the video is from the last part of the 5th lecture, The Twentieth Century Crisis,
of the riveting 6-part The Unanswered Question,
Leonard Bernstein's Harvard Norton Lectures talks from the 1970s; )

(photo credit: Mahler on his way to conduct the Court Opera in 1904 from Kurt Blaukopf's Mahler)