Axis Mundi mp3

The world premiere performance of Axis Mundi by the JWECC 2009 Festival band is now posted on the Axis Mundi page, along with a perusal PDF score. This file will download a single mp3 - it won't play in your browser. The first movement is very quiet, for a very long time - I recommend good headphones and a quiet listening environment.

Ecstatic Aftermath

Last Friday night's performance of Ecstatic Waters by UT at CBDNA was fantastic. I haven't written anything before now because 1) I'm exhausted, and 2) I don't really know what to say, beyond that it was fantastic, and part of an amazing week of music. Verena's transcription of Corigliano's Mr. Tambourine Man was stunning, in no small part because of soprano Hila Plitmann. The Michigan State University concert the next evening was equally impressive - piece after piece of really great and thrilling music. Asphalt Cocktail rocked even harder than I thought it would (and I expected plenty of rockin' to begin with). John made me envious (again) with his ability to lay down a complex yet satisfying groove with concert percussion and band. I *must* get me some of that. Carter Pann showed us in Concerto Logicthat he's ridiculously talented with the piano chops, and oh yeah, he also writes some decent music (!). Ricardo Lorenz, on faculty at Michigan State, burst onto the scene with his masterful first work for band, El Muro. Finally, Bolcom's new Symphony was impressive. I still feel a little ambivalent about some of the structural choices (the seemingly disparate clash of different musical moods and material didn't quite rub me the right way), but it was still a hell of a piece.

There was much more to the week, but I'm exhausted, and am in no mood to attempt real reviews of the music - not my job or my area of expertise. I'm eternally indebted to Jerry Junkin and the UT Wind Ensemble for playing the hell out of Ecstatic Waters. I'm a little sad that the piece's run at UT has come to an end, but I look forward to all the planned performances around the US next year! Mostly, though, I'm itching to get back to composing - haven't written a note since I finished Axis Mundi last Fall. Speaking of which, the recording is coming...today!

Ecstatic in Austin

Tonight's the night: Jerry Junkin and the University of Texas WInd Ensemble will perform Ecstatic Waters as part of the national CBDNA conference. If you're coming to the concert, get there early (having a ticket is no guarantee of admission). If you're not in the area, but want to listen online, it will be streamed live here:

University of Texas Austin Wind Ensemble, March 27th, 2009.

CBDNA begins... (plus the radio show download)

Familiar faces are swooping into town from everywhere, as the national CBDNA conference gets underway here in Austin. It's nice to go to one of these big conventions...and still be at home. In fact, I've lived in or near the city of each of the past three national conventions - New York in 2005, Ann Arbor in 2007 (I lived down the road in Bowling Green), and now Austin in 2009. If this continues, that'd mean I'll be in Seattle in 2011, but that doesn't look likely at this point.

Last night the first wave of the Japanese contingent arrived, in full party mode. I treated them to some snacks at Moonshine Grill, and introduced them to Shiner Bock and Shiner 100. They seemed to approve. :)

More this week, I'm sure - my big concert is Friday night with Jerry Junkin and the Univ. of Texas Wind Ensemble. Family and friends from all over are coming in for the group's performance of Ecstatic Waters, as well as the world premiere of V's new wind band transcription of John Corigliano's Mr. Tambourine Man on the very same concert. Hila Plitmann (that'd be Grammy-Award-Winning-Vocalist-Hila-Plitmann) is here to sing the premiere, and she sounded unbelievable in rehearsal today. It's going to be a hell of a night. In fact, the whole week has some of the most exciting programs I've ever seen - premieres and pieces by many of my friends and contemporaries, as well as William Bolcom's new symphony on Saturday night. All the gory details here.

I also hear JM has a brand new camera, so expect many pictures from this corner of the web. I'm just eager to finish off the week with an Asphalt Cocktail.

Lastly, here's the radio interview I did last week: Knowing the Score, with Dan Welcher. It's a 68Mb download, FYI. One small misleading bit (that I neglected to tell Dan - it's my fault, not his) - I'd just returned from Japan when we did the interview, but not for a performance of Ecstatic Waters, as Dan mentioned, but for the premiere of a brand new work, Axis Mundi, which, if you're one of the two people who read this blog, you will already know. Enjoy!

Knowing the Score, 8pm CST, 3/22/09

Yesterday I taped an interview with Dan Welcher for his radio show Knowing the Score, which will air tomorrow evening (March 22nd) at 8pm on KMFA (89.5 here in Austin). This is the same show that John Mackey just did a couple of weeks ago, with the difference that I did it in a jet-lag-induced haze, having just gotten back from Japan the day before...good thing it wasn't live! :)

If you're not in the broadcast area, you can listen to the stream online. 8pm CST, Sunday night!

Bonus: here's the promo spot that will run on Sunday.

Japan Photos

I've started a post about everything that happened in Japan, but it's apparent I'm not going to finish it any time soon, so it will have to wait until after CBDNA. In the meantime, here are a few photos...

Axis Mundi premiere

Just a brief note to say that the premiere of Axis Mundi was spectacular. The bands in Japan are unbelievable. Outrageously good. My eternal thanks to Mamoru Nakata for spearheading the JWECC consortium, and to Shintaro Fukumoto for conducting the hell out of the piece. They'll be bringing a recording with them to CBDNA in a week, so I'll post it soon!

Much much more to report, but must now run over to the fish market and eat some ridiculously fresh sushi for breakfast, then off the to airport and back to Austin! Pictures and stories coming later this week...



Shintaro Fukumoto conducts Axis Mundi

Ecstatic in Dallas

Jerry Junkin and the UT Wind Ensemble just blew the doors off the Meyerson with Ecstatic Waters tonight. Holy cow. I've been extraordinarily fortunate to have had such time with, and access to, one of the very top wind ensembles in the nation, if not the world, and am infinitely grateful to Maestro Junkin for taking on the challenge of this work. I can't WAIT to do this again at CBDNA here in Austin on March 27th!

The whole concert was smokin' - Sunil was once again spectacular on the Bolcom (which is a piece I'm really growing to like - I'd never heard it before last week). And of course John Mackey's Kingfishers Catch Fire closed in excellent fashion - the antiphonal trumpets are satisfying as hell. I think it's the perfect closer for a concert - it sort of cleanses the palette with a huge dose of extra-happy at the end of an evening of ups and downs, and leaves everyone full of joy. Also, I can't get the tune out of my head - it's been replaying constantly for the 3 hour drive back to Austin tonight. Thanks for that ear worm, Mackey...

Now, it's time for a couple of hours of sleep, and then V and I have an early morning flight to Tokyo, for the JWECC premiere of Axis Mundi...

Bolcom Caught Fire...

...at ABA last Thursday night. I rode over to the ABA convention with Verena and AEJ on the band bus (hooray for band bus trips!), to hear the UT Wind Ensemble give their concert at Texas A&M. It was a hell of a concert - for me, the biggest highlights were Sunil Gadgil's absolutely astounding performance of Bolcom's Concert Suite for Alto Saxophone and Band, and John Mackey's Kingfishers Catch Fire, which I'd never heard performed live. I must say, as exciting and feel-good as it is on a recording, it's 10 times that live. The surround trumpets are extra satisfying (though I could use even more - I think Mackey should call for at least Circus Maximus numbers). Jerry Junkin does a very cool alteration of the final trumpet entrance that involves them entering in a slow pan that circles around the audience from left to right. I dig it...and will likely steal it for the final movement of my Concerto for Wind Ensemble, whenever I get around to doing those other movements.

The UT Wind Ensemble gets no time to rest - they have another concert this Tuesday at the Meyerson Symphony Center. My own Ecstatic Waters will make an appearance on the program as well this time (the website above is out of date and doesn't list it). The concert is at 7:30pm at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. I know I always say this, but seriously, if you're in the DFW area, you should come to this concert... :)