Shen Wei Dance Arts on TV

Here’s a revealing video article in preparation for this week’s Shen Wei Dance Arts performances at Lincoln Center. You won’t see me (except for a very brief cut shot, lol), or actually see David Lang, but you can hear some of the music we’ve created together and some of the dance in rehearsal, and even more importantly, recall Shen Wei’s brilliant work for the Beijing Olympics, hear him talk about his work, and see a fantastic cross-section of performance and rehearsal footage.   Photo by Lois Greenfield

Click here to see it.

Bali.

For years I’ve heard of the beauty of Bali, of the art seeping from every pore of every village. I fell in love with the music long ago. not as deeply as many of my friends, but nevertheless, some of its very essence has found its way into my own sensibilities. Evan Ziporyn, one of my most longstanding musical partners, has been traveling here for 30 years, studying the music, learning the language, and becoming part of the cultural life here.

After these many years of knowing and making music with Evan, it’s a special thing to finally see and hear and experience what he has, and take part in it with him at his invitation. Evan has chosen to mount his first opera here, in Bali. An exploration of Colin McPhee’s famous memoirs, A House in Bali. It will be performed in California in the fall, but for now, one thing at a time, we are HERE for two weeks. Working, playing, relaxing, eating, enjoying.  Friday, the 26th of July, we execute the first performance of this truly extraordinary piece.

This won’t be my last visit, I keep assuring myself. It’s the only way to actually get on a plane to leave. If you’re interested in more information on A House in Bali, there are photos and video documentation of the rehearsals here, or if you’re interested in my personal photo documentation of the trip, please visit my flickr site.

In other news… I really must change this wordpress template, as it’s harder to post and I think to read in this column view, methinks.  Let me know if you think so too. I tend to post less rather than more as a result of it.

The Campuan Steps to Pentasanan and Rumah Cinta

May 2nd @ The Look and Listen Festival

Todd Reynolds, his laptop, an extraordinary lullaby and some rustling metal on May 2nd at the Gary Snyder/Project Space as part of The Look & Listen Festival.

This annual festival is committed to combining the visual and aural experience of art, bringing both together in a unique combined experience.  I’ve visited before, though not for a long time and am happy to be invited back. I’ll be playing The Solution, in addition to a few other pieces of my own work, and also doing a reprise of Meredith Monk’s gorgeous vocal work, Gotham Lullaby,  an arrangement with So Percussion,  after its first performance at the  Whitney Museum’s Marathon celebration of Meredith Monk’s music earlier this year.

The festival is also committed to dialogue around music and visual art wherein creative artists enjoy the opportunity to share a dialogue, and audience members gain an insider’s view into the creative processes in the visual and musical arts.  This is the definition of a holistic event, to be sure.

The festival spans three days and the full schedule can be found here, as well as a link to reserve and buy tickets.

Terry Riley and the 45th Anniversary of ‘In C’

Tonight, at Carnegie Hall, David Harrington and The Kronos Quartet have assembled a wonderful cast of characters to play and celebrate the 45th anniversary of Terry Riley’s landmark work, In C. Today, as I sit on my porch in the beauty of the Berkshires in northwestern Massachussetts, writing music toward an upcoming deadline and unable to get down to New York, I feel intense gratitude for Terry Riley’s spirit and work, and the impact both the man and the music have had on my own musical life and journey, and thought I’d put some sentiments down on paper. er… screen.

This is the eighth year that Bang on a Can will host a summer festival and educational institute up here at Massachussetts Museum of Contemporary Art, (MassMoCA), and Terry has been our artist-in-residence several times. The first time was several years ago, and it was there that I first met him in person. The Bang on a Can All-Stars had already been traveling with him for a time, and needless to say, I was excited to meet him after so many years of enjoying and following his music. I remember Evan Ziporyn saying to me, ” You’ll love him, Todd. It’s sort of like he’s the father of us all.”

I’ve endeavored for years to travel to India to study, to learn, but this man is the one who actually did it, who spent years studying with Pandit Pran Nath and living there at times, thereby soaking up that wonderful culture alongside LaMonte Young. Of course, during Terry’s first tenure at the Festival, he taught Raga class which was inspirational, but even more precious was time I got to spend with the man himself, whose being is imbued with a calm life force borne of spiritual connection and practice.

A few more links:
Cantaloupe Music, ‘In C’, Bang on a Can

New Sounds Live, Terry Riley and David Harrington.

Grand Valley State University, ‘In C’ YouTube trailer

In C has served as a ritual beginning for each of our Bang on a Can Institutes for many years, and our recording of it on Cantaloupe remains a favorite. This piece is the quintessential community work, open to an undefined number of players, an undefined instrumentation, with an undefined time length, and the players involved use the score to create an absolutely unique performance every time, with an arc as organic as is possible in music. Each summer, on the first day after faculty and fellows arrive, in a welcoming, bonding gathering around In C, I find myself playing everything from violin to marimba and walking around the room participating both as listener and player, always a rapturous experience which sets the tone for our three subsequent weeks of making music together.

Terry Riley, with his kind face and flowing beard does have that sort of guru visage, and I’ve learned much from simply talking, playing, and being around him, and I’m pleased to call him my friend. It is no secret that my own performance and composing life has been greatly influenced by the Minimalists and my work with them, with constant pulses and drones and interlocking rhythms being a cornerstone of how I hear and write music, and from In C, I take more than a few cues. As a ‘post-minimalist’, however, it’s not the ‘minimalism’ which so much interests me. It’s not the groundbreaking use of tight, finite, small amounts of musical material, but rather the organic connection to time and humanity that those structures tend to create for me, as is so evident in this seminal work – the heartbeat, as it were.

Deep behind this music is ancient history and tradition. African music, Indian classical music, folk music, the singing voice, tribal and community sentiment are all evident here, where individuality, often celebrated as the bedrock of American culture, is offered up as a contribution to a larger whole.

It is that conversation that we can have musically, the ‘chamber music’ of it all, which is dependent on a willingness to jump on and ride the bus together to a transcendent experience; that is what I celebrate. It is what I enjoy so heartily, and believe in so deeply. There is something so fundamentally truthful, authentic, and foundational about this piece which makes it the landmark work that it is. And Terry Riley, well, there are aspects of his practice that I will always seek to emulate. The gentle giving up of total control, the releasing of the score as birds into the sky, the celebration of each human being’s individual contribution.

Many of my most celebrated and dearest colleagues will be part of tonight’s event, as well as original performers of the first recordings and performances of the work. In addition, members of the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble from Michigan have been included. Later this year they will release a version of In C on Innova records, complete with a number of remixed versions, my own humbly included.

Ironically, In C was written in the year of my birth, 1964, and that reminds me that this will be my own 45th year on the planet. Here’s hoping that our lives become as rich as this piece is, with as many incarnations and instrumentations, more and more performances, and perhaps an offering someday which contributes as much to global community as Terry has. May this Carnegie/Kronos curatorial effort be only the first of many which celebrate the man, the music, and most importantly the central position that collective music-making takes in all of our global cultures.

In (C)elebration.

Todd Reynolds

—

The Todd Reynolds Trio @ Cricket Creek Farm

Northwestern Massachussetts, The Berkshires, Heaven… Whatever you want to call it, it’s where I’ve been calling home for the past 4 years, whoa, how time flies. That’s ‘Winter’ in the picture on the right. Though I’ve never met her, I betcha she’s contributed to my cereal directly. Buy some milk or cheese while you join us at this concert…Farm-fresh food simply rocks.

So…

Jason Ennis, my good guitar-playing friend and colleague has organized this very intimate concert series above the farm store at Cricket Creek Farm. With Jason and my OTHER great friend, double bassist Michael O’Brien from Minnesota/New York, we’ll offer up some really lovely jazz and pop tunes, many of which you’ll know, plus some freeform wanderings.

What is ‘AmboJazz’? Not worth taxing yourself over, it’s always been difficult for me to really come up with a suitable label for this quasi-jazz, quasi-ambient electronic music I play. However, if YOU come up with a label that resonates, I buy you a beer, or in this case, a loaf of farmfresh bread or eggs, or even a pound of beef. Quantum-Ambient is already taken though, perhaps that’ll start ya thinkin’. Suffice it to say that this trio creates an atmosphere that you can feel, along with a musical conversation between us that we enjoy as much as we hope you do, and some rockin’ jazz and funk standards to boot.

Come enjoy the evening with us, won’t you! We’d love to be the soundtrack for your weekend.

Here’s the extra D-Tails from the Cricket Creek website. http://bit.ly/j2Zy5 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Todd Reynolds Trio
— Friday, April 17 8:00PM
Todd Reynolds (www.toddreynolds.com), Jascha Heifetz-educated, rock-inspired, classically-informed, post-minimal art-music infused, jazz-damaged, laptop-armed, downright funky violinist – leads a unique trio rounded out by Jason Ennis on Guitar and Michael O’Brien on acoustic bass. Music as friendly as it is interesting, and a musical conversation which will leave you humming melodies you didn’t know you had in your consciousness. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for students. Space is limited. Please call 413-458-5888 to reserve a space, or email lesley@cricketcreekfarm.com

For those of you on Facebook, we offer up this event link to you as well.

Newsletters resuming… beginning with this one.

and though it’s small, and might be redundant for you, I’ll offer it up here anyway.  The latest one is always on the right sidebar whenever you need it.

Click here and it will open in a new page if you’d like to see it.

Gosling, Reynolds and Ziporyn – Stravinsky and More at (le) Poisson Rouge

The post-minimalists do the modernist himself…Steve Gosling, Todd Reynolds, and Evan Ziporyn play Stravinsky’s trio version of “L’Histoire du Soldat” – plus more recent electronic adventures with Todd & Evan. Stick around for Charles Spearin, or come early for the Verge Ensemble playing Stockhausen…hope to see you there! (Tickets $16/18) Get them early!

Records, Gigs, Social Media, Twitter and staying in touch.

I confess.  My former reliability around ‘staying in touch’ has been completely shot to hell.  Well, at least in some ways.  I mean, I do update my facebook status, post a few posts on Twitter nearly daily, however my myspace page hasn’t seen a change in music for awhile, nor have I posted that much on the blog, and my last official newsletter was in JUNE…

In short:  Bad Boy.

But ~  as I’ve sat at my computer working on a new record, my first solo record in fact, and while I’ve been on tour and rehearsing for the many rewarding projects that have continued to consume me, I’ve been watching.  People like my ‘Fretless Bass Virtuoso -Live Looping-House Concerting-Social Media Guru-buddy Steve Lawson, and pop-star (also live-looping colleague Imogen Heap, who’ve found so much work to be done on the Social Media circuit that it’s greatly enhanced their circulation, are posting daily and gathering fans by the minute, and offering compelling, interesting, and useful content. In fact, Steve is even doing consulting for musicians on social media morays!  Music writer Greg Sandow is even on Twitter these days, and it’s one of my favorite ways of keeping up with people around me.

I try to keep it all to a minimum so that I’m getting work done, actually, and my record should be in the can by March 15th because I’m NOT spending all day on the internet.   But as things ramp up here for me again, you’ll be hearing from me more.  But if you’re interested in joining in a little on this record making process, then do join me on twitter .  I’ll maybe post some 140 character soundbites from the record on Soundcloud, even!

I’m looking forward to rejoining the blogosphere a little more firmly, though I must admit the 140 character Tweets have gotten me attached to shorthand.  You may indeed subscribe to this blog, however, and if you leave a comment, I’ll know you’re reading.  If I know you’re reading, I may post more interesting stuff and the barrel may just tumblr over the top!  More interesting things just down the pike, and at the end of my fingers, including music.

I’ll be in New York from March 1st through 5th, performing with Meredith Monk at the Guggenheim Museum, and teaching as well, then back up to the studio to put the finishing touches on the record, and then a very sweet gig with Evan Ziporyn and Steve Gosling playing Stravinsky’s arrangement of his own L’Histoire Du Soldat at Le Poisson Rouge, opening for Charles Spearin of Broken Social Scene and following Jenny Lin’s VERGE Ensemble.   We recorded this tune with Andy Russo a few months ago and had so much fun that we’ve gotta make it a regular thing.  You can bet we’ll have some more experimental and electronical things to throw down as well for the other 25 minutes of our set.   Looping fans won’t be disappointed.

Til the next time, may it be soon.  Pax.

Winter is not just a weather thing…

Alright, so… I love Bach, I love Vivaldi, I love all those red-haired and wig-worn priests of the old tradition, but I simply don’t get a chance much to play their music anymore, due to my unfortunate addiction to same tradition they themselves followed, that of creating music for their own time.

Andy Russo, himself a purveyor of said trade, has invited me to his college to hang with his students and is giving me an opportunity to dig into some Vivaldi for the next two days.  details to follow, and a book report after it’s all done.  Really looking forward to this one.  Last year I recorded Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale at the same college, and had a blast! Add to that, the addition of Bill Ryan and his music to the program, and it’s a good time all around.

Le Moyne College Chamber Orchestra Presents ” Winter”

Tues., Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m.
W. Carroll Coyne Center for the Performing Arts

With Todd Reynolds, violin wizard
Todd Reynolds’ take on Vivaldi’s “Winter,” his original composition Outerborough with video by Bill Morrison and music by guest composer Bill Ryan.

Tickets: $15 general public; $10 senior; free to all students and Le Moyne community. Tickets are available at the door. For more information, call (315) 445-4523.

Here’s more information from the website itself.

Composers don’t miss this free colloquium. Special guest Todd Reynolds will be presenting some of his music, and speaking on life as a composer/performer.

more on TODD REYNOLDS: a violinist/composer known for his work with amplified violin and electronics. Starting out as a Heifetz-trained child violin prodigy, he became a member of Bang on a Can and Steve Reich & Musicians and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project, and is performing and touring with the TR String Quartet and David Krakauer, Matt Haimowitz and Meredith Monk this year. Reynolds co-founded the Ethel string quartet, combining the classical ensemble with technology and multi-genre new music, and presents impassioned residencies and lectures on creativity and technology around the world.
Photo Credit: Toni Gauthier