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Roulette presents electronic music artist Carver Audain who will be presenting a newly completed work, supported by the Jerome Foundation, entitled Continental Drift. Continental Drift is a densely lush, meditative sonic environment designed to transport the audience to a tranquil plateau. The movement evident in the soundscape may inspire thoughts of crashing waves and slowly moving clouds. For Audain, this work marks a slight departure from the acousmatic tradition, as the presentation will feature live guitar. This newly realized work is composed for multi-speaker arrangements, and will be accompanied by the first installation of the Harmonic Constituent Series, which refers to a selection of moving images which compliment the sonic structures. Also on the program will be engaging electro-acoustic music collective, Composers Inside Electronics (CIE). CIE will present several new individual works using custom-built software and electro-acoustic instruments, rotating and focused loudspeaker systems and ultrasonic instruments, all emphasizing a rich sonic architecture. The pieces will be performed by  CIE members John Driscoll, Tom Hamilton and Doug Van Nort.

Carver Audain's performance is made possible with support from Jerome Foundation.

 

Carver Audain (b 1981) composes music in the Acousmatic tradition, which, as defined by French composer and theorist Pierre Schaefer, refers to "a sound that one hears without seeing the causes behind it."  Materially, he produces audio using digital signal processing and editing techniques on a variety of environmental and instrumental recordings. He is a self taught pianist, his recent works continue to explore harmonic structures utilizing the "slow change music' method. In a live setting, he arranges and manipulates this material into situation-specific compositions. Sonically, he produces an array of slowly shifting sound fields that merge and transform within their physical surroundings.

 

COMPOSERS INSIDE ELECTRONICS
(CIE) is a group of composer/performers dedicated to the composition and live collaborative performance of electronic and electro-acoustic music using both software and circuitry designed and constructed by individual composers.  CIE members also create interactive sound installations.

The group was formed in 1973 with David Tudor and is known for its pioneering use of original live electronics for both performance and installations, including David Tudor’s Rainforest project.  The current members include founders John Driscoll and Phil Edelstein along with Tom Hamilton, Matt Rogalsky, and Doug Van Nort, and include guest performers.

An ongoing commitment to collaborative performance of new individual and group works is central to CIE’s evolution.  The group’s work includes the use of: custom-built software instruments, resonant sculptural instruments, rotating and focused loudspeaker systems and ultrasonic instruments with an emphasis on creating a rich sonic architecture.  Numerous works utilize the resonant character of the performance spaces as instruments.

The group specializes in performances and installations that focus on the integration of theatrical and musical elements.  CIE is currently offering a range of performance works as well as short and long-term sound installations.

 

Full Description:

Produced by Performing Artservices, Inc. and presented by Interpretations and Roulette.

Iconoclast composer Robert Ashley revisits his opera, Concrete, with eight new songs. Each evening's performance features four solo songs (Portraits) about ordinary people who did extraordinary things for which they'll never be recognized, alternating with ensemble sections (Meditations) with short solos sung by Ashley (as The Observer).

Libretto, Music and Direction: Robert Ashley
Singers: Sam Ashley, Thomas Buckner, Jacqueline Humbert, Joan La Barbara and Robert Ashley
Electronic orchestra: Robert Ashley
Mixing and live electronics: Tom Hamilton

“Ashley celebrates language and questions its basic hold on truth or rational thought. His ultimate message may be that the language of music strikes deepest.”— The Los Angeles Times

“When the 21st century glances back to see where the future of opera came from, Ashley, like Monteverdi before him, is going to look like a radical new beginning.” — Kyle Gann, The Village Voice

“If James Joyce were alive today, he would probably be trying to write operas like Robert Ashley.” —The Wire

 

 

 

Full Description:

Produced by Performing Artservices, Inc. and presented by Interpretations and Roulette.

Iconoclast composer Robert Ashley revisits his opera, Concrete, with eight new songs. Each evening's performance features four solo songs (Portraits) about ordinary people who did extraordinary things for which they'll never be recognized, alternating with ensemble sections (Meditations) with short solos sung by Ashley (as The Observer).

Libretto, Music and Direction: Robert Ashley
Singers: Sam Ashley, Thomas Buckner, Jacqueline Humbert, Joan La Barbara and Robert Ashley
Electronic orchestra: Robert Ashley
Mixing and live electronics: Tom Hamilton

“Ashley celebrates language and questions its basic hold on truth or rational thought. His ultimate message may be that the language of music strikes deepest.”— The Los Angeles Times

“When the 21st century glances back to see where the future of opera came from, Ashley, like Monteverdi before him, is going to look like a radical new beginning.” — Kyle Gann, The Village Voice

“If James Joyce were alive today, he would probably be trying to write operas like Robert Ashley.” —The Wire

 

 

 

Full Description:

Produced by Performing Artservices, Inc. and presented by Interpretations and Roulette.

Iconoclast composer Robert Ashley revisits his opera, Concrete, with eight new songs. Each evening's performance features four solo songs (Portraits) about ordinary people who did extraordinary things for which they'll never be recognized, alternating with ensemble sections (Meditations) with short solos sung by Ashley (as The Observer).

Libretto, Music and Direction: Robert Ashley
Singers: Sam Ashley, Thomas Buckner, Jacqueline Humbert, Joan La Barbara and Robert Ashley
Electronic orchestra: Robert Ashley
Mixing and live electronics: Tom Hamilton

“Ashley celebrates language and questions its basic hold on truth or rational thought. His ultimate message may be that the language of music strikes deepest.”— The Los Angeles Times

“When the 21st century glances back to see where the future of opera came from, Ashley, like Monteverdi before him, is going to look like a radical new beginning.” — Kyle Gann, The Village Voice

“If James Joyce were alive today, he would probably be trying to write operas like Robert Ashley.” —The Wire

 

 

 

Full Description:

Produced by Performing Artservices, Inc. and presented by Interpretations and Roulette.

Iconoclast composer Robert Ashley revisits his opera, Concrete, with eight new songs. Each evening's performance features four solo songs (Portraits) about ordinary people who did extraordinary things for which they'll never be recognized, alternating with ensemble sections (Meditations) with short solos sung by Ashley (as The Observer).

Libretto, Music and Direction: Robert Ashley
Singers: Sam Ashley, Thomas Buckner, Jacqueline Humbert, Joan La Barbara and Robert Ashley
Electronic orchestra: Robert Ashley
Mixing and live electronics: Tom Hamilton

“Ashley celebrates language and questions its basic hold on truth or rational thought. His ultimate message may be that the language of music strikes deepest.”— The Los Angeles Times

“When the 21st century glances back to see where the future of opera came from, Ashley, like Monteverdi before him, is going to look like a radical new beginning.” — Kyle Gann, The Village Voice

“If James Joyce were alive today, he would probably be trying to write operas like Robert Ashley.” —The Wire

 

 

 

Full Description:

"Impressive, fascinating, exotic and challenging"
~ Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery



Tom Hamilton - nord modular synthesizer

Bruce Eisenbeil - guitar

with special guest: William Hooker, percussion



Coherence without predictability, speed without tempo, direction without a roadmap - an unlikely foray into the world of out-jazz and free improvisation. It's a duo that thwarts expectations of its specific instrumentation. The artists hybridize the language of electronic sound through Eisenbeil's guitar and Hamilton's virtual analog synthesizer, and the performances impart maximum phys icality and spontaneity. Equal rights for all sounds is one goal, and since each musician is a maximalist, a dizzying array of sounds and techniques are employed to sustain a visceral experience; contrasting sonic elements played one against another, striving to achieve an isomorphism of musical elements. Pogus Productions has just released their CD "Shadow Machine," to rave reviews. Avant jazz has just now begun to really embrace the language and sounds of electronics; these two artists are positioned on the forefront of a trend that aims to subvert orthodoxy and challenge old assumptions.



In a first-time performance, Hamilton and Eisenbeil will be joined in one set by their special guest, the great percussionist William Hooker.




TOM HAMILTON has been composing and performing for over 40 years, and his work with electronic music originated in the late-60s era of analog synthesis. Hamilton often explores the interaction of many simultaneous layers of activity, prompting the use of "present-time listening" on the part of both performer and listener. Hamilton appears on synthesizer in his own ensembles, and has performed as a member of Slybersonic Tromosome and the Noisy Meditation Band (Peter Zummo), The Spinozas (David Soldier), and Analogos (Michael Schumacher). He has recently performed with Thomas Buckner, Rich O'Donnell, Al Margolis, Jacqueline Martelle, Doug Theriault and Matt Hannafin. Hamilton was a Fellow of the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy, and his CD London Fix received an award in the Prix Ars Electronica. He is a longtime member of composer Robert Ashley's touring opera ensemble, and his audio production can be found in over 60 CD releases of new and experimental music.



BRUCE EISENBEIL (b. 21st August 1963, Chicago, Illinois), is a composer and improvising guitarist who started playing guitar at four and began to perform professionally when he was 15. Although primarily self-taught he studied with Joe Pass, Howard Roberts, Joe Diorio and Dennis Sandole - teacher of John Coltrane and Pat Martino. In addition to his musical developments, Eisenbeil is trained in advanced mathematics, physics - general relativity and quantum mechanics, organic chemistry, computer languages, electrical engineering, acoustics, art history, philosophy and psychology. He has worked as an electrical technician, mechanical draftsman, auto mechanic and in construction. He has twelve CD's released on a variety of labels including: ESP, Pogus, Nemu, Konnex, Cadence, C.I.M.P and Nine Winds. Eisenbeil has been living in New York City since 1995 and he performs at venues and festivals throughout the US, Japan and Europe. His music is distinguished by his signature sound, modern guitar techniques and a dynamic experimental musical vocabulary with a dark harmonious nature. Bruce has had the opportunity to perform and/or record with Cecil Taylor, David Murray, Milford Graves, Evan Parker, Ellery Eskelin, Andrew Cyrille, William Parker, Karl Berger, Lukas Ligeti and many others. His current trio, TOTEM, includes Tom Blancarte and Andrew Drury. He has recieved composing grants and has been featured in many articles, most recently in Guitar Player Magazine. More info: www.eisenbeil.com, www.myspace.com/eisenbeil



William Hooker is an artistic whole, a vast circle of vision and execution. A body of uninterrupted work beginning in the mid-seventies defines him as one of the most important composers and players in jazz. As bandleader, Hooker has fielded ensembles in an incredibly diverse array of configurations. Each collaboration has brought a serious investigation of his compositional agenda and the science of the modern drum kit. As a player, Hooker has long been known for the persuasive power of his relationship with his instrument. His work is frequently grounded in a narrative context. Whether set against a silent film or anchored by a poetic theme, Hooker brings dramatic tension and human warmth to avant-garde jazz. His ability to find fertile ground for moving music in a variety of settings that obliterate genre distinctions offers a much-needed statement of social optimism in the arts. A disciplined, adaptive, and energetic approach to his medium insures that the oeuvre of William Hooker will continue to grow thicker and richer. William Hooker has released over 20 critically acclaimed CDs. As a composer, he has received commissions from Meet the Composer, the NY State Council on the Arts, Real Art Ways and others, and has led many creative ensembles with musicians from diverse backgrounds, including Lee Ranaldo, David Murray, David S. Ware, William Parker, DJ Spooky and Thurston Moore. Hooker often reads his poetry during performances as part of the musical compositions.



"Stylistic concerns are very nearly unimportant, as the pair are engaging in their own language of free improvisation."
~ Martin Longley, All About Jazz-New York

Full Description:

Jump the Circle, Jump the Line employs the distinctively graceful shapes and gestures of analog electronic music in an interactive performance environment shaped by spontaneous vocal performance. The result is a wildly unpredictable yet skillfully and strangely balanced music; enchanted, other-worldly, sub-merged and subterranean ... from evil-hearted birds or ghastly shadowy creepy-crawlies out of our murkiest sub-conscious.

Full Description:

A sound installation combining multiple speakers, found sounds, original samples, atypical speaker enclosures and felt. This new works was commissioned by Roulette with funds provided by the Jerome Foundation.
Slybersonic Tromosome. Tom Hamilton (electronics) will be joined by Peter Zummo (trombone) when they resume their cross-examination of virtue and reality with plenty of wires, mutes and self-important circuitry.