Category: Latest Blog Posts

Soviet Union Polemicist On Jazz Music:

“The dry knock of an idiotic hammer penetrates the utter stillness. One, two, three, ten, twenty strikes, and afterwards a wild whistling and squeaking as if a ball of mud was falling into clear water; then follows a rattling, howling and screaming like the clamor of a metal pig, the cry of a donkey or the amorous croaking of a monstrous frog. The offensive chaos of this insanity combines into a pulsing rhythm. Listen to this screaming for only a few minutes, and one involuntarily pictures an orchestra of sexually wound-up madmen, conducted by a Stallion-like creature who is swinging his giant genitals.”

From ‘Vilified, Venerated, Forbidden: Jazz in the Stalinist Era’ by Martin Lücke.

~~~

LOL

The Impossible Will Take a Little While

Impossible-While-Final-web2

The Impossible Will Take a Little While is a song cycle for mezzo-soprano, three ensemble voices (soprano, tenor, baritone), and a chamber orchestra comprised of traditional acoustic and electronic instruments by Eric Lemmon. The goal of the work is to celebrate the impact that ordinary people can achieve through small political acts. These acts mobilize and give hope to others, which is the ultimate tale of political power through democratic principles. The work does not expound upon a particular political issue or ideology, but aims to match the tenor of the texts it is based on –which describes that recognizing how political change in democratic society occurs is important to sustaining action in the face of systemic inertia. By melding this discursive idea to the emotional power of music, Eric’s desire is to offer the same inspiration he gained from the essays and poems in Loeb’s book.  

The Impossible Will Take a Little While has been written for Highline Chamber Ensemble, Kate Maroney, and three voices to be premiered September 8th, 2015 at 7:30PM at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Mary Flagler Cary Hall. The work is based on poetry from the collection of essays of the same title compiled and edited by Paul Rogat Loeb.

Tuesday | 9.8.15 | 7:30PM
The Dimenna Center for Classical Music
$25 General Admission
$20 students, veterans & seniors.
Doors open at 7:00PM, Performance at 7:30PM


Tickets



City of New York 2013

Totally forgot to boost this.  I was part of a really cool project all of 2013, where a jazz guitarist and composer Matt Davis would write a couple new tunes every month featuring a specific under-represented demographic in NYC.  Here is what he said:

This is music written about New York City. Every month of 2013 I spoke to different groups of people, recorded our conversations, wrote music based on the insights and stories they told me, and then rehearsed, recorded and performed the music with my group, Aerial Photograph. Here are the groups I spoke with:

Seniors/Elderly New Yorkers
Recovering Addicts/Alcoholics
Immigrants
Children
Religious Believers
Community Builders
Homeless people
Veterans
NYC Teachers
Incarcerated people
Caregivers
Artists and Musicians

By purchasing this series, you will get access to notes, scores, audio files, images and lots of other cool things.

Click here to buy the Album

City of New York 2013

Totally forgot to boost this.  I was part of a really cool project all of 2013, where a jazz guitarist and composer Matt Davis would write a couple new tunes every month featuring a specific under-represented demographic in NYC.  Here is what he said:

This is music written about New York City. Every month of 2013 I spoke to different groups of people, recorded our conversations, wrote music based on the insights and stories they told me, and then rehearsed, recorded and performed the music with my group, Aerial Photograph. Here are the groups I spoke with:

Seniors/Elderly New Yorkers
Recovering Addicts/Alcoholics
Immigrants
Children
Religious Believers
Community Builders
Homeless people
Veterans
NYC Teachers
Incarcerated people
Caregivers
Artists and Musicians

By purchasing this series, you will get access to notes, scores, audio files, images and lots of other cool things.

Click here to buy the Album