EDITOR’S NOTE: We asked Bryce Dessner, co-curator of the MusicNOW Festival (and member of Cincy-born/Brooklyn-based Indie faves, The National, as well as Clogs), to tell us about the artists participating in this week’s event. All shows are at downtown’s Contemporary Arts Center. For more info, go to page 33 or cincychamber.org.
· Awadagin Pratt and Friends (8 p.m. Wednesday)
“While the concept for Music Now is pretty broad, we definitely wanted a reference point to be the Classical repertoire. We are extremely lucky to have Awadagin, one of the greatest classical pianists, performing the Patron’s (opening) event. All the better that he is also a member of CCM’s faculty!”
· Clogs and The Books (collaborative show; 8 p.m. Thursday)
“My sister introduced me a few years ago to The Books second record, The Lemon of Pink, and I was completely blown away. Their music, which I have heard described as ‘Folktronica,’ is incredibly detailed and ornate, while also buoyant and light-hearted.
I approached them about working with my own band, Clogs, and we got a grant from the UK Arts Council to collaborate and tour England this past January. While our music is quite different, I have never been involved in a more successful collaboration.”
· Celloproject (8 p.m. Friday)
“I discovered Celloproject through Chamber Music Cincinnati’s president Audrey Luna (an amazing classical singer who will guest on Awadagin’s concert), also my co-curator for the festival. Celloproject are an exceptional duo (piano/cello) from Berlin that features Eckart Runge, also cellist for the acclaimed Artemis String Quartet. They have an untraditional and vibrant approach to presenting contemporary Classical music. Their program will feature the Jazz-infected works of Russian composer Nicolai Kapustin and Tango music by Astor Piazolla.”
· Percussion Concert featuring Kyaw Kyaw Naing, Glenn Kotche and David Cossin (8 p.m. Saturday)
“I really wanted to include some element of non-Western contemporary music in the festival. Kyaw Kyaw Naing, who will open Saturday’s percussion concert, is a master Burmese musician and composer now living in Queens, N.Y. Due to the political situation in Burma, he is unable to return to his home country where he is one of the best-known musicians. Kyaw Kyaw performs on the ‘pat waing,’ the Burmese Drum Circle, a traditional instrument made of 21 separately tuned drums. His music is melodic, playful and extremely virtuosic.
“The second part of the Saturday event features a special collaboration for the festival between Glenn Kotche, best known as the drummer for Wilco, and David Cossin, who is a percussionist with Bang on a Can and a frequent orchestral soloist. David and Glenn are two of the most creative and talented musicians I have ever met. While their careers are quite different, they share similar educations in contemporary music and Classical percussion, and a passion for instrument building and expanding the boundaries of percussion performance. They’ll be presenting their original compositions for percussion, including pieces from Glenn’s new solo Nonesuch release, Mobile. David will also perform his highly acclaimed rendition of Steve Reich’s ‘Piano Phase’ for solo percussion and video. People showing up expecting Bonham-esque drum solos will definitely be disappointed!”
· Bell Orchestre with Erik Friedlander (6 p.m. Sunday)
“I originally befriended Richard Parry from Bell Orchestre at shows and festivals we did with our Rock bands (Arcade Fire and The National) over the past year. We quickly found out we share an interest in idiosyncratic instrumental music that is really a feature of the MusicNOW Festival. Bell Orchestre taps into the acoustic delicacy of Chamber music, the urgency of Rock and the sonic intricacy of contemporary electronic music. The concert will be opened by improvising virtuoso cellist Erik Friedlander, premiering a new set inspired by early American fiddle and banjo music.”
· Artist Karl Jensen (installation for the theater)
“Part of the inspiration to present Music Now at the CAC was that I really wanted there to be a major element of collaboration with a visual artist for the festival. We commissioned NYC-based sculptor/architect Karl Jensen to create an installation in the theater, which would serve as a set for the concerts. Karl’s work in part is a response to the role that structure, pattern and ornament play in both music and visual art. I would say seeing the spectacular result is reason enough for people to attend the shows!”
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2006.