CD NOTES
When personal computers
became widely available in the mid-eighties, I aspired to
use these new instruments in a way that was compatible with
the essence of jazz. I taught myself to program and began
to explore the use of automation in improvisation and the
expanded timbral palette afforded by these new means.
The works presented here document
much of my repertoire for saxophone and computert hat I began
performing in 1989. I perform these works in concert using
the saxophone, acoustic sensors, a computer and synthesizers.
Each piece uses a unique computer program of my design that
was developed to flow with the movement and moods of the given
composition. Within this context the software 'listens' or
analyzes my performance and computes a compatible improvisation
in real-time.
While computers and synthesizers
are relatively new to jazz, its protagonists have aspired
to enrich the music by exploring new aesthetic approaches
and instruments from the beginning. Pianist/composer Scott
Joplin combined elements of ragtime and opera in his Treemonisha.
New Orleans drummers including Baby Dodds combined an arsenal
of military drums to form a new instrument, the modern drum
kit, that was used to play polyrhythms of unprecedented complexity
using all the limbs. Charlie Christian used the electric guitar
to compete in an unconstrained manner with the finest wind
soloists of the swing and be-bop eras.
In
my work with computers I draw on earlier experiences playing
with jazz musicians and try to use the computer to complement
the verve with which we perform. I have also relied on jazz
methodology to develop order for the extended possibilities
that the computer introduces. Later parts of this work draw
on study with George Russell of his Lydian Chromatic Concept.
In my repertoire, the past, present, and future belong to
the same impulse: playing a guaguanco, blues or performing
with a microprocessor are part of the same work.
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THE MUSIC
M87
(1996) The computer 'listens'
to my use of certain pitches and responds by creating a tapestry
of melodic patterns in real-time.
Timaeus I (1999) is
a study in automated improvisation using the Lydian ChromaticConcept.
The tuning of the scale expands and contracts in real-time
to create glissando effects. Microtonal clusters gradually
expand to form more familiar chord voicings.
Caxionics (1994) is
organized into three continuous sections. A recording of processed
tenor saxophone is heard throughout. The score includes interpreted
and improvised sections for saxophone with live effects processing.
The processed tape andscore were composed by Ileana Perez
Velazquez. The title is a blending of the words cancion, saxophone
and electronics.
Timaeus II (1999) is
a modal improvisation for saxophone and live electronics.
Plato uses Timaeus' explanation to show how human perceptions,
the body and the soul are linked to larger universal structures.
Sacred Bath I, II, III (1993)
is based on my electroacoustic soundtrack
for the video "Baņo Sagrado" by Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons.
The drumming in the middle section is an algorithmic variation
on a four-bar pattern by Cuban percussionist ErnestoRodriguez,
whom I met while playing with Emiliano Salvador in Havana.
Legacy: San Lazaro (1989)
was created and premiered at the Banff
Center for the Arts and later performed at the International
Computer Music Convention, Montreal. The software automates
approaches to rhythmic improvisation that I was introduced
to while playing with Jymmie Merritt. The piece is dedicated
to Sotero Campos.
Inner Path (1993)
is a computer generated score for soprano saxophone. The Golden
Mean was used to select intervals for the construction of
melody.
Passage (1996) was
written during an American Composers Forum residency. With
the exception of the bass samples, all sound are synthesized
in real-time. The tuning of the scales changes continually
throughout the piece.
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