[Fwd: Birdhouse Concert Review]

Message-ID: <34E8239E.4279@motown.lmco.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 06:31:42 -0500
From: Robert Lodge
Organization: Lockheed Martin Inc.
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Subject: Birdhouse Concert Review
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Here's a first posting from a recent Forum subscriber.
I'd like to report on a fine concert of extended JI (13-limit
in this case) given Feb.13th by the NYC-based ensemble Birdhouse.
As David Beardsley posted the other day, the performance space was,
ah,intimate but definitely pleasant.
Birdhouse is a project drawing on the ethos of birdsong; featuring
its powerful melodic qualities, plus music of environmental concern
and at times actual transcriptions of birdsong. The group consisted
of: Meredith Borden, Soprano
Jon Catler, Just Intonation and fretless guitars
Brad Catler, Percussion
Andrew Bolotowsky, Alto Flute

Throughout the concert Jon Catler played his solidbody electric
with the interchangeable fingerboards (pretty nifty, there's enter-
tainment value right there) while Brad Catler played cross-legged on
the floor with tabla, dumbek, bodhran, cymbals, bells, chimes and
shakers arrayed around him. The choice of alto flute rather than so-
prano concert flute gave an added warmth to the music and left clear
room for Borden's soaring, mostly wordless vocalizations.
The pieces spanned a pretty broad emotional and stylistic gamut,
with some offering an exotic lilt, some wit and humor, while others
evoked an undeniable sadness tied, perhaps, to the situations some
species are currently in.In all cases, use of the higher harmonic
intervals was crucial to the vocal melodies and to the sometimes bit-
tersweet chordings and fingerpicked arpeggios.
Jon made extensive use of a phrase-repeating delay device which
let modal harmonic stuctures serve as a bed for real-time legato lines.
His slow legato work on fretless was especially striking to me; the
glissandos and cello-style bridge-to-nut vibrato were fresh-sounding
and visceral.
The concert ended with maybe the most immediately accessible piece
of the evening,'Bird of Pray', which combined varied instrumental ex-
plorations with lyrics that envision an end to armed conflict.
I understand that a Birdhouse CD is in process. I'm looking forward
to it.


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From: William Sethares
Subject: seminar announcement in Ithaca NY
PostedDate: 16-02-98 16:20:06
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