9th Sound Symposium, New Foundland

Yes, I had the opportunity to experience the 9th biannual Sound Symposium
in Canada's New Foundland. It was 10 days of communing with artists and
with humpback whales.

Maza Meze, a 9-person Arabic/Greek ensemble was the featured act and its
use of microtones was superb. I jammed with them several times and heard
them many other times. I've their new CD which I continue playing along
with: yes bassoon fits beautifully with this ensemble of oud,
ney/clarinet, violin, percussion, 6 vocalists, and qanun/belly dancer.
They announced to the audience before one song, "This was starts on a
half-flat."

Toronto's Critical Band, lead by maker/guitarist John Gzowsky shared a
bill with Malcolm Goldstein. Together they played 2 performances of Gayle
Young's "Black Bean Soup" with Gzowski in 19TET. John Gzowsky actually
prefers Just and 31-TET for his own compositions, of which there were 3:
"Five Short Things", "145," and "Crackling Knuckles." These and my solo
"Dune" for solo bassoon were done in Toronto's Music Gallery a couple of
years ago.

Also performed was Harry Partch's Barstow for which I intoned. Garnet
Willis played chromelodeon in the form of 2 accordians and a
foot-controlled bellows system, while Gzowski built a Partch guitar, in an
electric instrument. It was recorded for broadcast by CBC radio.

Becky Van Der Post, violinist/composer, collaborated with fiance Willis
for an exciting new work "Upon Reading a Ch8ild's Guide to Modern
Physics."

John Butcher of London, England was a featured saxophone soloist that
performed microtonally all the time, mainly as the result of extended
techniques and a fascination with physics (he has a PhD in physics).
He's a connection to London's "scene."

Hearing the lunch-time Harbor Symphonys was real fun. Ships in St. John's
harbor had their ship's horns taken over my composers and performers for
short new works. I counted 7.

Other highlights included Parisian Pierre Bastien's robot musicians, and
Garnet Willis' sound sculpture of 3 giant balloons that sang like whales
by way of magnets, et al.

Johnny Reinhard
Director
American Festival of Microtonal Music
318 East 70th Street, Suite 5FW
New York, New York 10021 USA
(212)517-3550/fax (212) 517-5495
reinhard@idt.net
http://www.echonyc.com/~jhhl/AFMM