Pitch Black: Continuum Sax play Jacob TV

Dutch composer Jacob TV, the artist formerly known as Jacob Ter Veldhuis, achieved notoriety for bringing the boombox (portable stereo system) – and by implication popular culture – into the world of classical chamber music. Tragic jazz figures, sidewalk evangelists, American chat-show television, and death-row confessions are subjected to deconstructive devices such as sampling, looping, and mash-up, creating an explosive and emotional rhythmic atmosphere juxtaposed with moments of tenderness, lewdness, and naivety.

Complementing the music blaring from the boombox are notated compositions that rival the tracks for their impulsive energy. Melodies are dictated by speech-rhythm and are for this reason organic, emotional, and impossible to notate accurately, requiring great empathy on the performers’ behalf to execute synchronously.

Grab it! (1999), for tenor saxophone/boombox and Pitch Black (1998), for saxophone quartet/boombox, explore the philosophies and emotions of prison inmates; Billie (2003), for alto saxophone/boombox, is a tribute to the achingly beautiful Billie Holiday; and Heartbreakers (2006), for saxophone quartet/boombox incorporates video. Continuum Sax performed the Australian premieres of Jacob TVs Jesus is Coming and Postnuclear Winterscenario No. 10 in 2008.

Rachael Brown and Margery Smith enjoy an ongoing collaboration. Their work explores the possibilities of real-time dialogue between the mediums of sound and visuals. Rachael’s sensitive transformation of visuals creates a meditative atmosphere apt to Margery’s sensitivity to sonic variations and improvisational explorations of structure.

Cold Trannie, composed by Martin Kay, was initially a working title referencing John Coltrane and meant to inspire an edgy sound. The piece itself was built layer upon layer on protools, with my friends laying down long notes, grooves, and whatever other ideas occurred at the time. Through post-production and deconstruction the initial impulses became obscured and subverted. The saxophone duet began life as a unison line fleshed out with mirrors and various internal symmetries. Through spontaneous displacement, methods of erasure and directed disruptions of the constructed logic, the parts diverged creating a funky heterophony.


Program:

Jacob TV – Pitch Black – saxophone quartet and soundtrack 10’
Martin Kay – Cold Trannie – tenor and baritone saxophones and soundtrack 8’
Jacob TV – Billie – alto saxophone and soundtrack 11’
Rosalind Page – New Work – saxophone quartet and soundtrack 7’
Jacob TV – Jesus is Coming - saxophone quartet and soundtrack 8’

Interval

Margery Smith – Corpus – Saxophone, electronics and video 8’
Jacob TV – Grab It! – tenor saxophone, soundtrack and video 10’
Jacob TV – Heartbreakers - saxophone quartet and soundtrack and video 18’

Staging Requirements:

Four music stands,
PA system to suit venue with 2 monitor speakers.
Video projector and screen.

Personnel:

Margery Smith – soprano saxophone
James Nightingale – alto saxophone
Martin Kay – tenor saxophone
Jarrod Whitbourn – baritone saxophone

Rachael Brown – Video artist

Sound Engineer – TBA – may be provided by venue.

First Performed by Continuum Sax: 3rd December 2008

Web Links:

Continuum Sax http://www.continuumsax.com
Jacob TV http://www.jacobtervelduis.com
Rachael Brown http://www.myspace.com/missbrownvj

Artist Biographies:


Rachael Brown – Video Artist

Rachael Brown graduated with a master’s degree in Visual Arts from the Sydney College of the Arts in Sydney in 2005. She majored in video in the electronic and temporal arts department. Drawn to performance and dance in film she set about creating a series of short experimental dance films. In 2005 her master’s video, Corpus, toured with The Commonwealth Film Festival’s short moves programme over Europe and premiered in Buenos Aires at the Central Cultural Ricardo Roja’s.

After graduating Rachael began a series of collaborations with musicians and dancers, creating video works that could be projected and manipulated during live performances. In November 2006, she flew to Adelaide with Sydney Band Coda to create visuals for their show as part of the annual Feast Festival.

In 2007 Rachael worked with Sydney Dance Company teacher Rebecca Devine to create a series of videos to accompany the album launch of Sydney jazz trio Informal Troupe at The Last Bastion of Civilization (Surry hills, Sydney). She also created a music video for Sydney musician Miss Little (2007).

In 2008 she created visuals for a show at PACT theatre for performer Ashley Dyer who received an Australia Council ‘Spark’ mentorship grant. She also worked with classical saxophone and bass clarinettist Margery Smith. Their most noted performance together that year was at the Peggy Glanville Hicks address at the Mint. She also created a video work for classical flautist Christine Draeger. For this work she collaborated with Dirty Feet dancer Sarah Fiddaman and choreographer Daniel Louie. The short video work accompanied Christine Draeger’s live performance Concerto for Flute.

In 2009 Rachael Brown is working again with Ashley Dyer on a performance for the Victorian Kick Start grant, which involves multiple projection screens. She is also working again with Dirty Feet dance group adapting a work choreographed by Eva Fernandez into a dance film. Rachael is working on visuals commissioned by saxophone quartet Continuum Sax.



To see examples of her work got to: www.myspace.com/missbrownvj

Continuum Sax

Margery Smith—soprano/alto saxophone
James Nightingale—soprano/alto saxophones
Martin Kay—tenor saxophones
Jarrod Whitbourn—baritone saxophones

Australia's foremost saxophone quartet, Continuum Sax, explores the frontier of saxophone sound and technique. They have performed at the 2008 Restrung Festival, the 2005 Melbourne International Festival of Single Reeds, 2002 Australian Clarinet and Saxophone Conference and broadcast regularly on ABC Classic FM.

Continuum Sax commissions and inspires works from Australia's leading composers. Stuart Greenbaum, Paul Stanhope, Barry Cockcroft, Matthew Hindson, amongst others, have contributed to their unique repertoire.

As exponents of modern saxophone music they have presented Australian premieres of works by Elena Firsova, Franco Donatoni, Salvatore Sciarrino, Gavin Bryars, Perry Goldstein, Rolf Gehlhaar and Jacob TV.

Collaborations provoke unexpected and interesting directions. Continuum Sax has nurtured a substantial repertoire of composed and improvised works. Collaborators include the Belgian experimental electric-violinist Cécile Broché; Match Percussion; sound sculptor Gail Priest; didgeridoo player Mick Davison; and jazz experimentalists the Freedivers. In the 2008 Restrung Festival at the Brisbane Powerhouse Continuum Sax formed part of the Six Pack Symphony, a modular orchestra with the Brodsky Quartet, Topology, Wood, David Chesworth Ensemble and Clocked Out.

In 2009 Continuum Sax commissioned new works from Rosalind Page, Damien Ricketson and Robert Davidson, with assistance from the Australia Council. Other projects include the performance of a new multi-media work with video-artist Rachael Brown, and a program of works by Australian jazz composers, inspired by the work of the Original Otto Orchestra.

Continuum Sax have given composition and performance masterclasses at Newcastle University and performed at the MLC School's Australian Music Days. In 2008 Continuum Sax recorded a large number of educational works for reedmusic.com.

Continuum Sax has released two CDs, CONTINUUM (2001) and ICON (2005).

Continuum Sax is a member of the New Music Network.

‘This is a group that plays as one—a really beautiful, integrated sonority…’ From Review of Continuum CD, 24 Hours Magazine (Oct. 2002).

'Deft at melding sounds, with a score or without ...'Continuum Sax do improvisation very well ... the ensemble is equally impressive when playing scored works ... making Perry Goldstein's Motherless Child Variations, with its telling references to Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, so memorable.' - 'Sydney Morning Herald, 24 October 2006.