TOSCA SALAD
This tossed salad of a CD comes from recordings of Deep Listening Band rehearsals and of the Band in concert. They are all from sessions of free improvisation (except perhaps for "Epigraphs in the Time of AIDS" which actually has a score). We've selected a variety of excerpts as a collection of snapshots; an acoustic essay of our work over the last two years ordered chronologically.
Although we play in a variety of spaces, we have also had the pleasure of spending many days in a church in Kingston near David's and Pauline's homes. Over the last two years, we have explored the natural acoustics of this space and also transformed it electronically with the Expanded Instrument System (EIS). More recently, we have also been able to be in residence for extended periods at the Candy Factory in Austin, Texas and The Kitchen in New York City.
While we always enjoy exploring unusual natural acoustic spaces, it is rare that they are appropriate for public performances.
But we can apply what we've learned to our use of the Expanded Instrument System and simulate some of the exotic spaces' characteristics for concerts in more conventional venues.
Although we may be thought of as an accordion, trombone, piano trio, we all use our voices and a variety of other instruments and sound makers. Those familiar with previous DLB CDs will recognize Stuart's didjeidu and garden hose. Introduced here (in "Coming Together") is Pauline on French horn, her original orchestral instrument dating to her time with college and community orchestras and bands in California. David will try anything with keys, but also often plays ocarinas and folk flutes. We have also played with guests as the opportunities arise. Julie Lyon Rose (voice and movement), Joe Giardullo (reeds), Ben Neill (mutantrumpet), Fritz Hauser (percussion), Urs Leimgruber (saxophones), Joe McPhee (reeds and pocket trumpet), and members of the Long String Instrument Band all contribute their unique tonal palates to this CD.
1. Off the Beaten Tracker 2:00
Deep Listening Band with guest Julie Lyon Rose. June 23,1993 - Trinity United Methodist Church
This organ solo by David Gamper (with commentary by the rest of the band and Julie) comes from the Band's first recording session in this wonderful church. The Howard two-manual and pedal tracker action organ, built around 1900, has seen better days, but is still a beautifully expressive instrument because of its direct mechanical action and stopping. This piece features the Trumpet Stop, which although it doesn't work reliably, provides a quixoticly raucous tone color.
2. Renko's Birthday 2:46
Deep Listening Band with guest Julie Lyon Rose. June 23,1993 - Trinity United Methodist Church
At the same recording session, this folk song emerged after a passing car provided the impetus for playing along with it. On rehearing it, Stuart realized that it had been his wife Renko's birthday, which provided the title.
3. Dempster Oliveros Duet 3:12
4.Gamper Dempster Duet 2:09
5. Oliveros Gamper Duet 1:58
Deep Listening Band. October 27,1994 - Trinity United Methodist Church
We were recording with guests saxophonist Urs Leimgruber and solo drummer Fritz Hauser when we decided to try all the possible duets among the five musicians. These are the three among members of the Band- first Pauline and Stuart, then David and Stuart, and finally. Pauline and David.
6. Coming Together (excerpt) 5:04
Deep Listening Band with guests Urs Leimgruber and Fritz Hauser. October 27,1994 - Trinity United Methodist Church
As a group improvisation, we decided to begin as an independent duet (Urs and Fritz) and trio (Deep Listening Band), playing simultaneously, and gradually become a quintet. This is an excerpt from the recording.
7. Epigraphs in a Time of AIDS (excerpt) (Oliveros) 3:25
Deep Listening Band, Long String Instrument Band (Ellen Pullman, Elise Gould and Nigel Jacobs) and EIS. November 12,1994 - The Candy Factory, Austin, Texas
This piece was commissioned by the Pauline Oliveros Foundation for Deep Listening Band with Ellen Pullman's Long String Instrument Band. Along with another piece by Ellen, "TexasTravelTextures" (also commissioned by the Pauline Oliveros Foundation) the two form Suspended Music, a collaborative project of the two bands. This excerpt begins with a garden hose solo by Stuart with the Expanded Instrument System (EIS), followed by a section featuring all the players with the EIS.
Funding for "Epigraphs in the Time Of AIDS" was provided by the Composer's Program of the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for "TexasTravelTextures" was provided by Meet the Composer/ Reader's Digest Commissioning Program in partnership with the Lila Wallace - Reader's Digest Fund, Inc. and the National Endowment for the Arts.
8. Dream Time
Deep Listening Band and EIS. January 10, 1995 -The Kitchen, New York City
This piece (and tbe following one) is from recordings of the Band in rehearsal for our concert series at The Kitchen. We were actually rehearsing during a photo shoot, so you might hear an occasional kachunk in the background from the cameras. In this selection and the next, Pauline's just tuned accordion is joined by David's piano in the same tunings as implemented by Michael Harrison.
9 Not Very Deep Hockets 5:30
Deep Listening Band and EIS with guest Ben Neill on Mutantrumpet. January 12, 1995 - The Kitchen, New York City
We were in rehearsal for a guest appearance by Ben Neill when we slid into a version of Camper's "Deep Hockets," one of the pieces on the program. It evolved into this selection.
10 The Saucer's Apprentice (excerpt) 3:07
Deep Listening Band and EIS. January 1 3, 1 995 -The Kitchen, New York City
This is an excerpt from one of The Kitchen concerts. The program note reads:" - the saucer in The Kitchen holds the cup. Here it takes the performers into places they haven't been before. It is in these places that the mysteries come forth and we do our best to deal with them."
11. Ten Ears Celebration (excerpt) 4:13
Deep Listening Band and EIS with guests Joe McPhee and Joe Giardullo. May 27,1995 - Trinity United Methodist Church
These next two pieces are from a recording of a concert beginning celebrations of ten years of the Pauline Oliveros Foundation. This first excerpt features Joe McPhee on saxophone and Joe Giardullo on flutes and bass clarinet. We are all using the EIS in various configurations.
12 From Now On 7:00
Deep Listening Band and EIS. May 27.1995 -Trinity United Methodist Church
"From Now On" is a vocal meditation by the Band with the EIS.
Total playing time 48:31
PRODUCED BY: Pauline Oliveros Foundation, Inc.
MUSICAL PRODUCER: David Camper
RECORDING ENGINEERS: Bob Bielecki (1 & 2,8-12), Eldad Benary (3-6), Michael Northam(7)
EDITING: David Camper
PUBLISHER: Deep Listening Publications - ASCAP
DESIGN: Susanna Ronner Graphic Design
PHOTOGRAPHY: Will Falter
� * 1995 Deep Listening
This recording is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and with funds from the Mary Flagler Gary Trust
OTHER DEEP LISTENING BAND CD'S
Deep Listening Sanctuary 1995 /Mode 421
The Ready Made Boomerang
1989 (New Albion NA044CD)
Trogolodyte's Delight
1990 (What Next? WN0003)
Deep Listening
1989 (New Albion NA 022 CD)
Note on EIS
The Expanded Instrument System (EIS) is an evolving electronic sound processing environment dedicated to providing improvising musicians control over various interesting parameters of electronic transformation of their acoustic performances. Performers each have their own setup which includes their delay and ambiance processors, microphones, signal routing and mixing, and a computer which translates and isplays control information from foot pedals and switches. In addition, they have access to shared processing resources, such as a special digital signal processing computer. The musicians and their instruments are the sources of all the sounds, which they pick up by their microphones and subject to several kinds of pitch, time and spatial ambiance transformations and manipulations. No electronic sounds are used. The sources of all the resulting sounds are acoustic instruments and voices. Software for the EIS was partially developed by Panaiotis of PanDigital Corporation and By David Gamper.
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