The Dogs Of Time

River in Richmond, VA photo by Chris Becker (when he was able to get decent pictures with his cellphone...)

Very, very busy. Very blessed to be busy.

Busy conceptualizing and recording voices and sounds for the upcoming Cornelia Street Cafe show (June 1st) with Roald Hoffman, choreographer Rachel Cohen, and neon artists Kenny Greenberg and Clare Dunn.

Busy tracking, editing and mixing music for projects with my friends Jeremiah Hosea and Peg Simone.

Music for silent films, upcoming session and show in New Orleans...

Reading Alex Ross' The Rest Is Noise on the subways. Looking forward to reading George Lewis' A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music next.

Other cool things are coming up too...more later. Peace. CB

The Lepers Of Melancholy

From my friend and collaborator Lynn Wright's ...And The Wiremen myspace page:

"Chris Becker, Paul Watson, and I will be heading to New Orleans at the beginning of August to enjoy the fine weather and make a free improv record that shall not be called jazz (ed. note We have nothing against jazz). Whilst in the city of crescent shape, much music, (ed. note and even more (fill in the blank)) we'll be doing a Music for Silent Films gig at Zeitgeist Theater (ed. note We're doing it on August 8th around 10:30pm, yo!) with bassist
Grant Curry who is engineering the aforementioned free improv album whose contents shall not be described with the j word that ends in z."

Upcoming

Chris Becker in performance at ADA Gallery, Richmond, VA ((photo by Liz Swerdlow)

Is it Spring yet? I can't tell.

June 1st at the Cornelia Street Cafe as part of their "Entertaining Science" series, I will be joining Nobel prize winning chemist Roald Hoffman (who showed up unexpectedly at our ADA Gallery gigs in Richmond), neon artists Kenny Greenberg and Clare Brew, and choreographer Rachel Cohen for an evening of science, light, movement, and music. These shows at Cornelia sell out very quickly, so if you're curious - you'll want to try and get tickets in advance. Roald is also a gifted poet and playwright. His website is very informative and entertaining...and I guess that's the mission for June 1st. To illuminate and entertain.


Lynn Wright and Paul Watson in performance at ADA Gallery, Richmond, VA (photo by Liz Swerdlow)

And blog protocol seems to require I either post a photo of my cat or list what I'm listening to...I'll do the latter. Take care - Chris

Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts
The Beatles - Revolver
John Zorn - The Dreamers
Roberta Flack - First Take and (on vinyl) Chapter Two
Peter Tosh - Mama Africa

Spring and Summer projects...

Paul Watson and Lynn Right at our recent music for silent films show at ADA Gallery in Richmond, VA. (photos by Liz Swerdlow)


Year of the Rat (photo by Chris Becker)


Recording wind chimes... (photo by Lynn Wright)


On the road...(photo by Chris Becker)


Mood shot (photo by Chris Woltman)

Some random photos until I can take time to talk about some very cool projects I'm working on for the Spring and Summer of 2008. Peace. CB

How do you know when to play and what to play..?

After each performance of Like Dirt there was a moderated Q&A between the audience and Rachel, Patty, myself and the performers. At both Q&As the same question came up directed to the musicians which went something along the lines of: "How do you know when to play and what to play?" Meaning, it was apparent in performance that the musicians and I were all doing certain gestures at certain moments within the dance. But it was also apparent that there was a lot of freedom for expression within the score and overall performance.

Flip did a great job both nights explaining to the audience how my charts provide specific musical directions but that it is also understood that each musician once they understand the basic template of the score must take off and improvise with it. As the composer, my job is to create a series of landscapes with some definite boundaries - not in the restrictive sense of the word, but as if there were aural elements indigenous to the landscape and others that are not indigenous. I think there were only two moments where - in rehearsals - I told the ensemble that what they were doing was absolutely not what I wanted. And if I found myself stuck for an explanation or guidance when the musicians needed it - I would go back to a broader more general description of how I wanted the score to sound. This usually got things back on track.

One friend asked me how much of what Helga was doing was composed and how much of it was improvised. To be clear, she did improvise, but she was starting her improvisations with some specific compositional ideas (which came from me or came from a process of the ensemble playing and improvising together). Another important point to remember is that she was reacting all the time not only to the other musicians (and their interpretive powers) but to the movement as well. The musicians and I had to rehearse this music with movement - although initially we worked as a separate unit just to work out the charts and directions I had come up with.

This is a very enjoyable way of creating music. I have no problem composing for specific people and in an intensely collaborative situation. I know that's not how it is for all composers...but it's a world I enjoy exploring.

Like Dirt performance photos

All performance photos of "Like Dirt" by Karen Garrett de Luna

Like Dirt, February 21, 23 and 24, 2008

Re: Like Dirt. Rachel Cohen's choreography for Like Dirt is so fresh, so funny and so powerful I can't really describe it without sounding like an idiot. Patty Rosenblatt is the new addition to our team and she is rising to the occasion creating a variety of sculptural environments that will shift over the course of the open rehearsal and two performances. Yes, sculpture as performance...

And as always, I can't say enough about Flip, Helga and Lynn. Without these musicians I'd be lost. The live instrumentation for Like Dirt is laptop running Ableton Live, a Kaoss pad, electric guitar, trumpet and voice. We'll be running through amps (no PA) and balancing our sound accordingly.

Here's the details:
February 21, 23 and 24
Like Dirt
Composer - Chris Becker
Choreography - Rachel Cohen
Clay Artist - Patty Rosenblatt
Live score performed by Becker (laptop),
Lewis 'Flip' Barnes (trumpet),
Helga Davis (voice), and Lynn Wright (guitar)

Performers Joelle Arnusch, Katie Brack, Rachel Cohen, and Rebecca Ketchum.

Open rehearsal Thursday, February 21, 5-9pm, Free
Performance Saturday, February 23, 8pm
Performance Sunday, February 24, 4pm
tickets: $20, $15 students/seniors/groups of four plus
at The Secret Theatre (Long Island City)
44-02 23rd Street at 44th Road
Long Island City, Queens

Hope you can make it out. And if you do, please let us know what you thought and felt. Take care.