Diversity of the showcases

It’s been great to have had diverse composer/musicians as part of our showcases at Lincoln Drill Hall, Derby Assembly Rooms and Nottingham Royal Concert Hall. We have had 2 from Dr Charles Tebbs, one in Derby and one in Nottingham. His compositions for piano are essentially classical in flavour but with Celtic and other influences audible in his pieces.

We have had one from Bob Dickinson and Mario Gazzi. (Bob was one of two composers to be commissioned by Komposit as part of the original pilot project working with a 6 piece ensemble). His music for the showcase was piano based, minimalist, with lyrics provided by Mario. This was at Lincoln Drill Hall.

I did a showcase myself at Lincoln consisting of folk and world music influenced tunes as played on sax and vocals with a live loop station and featuring a Gamelan demonstration and a gamelan and sax improvised piece.

Finally we have had one from Singer Song writer/guitarist Troy Faid. He performed as part of a trio showcasing tracks from his current Cd at Derby Assembly rooms. Unfortunately the top tweeters in the speakers broke just before he started performing and made his lyrics very muffled but the strength of his guitar playing shone through illustrating influences from jazz swing, rag time and folk.

Often the composer/musician who is showcased does so in front of an audience that is listening to music of a different genre. The aim here again is to break down barriers and to give a showcase to a new potential audience for that artist.

The showcases are designed to give a platform to people on our data base, who are composers as well as performers who can relatively easily showcase some of their work. It also serves, by it’s nature, to showcase the diversity and quality of musician and instrumentation on our data base. For instance the forthcoming Kayla Kavanagh showcase at Derby will demonstrate a brand new instrument which may well prove interesting to composers (see the blog below) These showcases help to keep komposit in the public eye whilst we look for ways of developing more composers, more unusual pieces and larger ensembles.

As part of the komposit philosophy we support musicians and composers from all genres of music. 

The future holds plans for showcasing in London as well as developing larger pieces in our programmed workshop ensemble format. This helps composers free up what they intend to write and work collaboratively with an ensemble of supportive musicians. Whilst creating new music without barriers as our overall ethos, we feel that the showcases help the profile of Komposit to exist while we endeavour to raise funds for further commissions.

The long term aim is to have a body new work created by Komposit composers within our processes and to showcase these and how they have been developed in our own concert programs. We have much work to do in raising, money, profile and developing audiences for new music but the work goes on. 

If you are new to this then feel free to email me on info@komposit.org.uk where I can send you information about our ethos and practies and plans for the future.

Mas Y Mas next showcase Lincoln Drill Hall 22 Nov

Mas y Mas are performing before top UK folk band Lau. They will be on at about 7pm and if you couldn’t get hold of the hot tickets for the show itself the cafe is public so you can squeeze yourself in there. There’ll have CDs on sale too. 

Más Y Más

Unity Sensuality Fiesta

 

 

Más Y Más are a Latin acoustic power trio playing the original songs of

Rikki Thomas-Martínez, their lead singer and guitarist.

 

The music of Más Y Más is an irresistible meeting of Latino, Flamenco and Afro-Cuban influences woven together by driving dance rhythms and rich vocal harmonies. Drawing on these influences the band use acoustic instruments playing them with such passion and skill that the result is electrifying.

 

The music of Más Y Más is joyful, original, contemporary and fresh with a timeless, enduring appeal. The songs are composed by Rikki Thomas-Martínez and  the arrangements are worked on collaboratively by the whole band.

 

From Anglo-Spanish origins, composer and cross-cultural musical traveller Rikki Thomas-Martínez has moved with his Spanish guitar within the sonic worlds of Latin, Flamenco, Asian, and western music and now sets Más Y Más ablaze with a uniquely hot flavoured style. Half Spanish and half Welsh he writes and sings in Spanish, English and French. Rikki has brought his very Spanish and Latin musical influences to Más Y Más, and suffused them with sensibilities of a songwriter brought up on a diet of Marley, Dylan and many other English-speaking writers. Taught and mentored by one of Spain’s greatest Flamenco Guitar masters, El Entri, Rikki combines the feel and style of flamenco based guitar playing with forms and arrangements more commonly found in UK and American based reggae, rock, blues and folk music. 

Wayne D. Evans brings to the double bass a fiery musical talent and passion for the low end of the sound spectrum.  He has woven a compelling and driving style on his old brown wooden instrument and also brings original songs delivered through soaring vocals to Más Y Más. Wayne writes in English and his songs too are augmented with the Spanish feel of Rikki’s guitar and the driving percussive style of Richard’s drums. 

Percussionist Richard Kensington adds to the compositional mix at the arrangement stage with an extensive knowledge of Cuban and Afro Latin percussion techniques and styles. Specialising in playing the Congas, Richard has studied in Cuba on many occasions with some of the greatest percussionists in Havana and Matanzas. In Más Y Más he has distilled his knowledge into a multi perc set-up combining congas, bass drum, Cajon, Bell, guiro and clave. The percussion is arranged to complement the writing, form and arrangements of Rikki’s songs rather than in a way that mimics the styles he has studied in Cuba. In this way he creates music that is at the same time original, familiar and yet evokes the sound of a culture he loves. Richard uses this massive percussion sound to drive the music of Más Y Más.

Mas Y Mas recently took some of Rikki’s compositions to Cuba where they  collaborated on arranging these songs with Santiago Garzon Rill ‘Chaguito’ Richard’s percussive mentor in Havana. The result was ‘La Bala’ (The Bullet) the third Mas Y Mas album recorded in Havana with a host of guest Cuban Musicians.

 

Mas Y Mas have since reworked the album for a trio arrangement and will be some of the tracks from this and their other two albums tonight at Lincoln Drill Hall.

Our other dates

The current dates for composer performer platforms have all been filled. After tomorrow night the next one at Lincoln Drill Hall is before top BBC award winning folk band ‘Lau’, play. Mas y Mas will take to the stage demonstartying their own unique brand of latin song and music making.

On 16th February in Derby Kayla Kavanagh will play after the Russian Phil have played. She will be demonstrating her own music using live multiple looping and a new instrument called an Egan Harp. Have a look at her on the web with the instrument.

The cafe area at Lincoln is open to all whether you go to the show or not. For the Derby performnaces you need to be going to the concert to see the post show but with something as diverse as this this is surely huge value for money.

Please come along and support Komposit.

There are many other plans a foot of which we will keep you posted as and when they become firmed up.

First Composers platform at Nottinghams Royal Centre

Tomorrow night 30th September sees our first composer performer platform at Nottinghams Royal Centre. Charles Tebbs will be playing in the upper foyer from 6.45pm and will be joined by a percussionist: here are the pieces and the notes:

Moonlight from Sunlight

 

Four Preludes (no.1 and no.2)

 

The Spinning Wheel (with Russell Jalland, darbuka)

 

Four Preludes (no.3 and no.4)

 

Ballade for Emma

 

Sleep

 

‘Moonlight from Sunlight’ takes as its starting point the ever-popular (with composers and listeners alike) combination of broken chords and sustain pedal.  Think of the famous first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, for example, and lots of contemporary minimalist pieces besides (Glass, Einaudi etc.).  I have added my own rhythmic slant to this tried and tested formula: the hands drift in and out of phase with each other, the left hand generally following four-in-a-bar, the right hand based on multiples of three, creating an ever-shifting perspective.  The middle section allows the threes to take over, with a fleeting melody added on top.  Technicalities aside, this is my offering to the stars, planets and their interplay of different orbits.

 

My piano music might be said to mix romanticism with aspects of modernism, the former being mostly in evidence in the pieces with titles while the untitled Preludes are more atonal and abstract.  Nevertheless the two approaches are not necessarily exclusive, and there is undeniably more romanticism than would usually be found in contemporary music within the Preludes, especially no.2 which in fact begins with a very short piece by another composer, the Catalan Frederic Mompou (from his ‘Impressiones Intimas’), and then continues with variations on this theme, with the melody of the original tending to drift around in fragments.

 

For ‘The Spinning Wheel’ I am joined by composer and percussionist, Russell Jalland, who has developed an accompanying part for darbuka drum.  It is inspired by the rhythmic feel and modal flavour of  ‘slip jigs’ from British folk traditions, without consciously borrowing any traditional melodies.   As well as sounding like an imaginary folk ballad, the title also suggests the spinning out of a thread, both elements accounting for the rather lengthy form of the piece, in which the opening theme is never far away.

 

Prelude no.3 returns to and enlarges upon the intensity of Prelude no.1, and is a series of controlled explosions within a lop-sided rhythmic groove borrowed in fact from Macedonian folk rhythm but sounding nothing like as sweet!  It is written in the spirit of the old scherzo, slightly unnerving, shadowy and prone to rear up.  I apologise if this is not suitable background music.  It crashes straight into Prelude no.4 without pause, by contrast slow and seductive, subtitled ‘jazz nocturne’. 

 

‘Ballade for Emma’ is much more in the romantic vein with a clear structure in which the theme tells its story, moving through interludes of turbulence and mystery in the central section and, after the varied return of the theme, fading away via a Debussyian coda of pentatonic cascades.  If there is time I will follow this with ‘Sleep’, a muted, hypnotic offering which moves as it were to the edge of sleep, almost wakes, then fades.  ’Ballade for Emma’ is included on the CDs I am selling tonight.     

 
Dr Charles Tebbs earned his doctorate from Southampton University with a thesis on endings in 20th century classical music, whilst himself becoming increasingly enticed into the world of composing.  Since then his career has involved teaching music at both Lancaster university and Nottingham university, playing church organ and playing and teaching the piano, which is his current focus alongside composition.  Last year he won a prize for his pipe organ composition ‘Prelugue’ which was premiered on the new organ of Llandaff cathedral in Cardiff.  His studio-based compositions, some of which feature piano, have been played on radio 3.  He has also written various instrumental pieces, including music for vibraphone, marimba and piano which has found its way as background music into numerous TV and radio programmes worldwide.  Musical influences have included Debussy, Squarepusher, Elizabethan consort music, the piano accordion (which he also plays), gamelan and probably quite a few things in between.  Charles has an interest in a broad range of musical styles including the traditional Classical piano repertoire.  But he still feels there is room for more piano music and hopes you enjoy his contributions. 

 

www.charlestebbs.co.uk

Lincoln Drill Hall 17th Sept

Our next composer/performer platform will have 3 elements to it and should prove an interesting concert.  Simon Steptoe will also make an appearance with the Gamelan. Former expert for the Halle orchestra in Gamelan Simon is now director of the Firebird Trust and a great supporter of komposit . Additionally I, Jo Freya will be demonstrating some of my solo sax and loop pieces.

The concert is in the Drill Hall Cafe and is before the main jazz program, ‘The James Hamilton Orchestra’.

The drill hall pre shows are free and open to anyone and start at 6.45pm

New Composer Performer showcase dates

The forthcoming dates are:

17th Sept - Pre-show Lincoln Drill hall Cafe (pre jazz gig)

21st October - Post show Derby assembly rooms foyer (post classical)

22nd November - Pre-show Lincoln Drill hall (pre Folk gig)

16th Feb - Post show derby Assembly Rooms Foyer (post classical)

We are hoping to announce a similar program of events at Nottingham Royal Centre. Composers for these showcases will be announced soon.

Second performer platform - Bob Dickinson Mario Gazzi

This took place on Friday 17th June in the lovely cafe area of Lincoln Drill Hall. Bob and Mario performed a program of new compositions featuring haunting minimalist piano and Mario’s evocative vocal. Like much of the music related to Komposit it would not be easy to define or box the genre of music here , the pieces were more pieces than songs as you might normally expect them to be, with the lyrics taking unusual turns. This made it very interesting litening.

Despite being in an open cafe space the audience were attentive and quiet, you could almost have heard a pin drop.

Thank you to Bob and Mario for being our first show case at the Drill Hall. We are looking forward to many more.