Gregory Wanamaker

composer

Clarikinetics features my Sonata for clarinet and piano, clarikinetics, Duo Sonata, and Mid-Winter Waking

• home
• biography
• music
  • catalog
    • complete
    • solo
    • clarinet
    • saxophone
    • chamber
    • vocal
    • orchestral/large ensemble
  • commissioning
  • discography
  • audio samples
  • score samples
• news
  • latest
  • 2010
  • 2009
  • 2008
  • 2007
  • 2006
  • 2005
• calendar
  • 2009-2010
  • 2008-2009
  • 2007-2008
  • 2006-2007
  • 2005-2006
  • 2004-2005
• musings
  • listening
    • top 5
    • composers as performers
  • photo gallery
  • links
• contact

10.12.08

I am never exactly sure what I am going to write in my news section of my site. I have always tried to keep on the subject of my music and the performances it receives because it is relevant to the reasons why interested readers and listeners visit this site. My last news item was about the loss of the great LeRoi Moore which surprised a few visitors enough to comment that they were surprised that I would be interested in popular music when I market myself in the “classical” world (whatever that means). I have always struggled with the high art vs. low art conflict that exists more now than ever because of technological advancement and the presence of music and sound as background to every setting. This phenomenon used to be called “elevator muzak”, but it is no longer limited to elevators; we are forced consumers of noise as music (and vice-versa) in shopping malls, doctors’ offices, etc. As we are constantly exposed to this noise, we as creative musicians cannot help but be influenced by all of the sounds we hear regardless of the idioms imposed on our senses either consciously or subliminally.

Reconciling my early experience in pop and rock music - and the rush that jazz gave me - with my classical conservatory curriculum in composition took years after my formal schooling to figure out that I did not have to make a choice between any single genre. (I am, admittedly, a little slow...) After all, genres are basically bullshit anyway. Look at record stores with their labels Pop, Rock, Country, Jazz, Blues, Folk, Bluegrass, Alternative (???), Rap, Gospel, Christian (gospel and christian are separate?!), Classical, Opera, Easy Listening, World, blah blah blah (Categories taken from recent visits to FYE and Borders)... So where do you put Bela Fleck, Joni Mitchell, Lyle Lovett, Los Lobos, Pat Metheny, John Adams, Steve Reich, Laurie Anderson, eighth blackbird, Michael Feinstein, Frank Zappa, and the Beatles for that matter? Labels don't categorize art, people categorize art by creating and imposing labels.

A family member who has particularly strong tendencies on one end of the political spectrum has repeatedly told my that I have no strong convictions because I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. (Oh, so that’s where this is going...) “It is because I have strong convictions that I choose not to limit myself to one of only two options."

It is important that we don’t subscribe to labels of any type regardless of our fundamental beliefs. This applies to art, of course, as well as those applied to people of any race, general religion or political leaning. I have heard “labelists” state that “All Muslims are terrorists.” I am inclined to ask then, “Are all Catholics child molestors?” I could list so much more, but my point is simple. Labels are dangerous things. In life, among the ignorant, labels are as unforgiving as McCarthy: If you attend a communist party meeting, then you are a communist. (I once went to Temple, you know, but my name has not changed to Wanamakerfarb...)

Composer/critic Michael Nyman applied the term “Minimalism” to the music of Philip Glass, much to his chagrin; Debussy was upset at the critic who called his music “Impressionistic”. On the surface, these facts don’t seem that important and we now apply these labels on music we may have grown to love.

Imagine the eternal damage that is created when we apply such labels to our fellow human beings on this planet simply defined by their skin color, where they may be from, what their names remind us of, etc. Imagine what will happen if we base all of our most important decisions on those surface issues.

Now, imagine doing the opposite: Imagine listening to all points of view with your own ears. Imagine listening to all music and creating your own. Imagine voting for something you truly believe in - not some party bandwagon. Imagine how much thinking around a label can really change the world.

For other news and events, feel free to check out the Calendar page and the Catalog page.

08.20.08

I woke up to the news that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist with the Dave Matthews Band, died quite suddenly yesterday. I am not going to pretend that I was a close friend or even a huge fan of the Dave Matthews Band, but I did have the opportunity to spend a really nice late night/early morning with LeRoi and my brother Doug after a trio gig that LeRoi played in a small Charlottesville club with bassist Houston Ross and drummer Johnny Gillmore in early August 1993. Doug played with LeRoi in various incarnations of the Charlottesville All-Stars and sat in for a few gigs with the Dave Matthews Band in the early 90s. With beers in hand at an after-hours bar, the three of us talked about this gig and the various incarnations of the C-ville All Stars Band the demands of any musician to adjust to changes in personnel. LeRoi learned that I was a grad student in composition at the time and excitedly began telling me about his Theory of Groove. It’s hard for me to recall the specifics of his theory, but let me just say that we talked about music and performance like some little boys talk about Superman.

A classically trained musician himself, I explained to LeRoi that the trouble with studying composition at my grad school at the time was that there was so much more emphasis on musical systems and preparing for the defense of your doctoral dissertation - which in my case was a lousy piece of music - which is to prepare how you can ultimately defend the notes and rhythms, etc. you have written and discuss notation. To top it all, there was no specific performance requirement for the dissertation which basically meant that you could earn a terminal degree in music composition without caring about sound, performance or anything else that really matters in music. LeRoi quite simply said, “Write about the groove, man. Write about the groove otherwise no one’s gonna play your tunes.” He went on to state that orchestras and string quartets deal with groove all the time and if that’s what I want to write, then that’s what I need to think about.

In some ways this single conversation with LeRoi simplified everything for me and in every piece I compose even now, I think about him and his simple words. Thanks, LeRoi.

For other news and events, feel free to check out the Calendar page and the Catalog page.

02.23.08

Time flies like the wind, but fruit flies like bananas! It’s been a while since I reported anything of any significance. I have been working on a few projects and taking a break to simply listen to and watch a few performances in and around New York. Something I would like to share is my impression of the January 14 performance of Die Walküre at the Met. I had never seen a Ring Opera live before, and was looking forward to this production. Without going into too much detail about every good or bad thing, the most striking was an announcement before the second act that the Brünnhilde had a sore throat but would be performing anyway and “asks for the audience’s understanding.”

Bullshit!

How about this: “The second trombonist has no arms and therefore cannot play past third position as he must grip the spit-valve with his toes, so we ask for the audience’s understanding.”

Or this: “The harps have no g-strings because of the sexual connotations of that part of the instrument, so we ask for the audience’s understanding.”

In any case, The Brünnhilde was really terrible. It wasn’t sore-throat-related at all, she was simply wobbly and out of tune and sounded as if she did not understand the harmony at all. In short, she had no business singing that role at all - at least on that evening. On a more positive note, however, we were all glad, however, that Sieglinde’s diaphragm was broken so that Siegfried would make more sense. (Stephanie Blythe was incredible as Fricka, by the way.)

And now... Stuff about Me:

I do have quite a few performances of my works recently past, and a few more coming up. Highlights include the upcoming world premiere of my Three Episodes by saxophonist Christopher Creviston and guitarist Oren Fader in New York on March 31. I am pleased that they will repeat performances of the piece at the Crane School of Music and at the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference in Columbia, South Carolina. The West Point Saxophone Quartet will also be there, performing my Saxophone Quartet and speed metal organum blues. See my calendar page for more specific venue details.

I am told that it is only a matter of weeks before the release of Tim McAllister’s Summit Record release Glint featuring the definitive recording of my Duo Sonata with clarinet virtuoso Robert Spring. Look for it in stores and online!

Of course, I have quite a few projects in the hopper. Keep listening for details!

©2010 Gregrory Wanamaker, All Rights Reserved.