“Kraig Grady: composer, metallophone. Jim Denley: bass flute, alto saxophone and wooden flute. Mike Majkowski: upright bass. Erin Barnes: metallophone. Jonathan Marmor: metallophone.
1. Our Rainy Season (49:12)
2. Nuilagi (25:54)
The two pieces on this album reflect the sounds and the duality of the experiences of our rainy seasons. The first is an internal reflection sifted through memories. The second is a realization of the very music played by the people of Anaphoria to give thanks to the rain.
Our Rainy Season features only two but highly skilled improvisers: Jim Denley and Mike Majkowski. The artists were asked to improvise on single notes with extreme pitch accuracy to within one tenth of a cent, which they could evaluate with the aid of a visual display while performing. While the tuning for Our Rainy Season is from Anaphoria, it resembles a scale once found among the Chopi people in the village of Mavila in Mozambique, an area that likewise experiences its own severe rainy season. In the process of composing another work, Beyond The Windows, it became more and more noticeable how various nuances of the performers’ gestures contributed to the feel and personality of the piece. It was in Our Rainy Season that these possibilities could be fully explored.
Nuilagi reflects the newer style of music-making found during the wet months of Anaphoria. We hear the sounds of rain embraced by the trio of metallophones playing in their Meta-Slendro scale. The piece celebrates the coming of the rainy season after the relentless dry season that precedes it. Anaphorian performers (pseudonyms used to confuse evil spirits): Erin Barnes, Jonathan Marmor, Kraig Grady.” (Kraig Grady)
Kraig Grady is a composer/decomposer/sound explorer. Since 1975 he has pursued the formation of ensembles of acoustic microtonal instruments of his own design/modification to explore an interaction with environmental spaces, the contextual influence of visionary space, and psychoacoustical pitch phenomena. Seeing personal fulfillment as not possible within the confines of specialization, he has also engaged extensively as a shadow puppeteer, tuning theorist, filmmaker, world music radio DJ and concert promoter. His compositions often include interactions with his own silent films and shadow plays. The 90’s saw Grady’s first work connected to the activities of The North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island and more recently The Austronesian Outpost of Anaphoria. Both organizations serve to promote the visionary geographical culture of this island. Despite the fact that the nature and size of his instruments make touring difficult and rare, his work has been presented at Ballhaus Naunyn Berlin Germany), the Chateau de la Napoule (France), the Norton Simon Museum of Art (Los Angeles), the Institute of Modern Art (Brisbane), and the Pacific Asia Museum. Generally it has been within reach of his locales where he engages in most of his activities.” label info
1. Our Rainy Season (49:12)
2. Nuilagi (25:54)
The two pieces on this album reflect the sounds and the duality of the experiences of our rainy seasons. The first is an internal reflection sifted through memories. The second is a realization of the very music played by the people of Anaphoria to give thanks to the rain.
Our Rainy Season features only two but highly skilled improvisers: Jim Denley and Mike Majkowski. The artists were asked to improvise on single notes with extreme pitch accuracy to within one tenth of a cent, which they could evaluate with the aid of a visual display while performing. While the tuning for Our Rainy Season is from Anaphoria, it resembles a scale once found among the Chopi people in the village of Mavila in Mozambique, an area that likewise experiences its own severe rainy season. In the process of composing another work, Beyond The Windows, it became more and more noticeable how various nuances of the performers’ gestures contributed to the feel and personality of the piece. It was in Our Rainy Season that these possibilities could be fully explored.
Nuilagi reflects the newer style of music-making found during the wet months of Anaphoria. We hear the sounds of rain embraced by the trio of metallophones playing in their Meta-Slendro scale. The piece celebrates the coming of the rainy season after the relentless dry season that precedes it. Anaphorian performers (pseudonyms used to confuse evil spirits): Erin Barnes, Jonathan Marmor, Kraig Grady.” (Kraig Grady)
Kraig Grady is a composer/decomposer/sound explorer. Since 1975 he has pursued the formation of ensembles of acoustic microtonal instruments of his own design/modification to explore an interaction with environmental spaces, the contextual influence of visionary space, and psychoacoustical pitch phenomena. Seeing personal fulfillment as not possible within the confines of specialization, he has also engaged extensively as a shadow puppeteer, tuning theorist, filmmaker, world music radio DJ and concert promoter. His compositions often include interactions with his own silent films and shadow plays. The 90’s saw Grady’s first work connected to the activities of The North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island and more recently The Austronesian Outpost of Anaphoria. Both organizations serve to promote the visionary geographical culture of this island. Despite the fact that the nature and size of his instruments make touring difficult and rare, his work has been presented at Ballhaus Naunyn Berlin Germany), the Chateau de la Napoule (France), the Norton Simon Museum of Art (Los Angeles), the Institute of Modern Art (Brisbane), and the Pacific Asia Museum. Generally it has been within reach of his locales where he engages in most of his activities.” label info
Details
Cat. number: either-5
Year: 2011
