I am VERY excited to announce the digital release of "Lungfiddle", an album of solo accordion compositions, on April 8th, via Off - Record Label.
Lungfiddle, which is a pet-name I use for the accordion, began as a question that came up after some years of not-very serious attempts at crafting a functional solo set after finally feeling like I had an identity as a composer and improviser. The question, about what constituted a language rather than just a vocabulary as a solo performer, was catalyzed by some focused listening to colleagues and heroes alike in a solo format, where the responsibilities of sound and space become entirely stacked on the whims and techniques of that artist.
I was then invited to perform a solo set to open a show back in March of 2014, and prepared drafts of three compositions, all of which appear in some form on the album. Immediately it became clear that despite all of my inclinations in other improvising settings (playing recorder or clarinet or using my voice in addition to my primary instrument), this book of pieces had to focus on the accordion alone.
Over the course of the next 15 months, I had the opportunity to perform these compositions a half-dozen more times, in addition to focusing on an exercise of daily improvisation for several months. The process was very special for me, forcing me to not only consider all the capabilities of the instrument, but where not to use them - to turn my intense analysis of improvised and experimental music inward in a sometimes painful way.
Lungfiddle is a snapshot of four compositions, as they existed on June 8th of 2015 when they were recorded. Eric Tate engineered, edited, and mixed the thing, aiming to provide a close image of the instrument. Chris Cretella mastered the audio, and Alain Lefebrsky
(As it happens, the process on these pieces spilled over into An Historic, my songwriting alias, and the last few solo performances have incorporated elements of my songs and of these compositions, all unified by the sculptural and narrative processes that have informed my composition since the beginning.)
I will be self-releasing CDs of this recording, so please stay tuned for that.
I have two shows scheduled (see sidebar - May 13th in New Haven and June 25th in Brooklyn) which are meant to serve as release shows for this material. Hope to see you at one of them!
