Sound Sculpture: live at the art institute of Chicago
Just like metal, clay, or wood, sound can be shaped to occupy space and accent an environment. At the end of 2024, I had the opportunity to present two concerts in the grand staircase at the Art Institute of Chicago. In such a unique acoustic space, I opted to go with 100% acoustic instruments, allowing the space to be an additional member of the band.
Thanks to the craftiness of engineer Trevor Seibert, today I am able to present a very lifelike recording of our evening performance. The musicians--David Boykin and Beau Barry on saxophones, Lyn Rye on bass , and myself on drumms--delivered a spirited performance of two of my tunes, two of Beau's compositions, and a couple collective improvisations.
Sound Sculpture: Live at the Art Institute of Chicago is now available on all streaming and digital music platforms.
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More Back Story
This recording documents an evening performance in the Grand Staircase at the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago on December 26, 2024. The atmosphere was warm and festive, and grew energetic as the music took flight. I opted for an instrumentation with two saxophones and no guitar or keyboard, which allowed the majestic acoustics of the space to play a large and positive role in the music. The natural reverb helps the horns sore, and gives the drums a near cinematic quality. It’s a spirited performance of a few of my compositions, some collective improvisation, and two tunes by Beau Barry. It’s a night I’ll remember forever.
The idea of sound sculpture, which is usually applied to experimental metalwork used for sound-making, in this case refers to my drum set. I used a large 8-piece kit with many melodic tones to ddrive the music forward. I owe a debt of gratitude to the master drummers Jack Dejohnette and Tony Williams for my inspiration to incorporate this rock-adjacent approach into my instrument for this special show. I hope you appreciate the extra notes in the percussion of this music.
You can hear the next evolution of this music next Friday the 11th at Lemon Chicago. 1600 W Grand Ave. 8pm-10pm.