The Commission
Erik Griswold - ‘Ecstatic Music’
Ecstasy (or ekstasis): from the Ancient Greek, to be or stand outside oneself.
‘Ecstatic Music’ is an outgrowth of Erik’s most recent work for prepared piano, in which he has explored dense, cascading textures for extended durations (’Wallpaper Music’). It expands the intimate microcosm of prepared piano into a massive technicolour explosion.
The work begins with a series of intricately interlocking scales or modes that slowly expand across the range of the woodwinds and piano. Each performer improvises energetic, jagged rhythms which, combined together, create a blurred, pointillistic effect. Suddenly the brass and piano trio burst in with an harmonic wall of arrhythmic syncopation, fusing elements of free jazz and minimalism. After a series of shifting duo improvisations, the piece somehow transforms into a gospel refrain, which slowly comes into focus at the conclusion. Taking cues from composers as distinct as Terry Riley and Cecil Taylor, Erik tries to create intense, cascading sound textures in which one can lose oneself – in a good way.
Erik Griswold’s work has been described as:
“the alchemical transformation of furious, minimal clusters into eerie harmonics and distant half-heard melodies,” (Keith Gallasch, RealTime Magazine)
“a complex cluster of constantly shifting kaleidoscopic percussive sounds, endlessly turning and still at the same time” (modisti.com).
Erkki Veltheim – Violin
Belinda Woods – Flute
Brigid Burke, Martin MacKerras – Clarinets
Phil Bywater, Ben Carr – Tenor Saxophones
Peter Knight, Tristram Williams – Trumpets
Shannon Barnett, Adrian Sherriff –Trombones
Erik Griswold – Prepared Piano
Mark Shepherd – Bass
Rory McDougall – Drums
On Friday April 25th from 7.30-10PM at BMW Edge in Federation Square, the Melbourne Jazz FringeFestival presents its 3rd annual Commission Concert. Following the acclaimed success of previouswinners Jex Saarelaht and Colin Hopkins, the performance of 2008 winner Erik Griswold’s new work Ecstatic Music will be one of the highlights of this year’s festival. The Melbourne Jazz Fringe Commission Concert will also feature pianist Marc Hannaford (National JazzAwards and Freedman award finalist) and the debut performance of an exciting project conceived byrising vocalist Megan Washington in collaboration with the genius of Paul Grabowsky.
Erik Griswold is an eclectic Australian-American musician who fuses experimental, jazz and world music traditionsto create works of striking originality He has lived in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York, Melbourne,Adelaide, and now calls Brisbane home. In 2007 he concentrated on a number of large-scale works,including The Wide Alley – a collaboration of five Chinese and five Australian musicians, SoundingWivenhoe – an environmental musical performance on the banks of Lake Wivenhoe, and Concerto forPrepared Piano and Percussion.
Tickets to the Commission Concert are now available through Moshtix:
