The Wishbone Suite CD Release

Mon, 5 Mar 2012 13:24:26 -0500

I am thrilled to announced the release of "The Wishbone Suite," a concert length work for Clarinet, Accordion, Trombone, Piano and Drums. This project was given its premier at The Racer Sessions in August 2010, and has since evolved into a thoroughly composed cycle of pieces which chronicle my first childhood crush from the second grade.

Please join us to celebrate the release of this disc for the Table & Chairs label, and enjoy the gentle sounds of the ensemble in Seattle's best room for acoustic music.

The Wishbone Ensemble:

Ivan Arteaga - Clarinet
Andy Clausen - Trombone
Aaron Otheim - Accordion
Gus Carns - Piano
Chris Icasiano - Drums/Glockenspiel

THOUSANDS will present an opening set of their delicate vocal harmonies and beautifully intricate guitar work.

Thousands:

Kristian Garrard
Luke Bergman

http://thousandsband.com/

March 8th, 2012
8pm
Chapel Performance Space
$5-15 suggested donation

www.tableandchairsmusic.com

Wishbone Project @ The Racer Session

Thu, 5 Aug 2010 02:58:55 -0400

Next Sunday I will debut my latest project at The Racer Session. An ongoing weekly series at Cafe Racer, the Racer Session organizes weekly gatherings/performances/improv sessions for new and experimental music. Each Sunday, the curator of the week will present a new piece of music, which is followed by a free improvisation jam session based mostly, partially or negatively on the concepts introduced by the curator.

The Opening Set:

This week I will perform my new quintet composition entitled “The Wishbone Suite”.

Featuring:
Ivan Arteaga - Clarinet
Aaron Otheim - Accordion
Jared Borkowski - Guitar
Andy Clausen - Trombone
Chris Icasiano - Drums

Concepts For Thought:
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One of my main interests and concerns in the creation of new art is the mysterious experience an artist has during the creation of a work. I’ve always been fascinated by, and personally struggled with “the process” through which art is created. Over the past year or so, I have read dozens of interviews and essays by the creators of art that moves me. I have tried to recognize trends in their approaches and let them influence my own musical composition process.
In musical composition, literature, architecture, choreography and visual art for example, art forms in which the creator has complete responsibility and control (through the ability to revise) over the “results”, I have searched for and observed numerous parallels in the processes of many of my favorite artists. Not only does the artist’s process greatly shape the final product, the process of creating and conveying something we creators fully intend, provides us with significant insight into our own personalities and tastes.

Before dealing with the “personal and spiritual practice” of art creation, I first want to explore the “technical practice”; the processes.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright advises to “Conceive the buildings in imagination not first on paper but in the mind, thoroughly, before touching paper. Let the building, living in imagination, develop gradually, taking more and more definite form before committing it to the drafting board. When the thing sufficiently lives for you then start to plan it with instruments, not before. To draw during the conception of “sketch,” as we say, experimenting with practical adjustments to scale is well enough if the concept is clear enough to be firmly held meantime. But it is best always to thus cultivate the imagination from within.” Wright’s process results in buildings with incredible idiosyncrasies that could only arise from pure imagination, but with the fully formed cohesion of years of experience. In a similar vain, Igor Stravinsky feels he is “an inventor of music”, that “the real composer thinks about his work the whole time; he is not always conscious of this, but he is aware of it later when he suddenly knows what he will do.” Both artists take the approach of constructing complete pictures, or plans for their work in their mind before ever “committing anything to paper” and addressing the more technical components of the work.

In stark contrast to that approach, one of my favorite authors, Guy Davenport explains the sporadic (often to the point of absurdity) nature of his work. “My writing unit is such that I start literally with scraps of paper and pages from notebooks. Every sentence is written by itself; there are very few consecutive sentences in my work… . Single sentences, which are revised eight or nine times. And I find a place for them, so that the actual writing of any of my stories was a matter of turning back and forth in a notebook and finding what I wanted.” This collage type process ensures color and variety in his stories, but what most resonates with me is his ability to join thoughts together into a cohesive story. Sometimes a very sporadic composer, John Hollenbeck describes how he develops the components of his compositional collages; “I try to find a different process for each piece…sometimes on the piano, sometimes on the drums, whatever I’ve got at the moment. By using a different process for each piece, I hope to assure myself that I will not write the same piece twice…and it is more exciting.”

Of the two “schools”, my approach to composing the music for this quintet was more similar to that of Davenport and Hollenbeck. Similar to most composition I’ve done before, essentially I wake up and pick up the trombone or sit at the piano and explore the first idea I hear until I feel I have exhausted all possibilities for the moment, or have created a “complete” section. I always work “one measure at a time”, constructing a complete picture of each moment, fully arranging, and committing it to paper before moving to the next. I never consciously plan ahead or conceive of the form and trajectory piece, but rather, build each gradually, piece by piece, with these little themes I have written.

I find this particular process very natural, as if all the themes and ideas already exist in the “sonosphere” and I am just harvesting them. What troubles me most are not the moments of creation, but the moments of decision and the overwhelming concern with “the end result”; the whole. Reaching one’s goal of “a good piece” is surely of importance, but placing greater emphasis on and seeking awareness of the process (in my case the practice of composition) can relieve much of the pressure and greaten one’s appreciation of the moment. In the composition of The Wishbone Suite, pursuing ideas on a very small scale eliminated the stress, and coincidently led me to write very short, simple (in orchestration, form, and arrangement) pieces, something I don’t usually do.

In reference to appreciation of the process, and conveniently bridging the cap between our practical and spiritual explorations, Hollenbeck explains; “We composers sit alone in a room focusing for long hours and making seemingly peaceful decisions. These decisions we make as we compose will not harm others, nor will they most likely be life-changing in the same way that a surgeon’s decision could alter a life dramatically. Yet how we behave and what we choose when we are alone in a room with no one watching is significant – these solitary moments can often reveal aspects of our character that we would much rather avoid. These decisions can set a precedent, positive or negative, for future decision-making and behavior which will extend far beyond the scope of composition into everyday living.”

In writing this essay, I found myself struggling to articulate my thoughts on the spiritual experience of creativity, as it is something I do not fully comprehend. I can only say that for me, creativity is not a conscious thing. I don’t sit down and try to write music “about” something. The stuff just sort of oozes up from somewhere, and I put it into Sibelius. Hopefully it is an honest expression of where I am, experiences I’ve had.

There is a sense of purity in these creative moments. A freedom and innocence that, as Davenport explains about his notebook, is “both playground and testing place, the free exercise of pure intellect whether in doodling (the draftsman’s daydreaming) or in copying nature with precision. The creative mind is prodigal, and its extravagance is at home in the sketchbook, before its submission to the economy of the finished work of art. ”

Wright describes this creative spark as “A thrilling moment in any architect’s experience. He is about to see the countenance of something he is invoking with intense concentration. Out of this inner sense of order and love of the beauty of life something is to be born…Reality is spirit, the essence brooding just behind all aspect. Seize It!…the pattern of reality is super-geometric. Casting a spell or charm over any geometry.”

The Session:

To apply these “concepts of process” to our own improvisatory adventures this Sunday, following my opening set, I would like to impose the following framework for the rest of the session;
• Five ensembles each develop an original “composition” through the course of the evening.
• Each group will perform and refine their piece, rotating until everyone has performed three times.
• Personnel must stay the same (if possible).
• Each performance is not to exceed five minutes, so everyone will have time to finish three incarnations of their piece, and to ensure brevity and complete focus with each performance.
• Discussion is highly encouraged in between your performances, but please take your group to another room so as to not disturb the music.

Things to think about:

What kind of compositional process do you want to practice? Sonic collage (ala Guy Davenport)? Complete grand concept before application (Frank Lloyd Wright)? Process of elimination (purge composition of its components)? Construction from foundation? These are just a few ideas. I encourage you to find your own. Maybe research how your favorite book, building or composition was created and model that process?

Diversify yourself from your usual improv mates. Play with different people?

Critique yourselves. Refine your pieces with each performance.
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Hope to see you there!!!
LOVE,
Andy Clausen

May Update

Thu, 13 May 2010 00:21:59 -0400

It has been an extremely busy and exiting couple of months. Im going to try to recap some highlights, working backwards from today.
Just got back from New York City with the Roosevelt Jazz Band for the Essentially Ellington Competition. We had a fantastic time in the city, and although we received honorable mention (big congrats to Garfield Jazz Band for the top award), it was truly one of the most focused and exciting performances i’ve ever been a part of. No regrets.
Friday there was an article about Essentially Ellington in the Seattle Times, with a picture of me featured on the front page and some nice words.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011802587_ellington07.html?prmid=head_main
The week before that, Sjenka (me on laptop, Corey Dansereau-trumpet, Max Williams-guitar, Luke Bergman-bass and Evan Woodle-drums) had the great privilege of performing at the UW Improvised Music Project’s IMPFest. We opened for Andrew D’angelo, who performed an incredibly moving set with the UW Jazz Orchestra. What an honor to share the bill with such an expressively passionate musician.
Sjenka’s Set:

The night before, the “sextet” performed at the Ballard Jazz Walk.
Andy Clausen - Trombone
Corey Dansereau - Trumpet
Xavier Del Castillo - Tenor Sax
Brendan Odonnell - Guitar
Cameron Sharif - Piano
Luke Bergman - Bass
Evan Woodle - Drums

The previous weeks were filled with music including many memorable concerts at IMPfest. Cuong Vu Quartet’s live recording at the Chapel Performance Space nearly brought me to tears several times. How inspiring to see a group of young people organize an entire festival to share and present their music with the world. This, along with the Racer Sessions has really started to fuel the creative fire that Cuong Vu has sparked among this scene.

http://improvisedmusicproject.org/

http://racersessions.com/

After much thought, I have decided to attend The Juilliard School in NYC next fall to study trombone and jazz. I had a very emotional month mulling over what would be best for me. The strong friendships I have made with the Seattle musical community, and all the inspiration they have provided me over the years, almost empowered me to attend UW, and really work hard to perpetuate the momentum Cuong Vu has created, and make Seattle a vibrant and viable place to live and work as a creative musician. However I was haunted by the fact that one of the most valuable elements of a college education is simply getting up and moving to a different part of the world, and meeting new people and putting yourself outside of your comfort zone. Very few times in life does one get this opportunity. I am so excited to see the Seattle scene continue to burgeon and grow over the next years and hope to continue to be a participant and advocate of it. In NYC, Corey and I will continue to perform as Sjenka and might even start a “racer session” of our own out there!

Coming up in the next few months:

Perform in pit orchestra of RHS Musical’s production of Curtains.

Graduate from high school

Roosevelt Jazz Band perform throughout Europe for two weeks; Austria>Slovenia>Croatia>Italy

Record an album with Sjenka

Finish composing and record Split Stream Big Band album

Find some time to get outside, hike, bike, and swim???

Move to NYC August 29th

Big Band Project @ The Racer Session

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:01:07 -0500

Next Sunday, February 21st, I will present a set of compositions for large ensemble as a part ongoing weekly series called The Racer Session.

Just one month old, this new project is raw, fresh and thrilling. Heres the concept:

Free improvisation as a compositional tool:

This project was formed out of my desire to explore open form compositions, and improvisation frameworks with my peers, seldom something that is done, or encouraged in most high school music programs. I assembled a team of ten players from Roosevelt, Garfield and Nathan Hale mostly on the basis of personal compatibility, and open-mindedness.

We first got together about a month ago to do some completely free improvisations. I had no preconceived sound in mind, no musical goal. All I wanted to do was hear how each of the players would react in this unfamiliar environment. The first improvisations were spirited, assertive, quirky and fun. I was deeply inspired by everyone’s energy and musicality.

While I seriously exercised the idea of presenting a set of completely improvised music, I was enticed by the challenge of taming this wild beast, and developing at least some rough compositions and improvisation frames with which we could develop a more unified approach and organized sound. However, I wanted to maintain the quirky, raw, free sensibility that had produced our early improvised pieces.

After our initial session, I spent a lot of time studying various freeish large ensemble albums:
John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble “A Blessing”
Weiji

Tim Berne “Open, Coma”
The Legend of p-1

Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy “Cornell 1964”
Meditations

Also:
Anthony Braxton 12+1tet “9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006”
Steve Lehman Octet “Travail, Transformation, and Flow”

While all of these recordings have intuitively affected the way I hear and think about large ensemble music, it did not seem logical to me to try to extract some sort of hybrid sound concept from all of them and then write music with that sound in mind. Instead, I wanted to examine the sounds my band was already making in our free improvisations, and manipulate, expand upon, arrange, and derange them and present them back to the band in a way that would hopefully lure them outside their comfort zones.

I studied the recordings of our own improvisations, transcribed some of the themes that had emerged, and examined each player’s tendencies. Over following weeks, I developed a series of pieces influenced directly, indirectly, positively and negatively by our free improvisation exercises.
For example, in our initial sessions I noticed an overwhelming gravity towards rhythmic and dynamic development, often at the expense of melody, timbre and structure. Naturally, in an ensemble of 10, rhythmic motifs and dynamic motifs (usually loud) are often the easiest for everyone to grab on to. With that tendency in mind, I developed a piece using one of the improvised rhythmic concepts, but as a very quiet, shifting accompaniment to a melody from another improvisation. Similarly I extracted other themes from their original context and manipulated them into new structures to create a series of contrasting pieces for the band to interpret.
While I am extremely excited by the group’s development and commitment over the past month in preparing for this debut performance, I am also thrilled at the prospect of continuing to develop this ensemble in the future.

I am lucky to have an incredible group of friends and musicians to help me present this music:

Nathan Yale – Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Flute
Adrian Noteboom – Tenor Sax
Xavier del Castillo – Clarinet, Tenor Sax
Riley Mulherkar – Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Corey Dansereau – Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Cornet
Willem De Koch – Trombone
Julian Garvue – Piano
Nolan Woodle – Bass
Thomas Campbell – Drums