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From "Wine Dark Sea"
Photo by Steve Niedorf |
When drummers drum, people dance. That has been true since
time began. But what happens when choreographers enter the picture? Who leads,
who follows? Is the drumming in service to the dance? Do the dancers respond to
the drums? What is it like for a musician to work with a choreographer?
This is a piece about process, written for the 30th
anniversary of
Zenon Dance Company in Minneapolis. Zenon’s 30th anniversary
season will span the first two weekends in May with a combination of signature pieces and
world premieres. Two will feature music by area drummers/percussionists.
On Weekend 1 (May 3-5), the company will perform the world
premiere of “Molten Substance” by Brooklyn-based Uruguayan composer
luciana achugar (she prefers her name in lowercase), with music by JT Bates. On Weekend 2 (May
10-12), the company will perform “Wine Dark Sea,” which it premiered last
spring, with choreography by
Wynn Fricke and music by percussionist Peter
O’Gorman.
In both cases, the music will be played live by the
composers, who will be on stage with the dancers.
In “Molten Substance,” the dancers’
faces are largely obscured; at the end, they must put on blue jeans without
using their hands. (You try it. It’s hard.) “Wine Dark Sea” is dreamy, fluid,
and dark. At times, the dancers seem to float.
JT and Peter are different drummers who have followed
different paths. JT is mainly a jazz/free jazz drummer
who plays mostly in clubs with a lot of bands and artists, but not always jazz
bands and artists. To name a few, he’s a member of Fat Kid Wednesdays and the
Pines, his bassist brother Chris’s band Red 5, Alpha Consumer, Dead Man Winter,
the Wednesday-night band at the Aster with Erik Koskinen and Molly Maher, and Real Bulls, a new duo with drummer Dave
King. He curates the Monday-night jazz series at Icehouse, formerly and
famously at the Clown Lounge. He recently received a Minnesota Emerging
Composer Award from the American Composers Forum
Peter is mainly a new-music composer and percussionist; his
works have been performed by musicians including the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Amy Knoles of the
California Ear Unit, and New York percussion quartet Ethos. Currently, he
performs with Joe Chvala and the Flying Foot Forum, Mary Ellen Childs, and various other artists. He
writes pedagogical books and articles on drumming, and he teaches. He’s a McKnight Composer
Fellow and a Sage Award winner (for his dance scores). His compositions have
been supported by the American Composers Forum, the Mellon Foundation, the
Jerome Foundation, the Walker Art Center, and more.
Both are experimenters, improvisers, collaborators, and good
listeners who are passionate about music.
JT Bates: A dash of
blind faith
 |
JT Bates at Icehouse
Photo by John Whiting |
PLE: Have you worked with choreographers and dancers
before?
JT Bates: I
did some random improvs for dance with Mark Sutton, the original trumpet player
for the Motion Poets. A piece for the Eclectic Edge Ensemble with Mike
Rossetto, the banjo player and guitarist for the Spaghetti Western String
Company. A piece years ago at the Southern Theater with Jim Anton and Dean
Magraw for choreographer Megan Flood. A thing last year at the Walker with
David Zambrano that was completely improvised. So yeah, a few times over the
years.
Every time I do
anything with dancers, they say, “I wish we could always have live music.”
Live music makes everything better.
Put that on a
bumper sticker.
How did this project with luciano achugar and Zenon
happen?
Linda [Andrews] at
Zenon contacted Jeremy and Marsha Walker, saying that luciana wanted a
percussionist. They recommended me.
What was your process of working with achugar on “Molten
Substance”?
We emailed back
and forth once or twice. There wasn’t a lot of information coming from her,
just that she wanted percussion. She was looking for some rhythm.
That was before
she came here and started working with the dancers. During the early
rehearsals, she played beat tracks. She sent me the rehearsal video and
basically said that the only thing she wanted me to take from the beat tracks was
tempo, maybe a bit of attitude and energy. She said we would
figure it out when we got together.
She came for two
weeks, and I joined [her and the dancers] for the second week. They showed me
what they had been working on and we started from there. She asked me a lot of
questions about how the timing felt and what I was interested in doing. That
was more her process than asking me to do specific things.
She has ideas for
things she wants to see and hear [from people she’s working with], but she wants
it to be their own thing, too, so they’re attached to it and feel more
involved. I do all kinds of work, but being able to have input and [contribute]
ideas is a big part of how happy I am.
Did she seem to have a clear idea of what she wanted
from you?
It was more a dash
of blind faith, that when we started working, we’d find that clear idea [together]. We were looking for a feeling. It
was not very defined. I’m really comfortable working like this, with things not
very defined.
 |
From "Molten Substance"
Photo by William Cameron |
Can you describe what you came up with and how you put
it together?
We ended up using
a couple of different tempos, and picking a couple of rhythms I felt fit really
well. Then we added similar versions of the rhythms at different tempos. There
are parts where it’s all improvised – no time, all texture. And parts where I
use single sounds, or as many sounds as I can make at once.
I’m watching for
certain actions, little movements from the dancers, times when I need to start
changing and moving on to the next thing. Sometimes the dancers change first
and I go later; sometimes I’m ahead of the dancers. It unfolds in a very
natural way.
I’m moving through
blocks of information. When they’re doing this,
I’m in this tempo with these sounds. Then there’s a transition.
In the next section, I’m in a slightly different tempo with different sounds.
When I go into an
improvisation, I have a texture in mind. It’s not just, “What do I feel like
doing today?” The dancers are expecting to hear certain things. That’s
something we talked about during rehearsals.
Did you create a score, or take notes to work from
during the performances?
There’s nothing
written down. I have a map in my head.
How do you see your role in this piece? Were you
supporting the choreographer, or collaborating with the choreographer? How much
give-and-take was there?
I felt like I was
collaborating with luciana and supporting the dancers. Playing drums is a
supportive role, whether it’s for dance or Paul Metzger or Benson Ramsey
singing a song in the Pines. I grew up doing that with my dad’s band. I always
try to bring a little of that – being supportive.
What was the most challenging part of this experience
for you?
Working in chunks.
For the first couple of days of rehearsals, the dancers were still working out
their sections and transitions. I was worried that I would never see and hear [the
whole piece] in a linear fashion and be able to memorize it. Other than that, I
enjoyed it. It was different. I wasn’t in a bar, I wasn’t in a band. I thought
– this is awesome.
Will you be visible during the performance?
Yes. That’s a
decision we made together. For the first few days of rehearsal, I was set up in
a spot away from the dancers, watching them from the front. I started taking my
cues from that perspective. But that won’t work in performance; I’d have to be
sitting in the audience. Since it’s just me – not three or four people, no amps
or horns – I suggested we try center rear, deep in the stage but in the middle.
So that’s what we’re doing.
You’ll be able to
see me some of the time. luciana didn’t really want me to not be seen. I feel like a part of the whole thing. [The dancers]
are with me, I’m with them, and we’re all in this together. If I had any more
than my standard little drum set, that wouldn’t work. I would take up too much space.
What is your instrumentation?
The standard
bebop-size drum set. Bass drum, rack tom, floor tom, snare, two cymbals,
hi-hat. I’m also bringing a bow and a small pile of random ringy things. Kind
of my favorite thing to do is play the most standard drum set in the world with
brushes and mallets and see how far I can go. Playing the instrument without
the tomfoolery. There’s a lot of sound in that thing.
Do you ever get loud?
It definitely gets
intense. One of the things that happened during rehearsal was – I’m following
the dancers, they’re getting slower and more still, I’m getting quieter and making
prettier sounds, and [luciana says] “No! The other way!” She was interested in
having a lot of sound when there wasn’t a lot of movement.
It turned out to
be a cool juxtaposition, a way to have constant tension and release. It’s fun
but also challenging. Four people on stage, barely moving, and me making a lot
of sound on the drums. I understand that energy, but it takes a bit to find it.
I have to find someplace to draw from to make that happen.
If you put me on a
stage in front of a thousand people, I’m going to try to play the quietest,
longest note I can. Sometimes the aggressive stuff is the most challenging for
me. I have a slight hang-up with getting all crazy on the drum set and playing
all the notes, all the time. I’m not drawn to playing like Metallica. I like
Paul Motian a lot.
So luciana is pushing the dancers and you to where you’re not comfortable?
That’s true.
Peter O’Gorman: Breaking
down barriers
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Peter O'Gorman
performing his composition, "Serif"
Photo by V. Paul Virtucio |
PLE: You’ve worked
with choreographer Wynn Fricke before. How many times?
Peter O’Gorman: We
have created two pieces together, “The Shape of Wind” in 2008 and “Wine Dark
Sea” in 2012. “The Shape of Wind” was commissioned by Wynn, and “Wine Dark Sea”
was commissioned by Zenon Dance Company.
How did your
relationship begin?
Wynn approached me after seeing me perform with Joe Chvala
and the Flying Foot Forum and said “We must work together!” I was familiar with
her work, which is amazing, so I said YES! and the seed was planted.
A few months later, I had the opportunity to apply for a
Jerome Fund for New Music grant through the American Composers Forum. I was lucky
enough to receive this grant, which covered the funding for the composition.
Zenon then commissioned Wynn to create the choreography.
What is your process
of working together?
For “The Shape of Wind,” I was interested in creating a
piece just for cymbals. Wynn liked the idea, so I recorded around 20
improvisations and gave her the recordings. After Wynn listened to the
improvisations, we met, bounced ideas off each other, and decided which
recordings to focus on. I then started to mold some of the improvisations into
a more set format while she worked on the choreography.
Through the rehearsal process, the music and dance were
molded together. The music for some of the sections was completely set, and
other sections maintained improvisational elements.
We used a similar development process when creating “Wine Dark
Sea.”
In working with Wynn,
do you see your role as supportive or collaborative? How much give-and-take is
there?
There’s quite a bit of give-and-take. I would describe our
working process as a true collaboration. In my work with movement, I’m interested
in breaking down barriers between composer and choreographer, musician and
dancer, sound and movement. In “Wine Dark Sea,” the dancers take on the dual
role of dancing and making sounds that complete the score. They do this through
the use of their breath and by playing crotales, which are small tuned cymbals.
What do you see as
the most challenging part of working with a choreographer?
In some cases, choreographic changes require musical
changes, which means reworking the score. I find that this process often
results in a stronger piece both choreographically and musically. Working with
an artist as insightful, intuitive, and open-minded as Wynn has been a pure
joy.
 |
O'Gorman's instrumentation
for "Wine Dark Sea" |
What is your
instrumentation?
I tend to create new multi-percussion set-ups for each piece
I compose. The content of these set-ups is dictated by the needs of the piece.
For “Wine Dark Sea,” I created an augmented drumset that
includes several unusual instruments. Some of the most interesting are made by
the Hammerax company, including two Boomywangs that hang from cymbal stands,
look like giant guitar picks, and sound like gongs with a vibrato. Also from
Hammerax is a slap ride (“perhaps the world’s darkest ride cymbal”) and a coil
chime, which spins while emitting a sonorous metallic sound. Directly
underneath the boomywangs are two metal percussion instruments with springs on
them that were designed and built by Pete Engelhart, a “reco reco” and “The
Snail,” both of which have self-contained acoustic reverb chambers.
The row of chromatic conical bells is a new instrument
called an Aluphone. This was only the second Aluphone ever built; the first one
went to Evelyn Glennie. The sound of this instrument is a cross between
Japanese temple bells, church bells, vibes, and tubular bells.
The instrument that I received the most comments and
questions about is a Waterphone. When bowing this instrument, it creates
otherworldly sounds, as well as sonorities reminiscent of the sea.
Has anything changed
since the last time you performed “Wine Dark Sea” in 2012?
The music for “Wine Dark Sea” includes a structured
improvisation that is a little different each performance. Other than that and
a few small tweaks, the piece is basically unchanged.
What else would you
like us to know about this music?
Before starting work on “Wine Dark Sea,” I had created a
number of really quiet pieces, including the score for “The Shape of Wind.” The
subtle characteristics of these pieces worked really well, but I was ready to
make a little noise, so I proposed using drums for our new piece. Being a
drummer, this seemed like a natural thing to do. Oddly, I hadn’t created a
drumming piece since college, which was a long time ago. Two of the four
sections in “Wine Dark Sea” use drums. Another notable item about the music is
that much of it is really slow. In fact, it’s the slowest pulsed music that
I’ve ever composed or played.
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