Improvisation is Life, and Other True Stories from James Falzone

Posted on October 23, 2018 by maestrobeats

James Falzone’s musical career began with Peter and the Wolf and has since expanded into the far-reaching realms of classical, jazz, Arabic music, and beyond. These days he is the Chair of Music at Cornish College of the Arts and clarinetist of the Allos Musica ensemble. The group features oud (an ancient Arabic lute), voice, accordion, and a wide array of wind and percussion instruments from around the world—and you can hear them in action on October 25 when they perform as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival.

In this interview, Falzone talks about how his eclectic taste in music came to be (it started with a 5th grade teacher), and what Allos does. He also talks about the importance of improvisation for musicians, and about what audiences can expect to hear at their upcoming performance.

Allos Musica performs as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 7pm and 9:30pm at the Royal Room. Click here for more information.

Sneak Peek Audio Leak: Daníel Bjarnason’s ‘Collider’

Posted on October 22, 2018 by maestrobeats

by Maggie Molloy

Photo by Börkur Sigthorsson.

Daníel Bjarnason’s music is at its most potent when he’s writing for symphony orchestra. He has a masterful way of balancing the cavernous depths of a large ensemble against moments of shimmering near-silence, often within a matter of seconds.

His luminous orchestrations are on full display in his forthcoming album Collider, a collection of three works that glisten with timbral detail. Bjarnason conducts the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in the lively, interlocking textures of “Blow Bright” before transitioning to the haunting three-part work “The Isle is Full of Noises,” a setting of three monologues from Shakespeare’s The Tempest featuring the ethereal vocals of the Hamrahlid Choir.

“Collider” unwinds a bit more slowly, moments of eerie stillness gradually building into an eruption of restless energy that pulls the listener deeper and deeper into a shifting sound maze. We’re thrilled to premiere the title track from the brand new album ahead of its October 26 release date. Click below to hear Bjarnason’s “Collider.”

<a href="http://danielbjarnason.bandcamp.com/album/collider">Collider by Daníel Bjarnason</a>

Daníel Bjarnason’s Collider comes out October 26 on Bedroom Community. Click here to pre-order the album.

Musical Chairs: Leanna Keith on Classical KING FM

Posted on October 19, 2018 by maestrobeats

by Maggie Molloy

Leanna Keith is not your average flutist.

Sure, she can breathe beautiful, delicate melodies through her instrument—but she can also speak into it, sing, hum, or beatbox through it, clatter its keys, bend its pitches, make its melodies vibrate, flutter, shimmer, and soar.

Keith is a flutist and composer specializing in contemporary classical and experimental sounds. She explores the furthest reaches of her instrument’s range, both in music and in performance. On any given evening in Seattle you might catch her performing in new music ensembles ranging from the experimental chamber troupe Kin of the Moon to the Japanese drumming collective Dekoboko Taiko. Next Friday, she’s performing Nicole Lizée’s etudes for glitch film on a concert with pianist Jesse Myers.

And this Friday, Oct. 19 at 7pm PT, she’s in the Classical KING FM studios as the special guest on Musical Chairs with Mike Brooks, where she will share a handful of her favorite recordings from across her musical career, plus details about her upcoming performances.

Tune in at 98.1 FM, listen through our free mobile app, or click here to stream the interview online from anywhere in the world!

Seattle New Music Happy Hour: Friday, Oct. 19 at 5:30pm

Posted on October 15, 2018 by maestrobeats

by Maggie Molloy

Cruise into your weekend with a cold beer and warm company at our next Seattle New Music Happy Hour!

Join us Friday, October 19 at 5:30pm at T.S. McHugh’s for a happy hour co-hosted by Second Inversion and the Live Music Project. Bring a friend, make a friend, have a drink, and discover connections with fellow new music lovers from all over Seattle!

Click here to RSVP and invite your friends. Plus, sign up for alerts for future happy hour dates and day-before reminders so you’ll never miss a beer—er, beat.

Musical Chairs: Maggie Molloy on Classical KING FM

Posted on October 12, 2018 by maestrobeats

Photo by Nicole Schlaeppi.

Maggie Molloy likes listening to strange music. Lucky for her, she gets to do it for a living.

Since joining the Second Inversion team in 2014, Maggie has written over 300 articles on new, experimental, avant-garde, and otherwise unconventional music. In her current role as Second Inversion Editor, she curates our music library and programs all of the music you hear on our 24/7 online stream—and she also serves as an on-air host.

This Friday, Maggie is the guest on Classical KING FM’s Musical Chairs with Mike Brooks, where she will share just a handful of her favorite recordings from across her musical career. She’ll share memories from her week as a journalist covering the Bang on a Can Summer Festival, her summer spent studying experimental music composition at the IRCAM in Paris, her performances at the John Cage Musicircus and the Harry Partch Festival, her big break into the world of radio, and the composers who left her starstruck.

Musical Chairs airs this Friday, Oct. 12 at 7pm PT on Classical KING FM. Tune in at 98.1 FM, listen through our free mobile app, or click here to stream the interview online from anywhere in the world!