Xpanded ronin phasing

Ayoub Diouri
December 2017

Xpanded ronin phasing at DMG
A Concert Analysis

On October 20th, I attended a live musical performance that was held in a record store (Downtown Music Gallery) on 13 Monroe Street in Chinatown. The performance was led by patrick brennan on the saxophone with three other instruments accompanying him, the violin (Jason Kao Hwang), the clarinet (Patrick Holmes), and the trumpet (Brian Groder). It was an instrumental performance of two compositions, tilting curvaceous, and the second, which way what, two compositions written and masterminded by patrick brennan.

The performance started with the saxophone and the trumpet playing distant notes in low pitches, setting the tone for the other instruments. The initial time signature was 5/4, and the violin was introduced to the mix a few minutes into the performance. The violin’s role was vital to the composition, although very subtle and punctuated, it came as an underlying bed for the bright pitches played by the saxophone and the trumpet. The composition then drifted to a 4/4-time signature with each instrument playing a series of contrasting oblique notes. Each note was noticeable on its own and was projected clearly to the audience.

The overall timbre of the first performance was full and heavy, establishing important rhythmic harmonies through the composition. The performance was characterized with each performer playing in a contrasting note to others, complementing one another and keeping each source distinct. The silences and rests between notes were valuable to the composition, serving as a point of transition and providing the listener with suspense. The notes played were mostly fast paced chords and scales and few arpeggios throughout the first composition, which ended with a harmonious recapitulation featuring all instruments at once.

The second composition, which way what, commenced with a violin solo playing very low pitches that were ascending to a crescendo. The artist was utilizing the violin mainly by plucking its strings, adding variety and warmth, reminding us of jazz compositions. The artists then merged, but with each playing distinct notes from each other. The clarinet was instrumental in this piece by playing descending arpeggios throughout the composition generating a sadder mood and digressing the parameters of the musical work. This contrasted with the bright and illuminating effects of the saxophone and the trumpet. which way what featured instances where instruments went silent and allowed the crowd to absorb resonating notes in the venue. One thing that struck my attention was the modified plunger Brennan attached to the end of his saxophone which served as a manipulator of sound.

Both compositions convey a sense of changing in grooves that can be labeled “metagrooves,” which describes a change in motion contrasting each other, and produces the overall feel within changing grooves of the performance.  These 2 compositions each juxtapose a set of interrelated melodic-rhythmic cells that only establish important sounds in motion code, functioning as a signal system within the performance.  The second composition varied from the first, with the second in being more note-dense and faster paced. The time signatures of which way what oscillated between 5/4,4/4 and 3/4, making the song dynamics more lively. The polyrhythmic patterns were recurring motives the artists strived to accomplish, and they did so magnificently. The performance concluded with a musical tug of war between the saxophone and the trumpet for a couple of minutes until the whole ensemble regrouped to reproduce in a lower register their introductory segment to end the performance.

Live performances, either vocal or instrumental, provide the listener with appeasement and pleasure that may not be experienced when listening to records, or albums and provide variety to the original composition. Live music is intimate, exposing the listener to the artists’ emotions, why they wrote the song, and what it means to them. Attending a live music concert was an eye-opening experience where I understood more about musical form and appreciated the complexity and effort that went behind producing polyrhythmic works of music. This style of music takes years to master, and one can only cherish this fabulous approach of music, stemming from Jazz and rooting to African ancestors. Although it was my first time attending a live musical event in the U.S., I felt a special bond with the music and with the artists who played it. Live music is indeed different from recreational music and was an adventure worth experiencing.