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Leap of Faith Orchestra - SuperClusters

by Leap of Faith Orchestra

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    Leap of Faith Orchestra Performs SuperClusters by PEK
    Liner Notes by PEK, 11/25/2017
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    Pickman Hall is a truly state-of-the-art chamber music auditorium at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. Peter Cassino, who played the piano part in the first two PEK scores for LOFO, is the Chair of the Modern American Music Department at Longy and has an excellent improvisation ensemble with Glynis Lomon. He has generously offered us the use of this fabulous auditorium. Thanks so much Peter!!
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    We have now performed 4 of my Frame Notation scores: SuperClusters, The Expanding Universe, Supernovae and Possible Universes. I am giving all of my Frame Notation compositions for the full LOFO astronomical titles - It seems fitting with the scale of these events and fits well with my usual Leap of Faith/ Evil Clown titles which largely draw on Scientific and Mathematical ideas. These very special full orchestra events occur only twice a year. For each performance I prepare a score specifically for that event which is simultaneously a Density and Sonority map prescribing the improvised development of the work.
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    These scores are very special compositions intended to solve a very tricky problem of composition for large improvisation ensembles: How do you rehearse complex works for large ensembles when all of the participants are extremely busy? Answer: Compose works that do not need to be rehearsed. The scores use a device call Frame Notation where written English descriptions of the overall sonority desired and simple graphic symbols are given durations on a timeline for each player indicating when and how to play and when not to play. The directions are put in little boxes called frames which are simple enough to be immediately understood by the performers. The players track the elapsed time on a very large sports clock. There is no melodic, harmonic or rhythmic information specified.
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    This system allows me to compose detailed Events without having to notate pitches or rhythms which would require significant rehearsal to accurately achieve. Skilled improvisers, like the ones I have recruited, can easily follow these instructions to create a highly structured improvisation without the need for specific rehearsal even when the ensemble is quite large as it is here. This allows enormous freedom and decision making for each performer and means that we do not have to rehearse these pieces prior to performance. We rely on all of the work of the overall Evil Clown project to tighten the ensembles' improvisation across its many cross sections while the score provides directions on timing, sonority and transformation.
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    Each of the scores has continued to utilize the compositional symbols and devices of the previous scores while adding something new to my notational system. Some examples are large texture blocks with much of the ensemble playing auxiliary instruments (like wood or metal texture), using the decay from large gongs as structural divisions of the work to pivot into a new sonority, group action frames assigned to named groups in the ensemble, and changing the scale of the score so each page covers less time on the timeline and therefore can express more detailed events. The average event duration has become shorter on each score, thereby significantly increasing the rate of transformation.
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    For SuperClusters, I realized that there is no reason why the musicians cannot pay attention to the second position of the sports clock when tracking the time. It is just as easy (for the performers) for me to trigger an event at 2:17 as it is on a nice round number like 2:30. The difficulty is in clearly expressing the directions with the notation. The solution is to change the scale of the score to one minute width per page - the parts will have two systems on each page with the lower system repeated at the top of the next page to assist with page turns. I have used this scale for the opening and conclusion sections of SuperClusters, and used the 3 minutes per page with 2 minute overlap scale from Possible Universes for the balance of the work (the first two scores used a scale of 5 minutes per page with 2 minute overlap).
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    SuperCluster’s big new idea relies on this 1 minute scale. The work opens with an accelerando over the first 3 minutes. Six different action groups have unison single attacks spaced on a reverse Fibinachi series: the attacks get progressively more frequent in an irregular fashion. Each of the attack groups plays their series at a different time-scale. The net effect is a system of irregular attacks increasing in frequency and converging just after the 3 minute mark. Each attack group also includes a single strike on a metal instrument (gong or bowl) that has a lengthy sustain. Some of the time the gong decay rings out while the ensemble remains tacit, but some of the time a soloist plays a very brief solo from one attack to the next.
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    The accelerando idea is used again later in the score in the percussion section. At 31:00, the score direct the percussion section in three groups through an acceleration event while the strings glissando and I play the Sheng ... This device is used several more times in the score, each time with a different percussion timbre, and then the work concludes with a deacceleration event which is structurally retrograde from the opening. All of the other contemporaneous Evil Clown performances and recordings by all of the ensembles - Leap of Faith, String Theory, Mekaniks, Metal Chaos Ensemble and the Sub-Units - are preparation for these full Leap of Faith Orchestra performances. The performances by these smaller ensembles stand by themselves as improvisation performances as well as getting us ready to improvise in a full orchestra setting. Please look for our regular concerts at Outpost 186 and Third Life Studios. Sign up for the mailing list: Send me email at Sparkles@GiantEvilClown.com and look for Evil Clown on Facebook!!
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    Review by Dick Metcalf at Contemporary Fusion Reviews:
    http://contemporaryfusionreviews.com/leapoffaithorchestra/
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    Leap of Faith Orchestra brilliantly bizarre improvised ensemble Leap of Faith Orchestra – SUPER CLUSTERS: I want to say I’m amazed by the discoveries a day can bring… OTOH, though, I’ve been in a constant state of amazement since I emerged from the womb… LOFO is the source of my current wonder, no doubt… the composition uses a graphic notation system called Frame Notation, and the music they produce is full of power, as well as lots of “wide open spaces” – all executed flawlessly, as you’ll witness in the video below:
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    .SuperClusters: https://youtu.be/T2e8NgYNMvg
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    …if you aren’t blown away by their performance at Pickman Hall at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA, you more than likely listen to “middle of the road” music all day long. Just kidding, you wouldn’t be here at our magazine unless you wanted to see and hear music that challenges the mind as well as the spirit. The player list is far too long, so check it out on the BandCamp page linked in below.
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    A preview of the album is available on their BandCamp site, and if you’re even slightly interested in sonic adventure, I would encourage you to do the pre-order on that page right away. Also, if you’re as big a fan of improvised music as I am, you will want to visit their main page on BandCamp, too, where you’ll find a whole host of other performances available.
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    As you will hear, this is truly improvised music… the frame notation uses graphic symbols to evoke different moods and timbres as the clock (they are watching) progresses through the piece… my friends Davey Williams, LaDonna Smith and Harlan Mark Vale would just love this music, as do I. The intricate weave of bells and gongs into the “attack groups”, as they’re called, epitomizes “creativity on the go”, and is both refreshing and intriguing.
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    I give Leap of Faith Orchestra a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, as well as an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.99… just superb creative effort that will blow your mind. Get more information on their BandCamp page for the release. Rotcod Zzaj
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    Review by Karl Ackermann at AllAboutJazz:
    https://www.allaboutjazz.com/superclusters-pek-evil-clown-review-by-karl-ackermann.php
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    Leap Of Faith Orchestra: SuperClusters
    On two occasions each year, composer and multi-instrumentalist PEK (David M. Peck), gathers together his Evil Clown collective for live recordings. Culled from Leap of Faith, String Theory, Mekaniks, Metal Chaos Ensemble and their respective off-shoots of each, the players form his massive, eighteen-member Leap of Faith Orchestra. For the SuperClusters session, the group assembled at Longy School of Music at Bard College with a specially written score that takes advantage of the individual sub-groups' previous experiences.
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    As LOFO had done with their Supernovae (2016) and Possible Universes (2017), SuperClusters entails a single title track composition, here running seventy-six minutes. PEK continues the use of his Frame Notation technique where the score is seen in written descriptions and archetypal symbols within duration bars. The system provides the musicians with instantaneous grasp of their individual performances and an overview of the total piece. Over the course of these large group performances, PEK has tinkered with the technicalities of the process but not the prevailing principle. The piece, though structured by group sections and intervals, is improvised within those parameters.
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    There are some of the usual array of unconventional "instruments" that PEK favors, such as rachets and flex-a-tones, but in an ensemble of this size, even the most peculiar of them are absorbed into the larger sound. There are few conventional elements in the structure of the composition; melodies are passing shimmers of invention and solos are the exception rather than the rule. Still, there are episodic instances where players and sections stand out -four minutes in, a swirl of brass and horns fills the soundscape, dissipating as quickly as it had formed. At thirteen minutes, Dave Harris' tuba takes the entire orchestra to a point of near silence that breaks out into a succession of subdivision passages. Among them, is an absorbing percussion solo from Joe Hartigan.
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    PEK points out, in his album notes, "The performances by these smaller ensembles (those mentioned above) stand by themselves as improvisation performances as well as getting us ready to improvise in a full orchestra setting." SuperClusters appeals on at least two levels; the technical aspects of PEK's approach are intriguing and though provoking. From a musical perspective those techniques translate to a listening experience that seems to change with each successive play of the disc. The digital download of SuperClusters includes a twenty-minute bonus track featuring the smaller Leap of Faith group.
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    Review Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
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    LEAP OF FAITH ORCHESTRA With PEK / GLYNIS LOMON / CHARLIE KOHLHASE / ERIC ZINMAN / YURI ZBITNOV / SYDNEY SMART / JOE HARTIGAN / et al - Super Clusters (Evil Clown 9164; USA) This is the fourth major work for the Leap of Faith Orchestra, all of which are based on Dave Peck’s Frame Notation scores. These pieces are not rehearsed since it would nearly impossible to do this, although Mr. Peck has found a way to use relatively simple directions for the many members of the orchestra. Each of the four large works have utilized compositional devices and symbols, adding new devices with each new score. As a longtime fan of big bands or large ensemble music, I am often fascinated by the way certain composers & bandleaders have organized & conducted their ensembles. From the Duke Ellington & Count Basie Orchestras through Stan Kenton, Frank Zappa’s Grand Wazoo and the Globe Unity Orchestra, I am always searching for more of this music to check out. Our newsletter (04/13/2018) started off with a new disc from the Globe Unity Orchestra, called ’50 Years’, a half century since their first recording. In a few years it will be a century since the beginning of the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the 1920’s!?!
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    As I listen to the new disc, ’SuperClusters’ by the Leap of Faith Orchestra, I am listening to how large ensemble music has evolved over nearly a century. Leap of Faith are less than a decade old and have recorded every performance with upwards of 100 CD’s so far. There are 16 members for this session, which includes the core members like PEK, Glynis Lomon & Yuri Zbitnov plus occasional members like Eric Zinman on piano and Sydney Smart on drums. This disc was recorded live at Pickman Hall, outside of Boston, on December 1st of 2017. Oddly enough, this music is not that chaotic, yes it moves in spurts yet sounds often focused and directed. Considering how many musicians are involved here, there is quite a bit of balanced, thoughtful playing, with skeletal moments amongst the more frenzied sections which rarely last too long before they evolve into something else. Unless you live in the Boston area or perhaps find your way to DMG for a once a year set, you will most likely have a chance to check out Leap of Faith live/ So, you should check out their discs, perhaps 1 or 2 at a time. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
    ... more
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1.
SuperClusters 01:16:00
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about

Evil Clown 9164
1 December 2017
Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music
Cambridge MA

credits

released January 26, 2018

PEK (1,2) - saxophones, clarinets, double reeds, daxophone, sheng +
Glynis Lomon (1,2) - cello, aquasonic, voice +
Charlie Kohllhase (1) - saxophones +
Dan O’Brien (1) - flutes, clarinets, saxophones +
Kat Dobbins (1) - trombone +
Bob Moores (1) - trumpet +
Dave Harris (1) - trombone, tuba +
Zack Grass (1) - bass trombone, tuba +
Matt Scutchfield (1) - violin +
Junko Fujiwara (1) - cello +
Eric Zinman (1) - piano +
Tony Leva (1,2) - bass +
Silvain Castellano (1) - bass +
Sydney Smart (1,2) - drums, glockenspeil, gong, metal, wood+
Joe Hartigan (1) - drums, vibraphone, gong, metal, wood +
Yuri Zbitnov (1,2) - drums, log drums, gong, metal, wood, daxophone +
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(+) Ensemble Auxiliary Instruments:
bullroarers, claves, melodicas, flex-a-tones,
tibetan bowls, rachets, tube-o-phone,
bells,rachets, wood blocks
.
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----YouTube
SuperClusters: youtu.be/T2e8NgYNMvg
GigaParsecs: youtu.be/tWC18EJHMBk
----Evil Clown album page
www.evilclown.rocks/lofo-superclusters.html
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Here's a ton of great links to the other Frame Notation Scores
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Leap of Faith Orchestra performs The Photon Epoch by PEK
Evil Clown Album Page: www.evilclown.rocks/lofo-the-photon-epoch.html
bandcamp: leapoffaith1.bandcamp.com/album/the-photon-epoch
YouTube: youtu.be/rF2zhgAKqQI
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Leap of Faith Orchestra performs Cosmological Horizons by PEK
Evil Clown Album Page: www.evilclown.rocks/lofo-cosmological-horizons.html
bandcamp: leapoffaith1.bandcamp.com/album/cosmological-horizons
YouTube: youtu.be/WAKPbZw8McQ
Review: www.allaboutjazz.com/cosmological-horizons-leap-of-faith-orchestra-evil-clown-review-by-karl-ackermann.php
Review: www.squidsear.com/cgi-bin/news/newsView.cgi?newsID=2111
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Leap of Faith Orchestra performs SuperClusters by PEK
Evil Clown Album Page: www.evilclown.rocks/lofo-superclusters.html
bandcamp: leapoffaith1.bandcamp.com/album/leap-of-faith-orchestra-superclusters
YouTube: youtu.be/T2e8NgYNMvg
Review: www.allaboutjazz.com/superclusters-pek-evil-clown-review-by-karl-ackermann.php
Review: www.squidsear.com/cgi-bin/news/newsView.cgi?newsID=2036
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Leap of Faith Orchestra performs Possible Universes by PEK
Evil Clown Album Page: www.evilclown.rocks/lofo-possible-universes.html
bandcamp: leapoffaith1.bandcamp.com/album/possible-universes
Squidco: www.squidco.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=24776&Store_Code=S&search=leap+of+faith&offset=&filter_cat=0&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=0&sort=&range_low=&range_high=
YouTube: youtu.be/jyA-5uq9Oq8
Review: www.allaboutjazz.com/possible-universes-pek-evil-clown-review-by-karl-ackermann.php
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Leap of Faith Orchestra performs Supernovae by PEK
Evil Clown Album Page: www.evilclown.rocks/lofo-supernovae.html
bandcamp: leapoffaith1.bandcamp.com/album/supernovae
YouTube: youtu.be/VsyWSyFbvxw
Review: www.allaboutjazz.com/supernovae-leap-of-faith-evil-clown-review-by-karl-ackermann.php
Review: www.freejazzblog.org/2017/01/leap-of-faith-orchestra-supernovae-evil.html
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Leap of Faith Orchestra performs The Expanding Universe by PEK
Nave Gallery, Clarendon Presbyterian Church - Somerville, MA - 6/4/2016
Evil Clown Album Page: www.giantevilclown.com/lofo-expanding-universe.html
bandcamp: leapoffaith1.bandcamp.com/album/the-expanding-universe
YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yos6g3GkJVQ
Review: www.allaboutjazz.com/the-expanding-universe-leap-of-faith-orchestra-evil-clown-review-by-karl-ackermann.php
Review: gapplegatemusicreview.blogspot.com/2016/08/leap-of-faith-orchestra-expanding.html
Review: www.jazzrightnow.com/2017/01/09/review-leap-of-faith-orchestra-the-expanding-universe/

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Leap Of Faith Boston, Massachusetts

Leap of Faith is a long-term collaboration active from 1993 to 2001 and resuming in 2015 between Glynis Lomon (cello, voice) and PEK (clarinets, saxes, double reeds, voice) with various other regulars (Mark McGrain trombone, Craig Schildhauer bass, Yuri Zbitnov drums, James Coleman theremin, Steve Norton saxes, clarinets) + many guests. Pure improv with little or no planning prior to performance ... more

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