a Tune Harvest: Friday September 17th. “Musical Ecology…. the graphic scores of Todd Harper”

About this concert

The musicians

The scores,

How these scores ‘work’.

Mid-October . the weather influences me more than ever. While we had 4 days in a row of sun, it’s been mostly humid: unseasonable hot or cold. The past weekend felt so much like November. It is the harvest season: towards the end. Also, the time to harvest, complete the sketches I have started. Since Oct. 6th, I determined to write one new piece of music each day, So far I have done that ! All of them have been written by hand, going between the piano, over to my green chair. I love the process!

I have two gigs with an old friend, Ian Rashkin.... who turns 50… We played together in 1991 in ” The Seekers of Beauty”. BALTIMORE MD… Tuesday November 5th! at An die Musik! we will be joined by drummer Eric Kennedy, and saxophonist Sarah Hughes. Then, on Wednesday, Ian, Sarah and I will play at Rhizome in Washington DC . How interesting: this spring, I have been absorbed by the work of Ran Blake, a student of Gunther Schuller of the 3rd stream movement.. Guess who Sarah Hughes studied with at New England Conservatory? Yup. I just started digging a very hip young Baltimore pianist Lafayette Gilchrist... incredible bass sound, rhythm. Guess who plays with him often? Another drummer named Eric. Ian’s sound has only deepened over the years. It’s a seriously amazing event to look forward to. I don’t know how it will unfold, so I am preparing seriously. I reduced my work hours and started a physical/mental regime to prepare… large and small muscles.and mental muscles..

Yes folks, the folkloric, exstatic, inventive deep 3rd stream lives ! When Jun Miyake came in June ( NO pun!) MUSICAL ECOLOGY had 3 wonderful concerts, and a splendid recording session. Two of the concerts were recorded as well. Now I am gearing up to put the whole thing together…. what to release: one two or three CDs,… there’s that much stuff. Going to add oration this month, do a KICKSTARTER or other funding option.Stay tuned !

5Recently occured.

Thursday, October 3rd! 8 to 10 pm.Eli Fay ( Elizabeth Faison) and her dad, Steve Faison at Jazz Central Studio. Eli is a joy to work with: she crafts each song she sings, puts care and energy into it. We played a lot of senior residencies last year, as well as some other gigs. From 8 to 10 pm. If you have not been to Jazz Central, it is a great little place… a nice grand piano, stage, and volunteer hosts.

I

HI folks.. Because of rain, and deep chill, we did not play at Seasalt. An outdoor gig in cold wet air is never a good idea, especially as we age.

However, Eric and I played there a week later. He played congas instead of traps, and I played piano. A glorious time ! Got back to some basics.

Gig: Thursday, September 12th, SEASALT EATERY, Minnehaha Park 5:00-800 pm. The Open Air Trio.

Eric Coursen, Aaron Kerr and I have a little trio we call ” Open Air”. It is a jazz kind of piano trio, but Aaron plays cello ( or electric cello) instead of bass. It gives Eric and I a chance to stretch out in different ways.

We have played together for a number of years: as a trio, or as a foundation for a larger group. Today, we play some of our favorites, like ” Mr. Hulot’s Holiday”, ” Frenesi”, as well as our own songs. Oh yeah, the summer has grown a new crop of tunes as well, ready to harvest.

Come on by. The food is incredible! We are outside, and are paid by tips. We would love to see you .

It is now August- the beginning of harvest time. For once, I am NOT doing a whole bunch of summer gigs. (although there is one in September) It has been a time to write new music, organize my recordings, and make larger ng is a work for Jazz Big Band , ‘ The trouble with Paradise’, which had a reading back in March by the Twin Cities Jazz Composers’ Workshop. It’s a real thrill to take an idea and expand on it carefully. This June came, with a third Musical Ecology tour with Jun Miyake. We had three concerts, and a long recording session. I am going through these recordings to find the best combination of works to release to the public. Although I love to create individual art for CD’s, I have too much material to release !