Sid Richardson: Borne by a Wind

by Richardson / Deviant Septet

Overview

The works on this release by composer Sid Richardson all involve external stimuli: literary texts, a natural scene, or an ancient scientific device, the astrolabe, that serves as a symbol of the universe. All are immediately attractive, even for listeners not particularly oriented toward contemporary music, for their musical imagery is vivid and even visceral. Consider Lune, for violin and electronics, which represents not only the moon but some loons that the composer heard on a lake in Vermont; it's very hard to resist. However, the most distinctive work is the opening Red Wind (2017), which sets five poems by experimental poet Nathaniel Mackey. The texts are spoken by Mackey, ranging in inspiration from the titular phenomenon of the Nile river shore to the city of Jaipur, India, and the music is played by the Deviant Septet chamber group. The big news here is that what used to be called Third Stream music makes a major new appearance. Richardson's piece is apparently all notated rather than improvised, but it draws on an extraordinarily wide range of influences from bass-driven 1960s modern jazz to contemporary French tonalities to modernist vocal lines of the George Crumb sort (the texts are both spoken and manipulated in melodic vocal settings of various kinds). It all coheres rather uncannily in its relationship to the distinctively African American yet ethnically ecumenical qualities of the texts, and at this point, it's pretty much unlike anything else out there. Richardson is also notable in the way he numbers electronics among his resources, yet is not an "electronic composer," and in the variety of sounds of which he is capable. An excellent chance to sample the music of this rising composer. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	02/12/2021
Label:	New Focus Recordings
UPC:	0690277900259
Rank:	235698

Tracks

1. Red Wind~1. A Night in Jaipur  - Brad Balliett  - Sam Budish  -  Deviant Septet  - Mellissa Hughes  - Tim Leopold  - Nathaniel Mackey  - Sid Richardson
2. Red Wind~2. Head Opening  - Brad Balliett  - Sam Budish  -  Deviant Septet  - Mellissa Hughes  - Tim Leopold  - Nathaniel Mackey  - Sid Richardson
3. Red Wind~3. Anabatic Jukebox  - Brad Balliett  - Sam Budish  -  Deviant Septet  - Mellissa Hughes  - Tim Leopold  - Nathaniel Mackey  - Sid Richardson
4. Red Wind~4. Anacoluthic Light  - Brad Balliett  - Sam Budish  -  Deviant Septet  - Mellissa Hughes  - Tim Leopold  - Nathaniel Mackey  - Sid Richardson
5. Red Wind~5. Rag  - Brad Balliett  - Sam Budish  -  Deviant Septet  - Mellissa Hughes  - Tim Leopold  - Nathaniel Mackey  - Sid Richardson
6. There is No Sleep So Deep  - Sid Richardson  - Conrad Tao
7. Lune  - Lilit Hartunian  - Sid Richardson
8. Astrolabe  -  Da Capo Chamber Players  - Sid Richardson

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mellissa Hughes   Guest Artist,Soprano (Vocal)
Da Capo Chamber Players   Ensemble
Conrad Tao   Piano
Brad Balliett   Conductor
Tim Leopold   Guest Artist
Nathaniel Mackey   Guest Artist
Lilit Hartunian   Violin
Sam Budish   Guest Artist
Deviant Septet   Ensemble

Technical Credits

Ryan Streber   Mastering
Jessica Slaven   Design,Artwork
Rick Nelson   Mixing,Engineer
Nathaniel Mackey   Narrator
Eric Snoza   Photography
Sid Richardson   Editing,Composer,Producer
Luke Harley   Liner Notes
Paul Schraub   Photography