Winds of Change – Friday, September 21 at 8 pm
Winds of Change: Shakuhachi, Didgeridoo and Clarinet
New Music and Evolving World Traditions
Beth Custer, clarinets; Cornelius Boots, shakuhachi; Stephen Kent, didgeridoo
Beautiful Demon* (C. Boots) 1.8 jinashi shakuhachi (premiere)
Black Earth (C. Boots) 2.74 Taimu shakuhachi
Crush (B. Custer) Bb clarinet
Youth Fully (B. Custer) contrabass clarinet
Universe Vibration (Didj Concerto in C#) (S.Kent) didgeridoo & percussion
Green Swampy Water (C. Boots) 2.74 Taimu & 1.8 jinashi shakuhachi
Red Tail Light (Custer, Kent, Valsamis) bass clarinet, didgeridoo, shaker
Barryson (Custer, Kent, Valsamis) alto clarinet, didgeridoo, ngoma
Bo Didgeley (Custer, Kent,Loose, Newby) bass clarinet, didgeridoo, shaker, ngoma
Alto Clarinet meets Taimu (improvisation) alto clarinet and Taimu shakuhachi
Nozfoggle (improvisation) didgeridoo, 2.4 & 1.8 jinashi shakuhachi
Winds of Change (improvisation) clarinets, shakuhachi & didgeridoo
An evening of breath-powered music prowess from Bay Area luminaries, international innovators Beth Custer, Cornelius Boots, and Stephen Kent. In solo, duo and trio configurations they will perform original compositions, arrangements, traditional repertoire, and improvisations.
All of life is breathing; wind instruments have the deepest history among all instruments. Why? When the creative impulse of the universe finds its voice, we have the no-limits, soul-based lineage of woodwind wizardry: symbiotic sound art between humans and plant consciousness. Reeds, bamboo, trees and branches working with the imagination. Winds of Change means expressing this truth, making a joyful noise and finding our deeper, truer connections; heralding a change from the fever dreams of the mind and to the vastness of the heart.
More about the performers:
Cornelius Boots is a woodwind composer-performer, bamboo shakuhachi master, breathing ambassador and educator. Active internationally since 1990, his love affair with reeds and bamboo began at age 9. He is currently creating adventurous new music hymns & anthems in a style of expressive woodwind performance that can be called hermit blues or bamboo gospel. Boots is a relentless pioneer and recovering perfectionist who aims to be a fun-loving, professional woodwind wizard, and inspiring shakuhachi performer, contributing to the repertoire and evolution of certain woodwinds, first bass clarinet and now shakuhachi. Previously, Boots was the founder and leader of Edmund Welles: the bass clarinet quartet and Sabbaticus Rex (easy listening for dinosaurs). He has contributed to film scores and collaborative projects, released over 20 albums as a leader and created dozens of original scores and instructional materials for his private lesson studio. corneliusboots.com
Beth Custer is an Emmy Award winning composer, performer, recording artist, bandleader, and the proprietor of BC Records. She has numerous recordings out with ensembles Club Foot Orchestra, Eighty Mile Beach, Clarinet Thing, The Beth Custer Ensemble, and Trance Mission. Beth has composed for Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Zeitgeist, and Cellista; for the theatre productions of Campo Santo, San Diego Repertory, and California Shakespeare; for the dance troupes The Joe Goode Performance Group, AXIS Dance Company, and Flyaway Productions; and for the films of William Farley, Brad Coley, Cathy Lee Crane, and KQED. In October, Beth will be artist in residence in Prague to compose and premiere a live score to a classic silent film from the Czech National Archives. www.bethcuster.com
Multi Instrumentalist and composer Stephen Kent‘s musical career has taken him across five continents, living at various times in the UK, Spain, East Africa, Australia and the US. His musical scores, composed for theatre, circus and dance companies, have received international acclaim and his work as a performer and recording artist has established him in the world music scene, exploring a broad range of playing styles and musical genres. As a performer on the Australian Aboriginal Didjeridu he has pioneered its use in contemporary music across the globe collaborating with a number of musicians, including Airto Moreira (Brasil), Zakir Hussain (India), Habib Koite (Mali), Omar Sosa (Cuba), Leonard Eto (Japan), Choi Jong Sil (Korea), Steve Roach (USA) and many more. Stephen also hosts Music of the World, a weekly show on Pacifica Radio’s KPFA. stephenkent.net