Banff, Week 3

They say that aboriginal folk of this area did not inhabit Banff because it gave off such intense energy. Perhaps this explains the vivid dreams, feelings of euphoria, and the general good vibrations I feel from this place and the people in it. Perhaps not - do these things need explanation? Part of me also feels like I am imposing, and humans are not meant to be here.  The coyote calls emerging from higher up the mountain, and the majestic elk sitting at the stream remind me I am only a visitor.

This week has blessed me with a plethora of wonderful musical projects. The saturday night informal "cabaret" concert in the chamber music studio gave us the opportunity to throw together many diverse ensembles. I played 2 Astor Piazzolla tangos - Lunfardo with flute, piano, and bass, and Milonga del Angel for piano, flute, clarinet, cello, and bass. Then there were some jazz combos including a performance by the Turtle Boy Trio, and a quartet with vocalist Adi Braun. Our program coordinator, Geoff, hooked me up with a real double bass from a local high school. It is great for arco, and not so much for pizzicato, so I used my travel bass (which is good for pizzicato and not arco) for some of the jazz pieces.

To listen to us play Astor Piazzolla's Milonga Del Angel, I posted an mp3 here:

Milonga Del Angel at Banff

Instrumentation: Elspeth Poole (cello), Rosy Choi (piano), Kasia Marczak (clarinet), Elisse Kleiner (flute), JKL (bass). Recorded and mixed by Will Howie.

They have asked me to create podcasts for the music program here. I take recordings from Banff concerts, and present them with photos and text. I will post a link when they are up. Other than that, I did not have a heavy work week, so I have started some of my individual projects that I hope to polish while I am here. I am going to edit, mix, and master the trio from the SLCC residency this summer, and I am writing string arrangements for MacGregor Burns' EP.

This week our guest faculty was Florian Camerer, who is a surround sound expert from Austrian Broadcast. He showed us microphone techniques for recording in surround sound, story telling using sourround sound, and played some amazing mixes of many types of music. My 

two favorites were a Bach Chorale, and a Prince tune. This inspired in me to work on a surround sound remix of the Ben Frock and the Subatomic Particles recording I made in Baltimore last year. I think that the way we miked the session will translate very well in surround. The problem with surround is that nobody listens that way. If only everybody could hear what true surround is like to experience - you are enveloped. It is like swimming.

Friday night, the Turtle Boy Jazz Trio played at the Salt Lick in Banff. It was very strange to be here listening to some very well performed original instrumental music, and feel like I am somewhere on the east coast. It started snowing outside, and I was immediately brought back to the Canadian Rockies. Today is Sunday, and I am kicking it yet again. Tomorrow is Canadian Thanksgiving, and the audio slaves are having a big feast in the co-op. Geoff is cooking a large turkey, and I will bake some bread.  I have much to be thankful for.