NY Times feature on the Yale Cellos.  I appreciate how the author gets the chameleon-like nature of the instrument and really appreciates the sonorous possiblities of the instrument, especially played in masse!

Click here for the article...

One of the groups I'm in, Trio Terana, performing at the Zacatecas Festival in Mexico.  Soak up the atmosphere!

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Me and Zach Brock, aka Smooth Gropius, perform entirely improvised string-on-string duets. Assisted by a laptop and vintage effects pedals, the performance is captured live at WFMU Studios on November 23rd, 2008. We performed on the WFMU show "Stochastic Hit Parade," hosted by Bethany Ryker every Sunday evening from 10 to Midnight EST. 
The Stochastic Hit Parade on WFMU



"Hello Bethany"

"A Countreee Fair"

"My Dog Figggi"

"Shannon"

"Piatti Caprice #1"

"Finale"

Tonight, join the Paradox Trio and me as we bring Sergei Eisenstein's classic and completely restored film Battleship Potemkin to life with a live score!


From Flavorpill:
During Soviet cinema's nascent years, Sergei Eisenstein pioneered a montage-as-manipulation theory that gave each of his colliding shots an excitable (and semiotic) heft. His editing prowess is particularly clear-cut in his film-school staple, Battleship Potemkin, which screens tonight with a new score by composer Matt Darriau and his Paradox Trio. To amplify Potemkin's militant credo and its frenetic, boomeranging imagery, Darriau's avant-garde ensemble delivers a lush, keyed-up mix of Balkan, klezmer, and cello-propelled sounds. Of course, the climax — whether it's supported by a dumbek backbeat or a strummed guitar — remains the tsarists stomping down theOdessa Steps.

Below are two photo slide-shows from the Paradox Trio tour I was on last month in France and then Belgrade, Serbia. It was a really fun, fascinating trip, with hard-hitting music, unpredictable scenery and generally delicious food. Dive in.

First, Part One, taken primarily in the northwest of France.



...and then part 2, closing out France and moving on to Serbia...

Showing off Youtube videos with fellow musicians on the road has been, steadfastly, one of the more entertaining bonding devices I've experienced in the past few years. Even when the traveling life gets tiring, crowding your colleagues around the screen to check out that next Youtube video you heard about puts everyone on the same page, no matter how hairy road-life gets. Below are a few videos I was digging on with the Paradox Trio these past weeks.

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I always enjoy when audio gets a visual interpretation. In this case, visual and with a dramatic arc.


String orchestra kicks in... vocals thunderously enter. Totally deadpan. I could never pull this off.


My kind of rumble.


Because it can be done... and then afterwards I hear the instruments get turned into a soup.

Slight Tangent: A music colleague called me a few weeks ago solely to ask if I could send him the link to a video he wanted to show his date. His call had an urgency, like having access to the video was going to sink or swim the evening. My link was accurate and they've been a tight couple ever since that fateful date. I'm not saying... ;-)

Cast a vote.  Go for it...  Booogie Longo and I met minds on it and now we're ready to give it to the people.  Enjoy.

My trip to Singapore was a grand time. The sheer sense of adventure, the eclectic mix of ethnic backgrounds and the bizarre nightlife, food and music scene all contributed to the experience. I uploaded a ton of pictures on my Picasa page here for you to see...

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a cello while I was there (sweet) and take a lesson with the section leader of the Singapore Symphony. She's originally from the New York area, but has lived in Singapore for almost a decade playing with the symphony. Her father used to play new works by P.D.Q. Bach in Manhattan. She showed me rare duet book written by Julius Klengel and I gave her a little primer ..o improvisation. It was a great lesson and eventually (d)evolved into a cello geek-out.

Some classically hilarious translations from a family friend living and working in Japan right now. Very much in the spirit of my recent Singapore adventures. Hilarious!

Click here for the goods.

-g

Really?

What's this map all about?