: A Strange Assignment Provides Inspiration
In my second year of studying composition, my professor Conrad Cummings gave us a strange assignment – we had to compose a piece using two different key signatures. I.e., the melody/ leading instruments would deliberately clash with the underlying harmony. I dutifully composed a short piece, but after hearing it performed I remarked to my professor that the piece sounded really silly – sort of like a PDQ Bach parody. My professor then said something startling. “Eric, be silly!” he said. I have tried to take this to heart in my composing – when the opportunity presents itself I try to throw in something unexpected or “silly” into my pieces.
I’m relating this little bit of trivia because next Wednesday – Oct 30 – one of my sillier pieces – titled The Source of The Beat (written for a saxophone quartet) – is being performed in concert in NYC along with 7 other pieces written by some of my fellow composers in the New York Composers Circle. Professor Cummings? If you are reading this I hope I’m meeting your expectations.
Here are full details:
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 – 7:30 PM –New Music For Saxophones
The Little Church Around the Corner
1 East 29th Street (near Madison)
New York, NY 10001
Admission is $20 – Students (with ID) are free
For more details – – –
http://newyorkcomposerscircle.org/
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And a bonus Where is Eric?
At the risk of overloading you with too much detail, I have a few last minute entries on my playing calendar. Under the ‘it never rains but it pours’ category, I have 3 live appearances this week, then I will rest on my laurels until December.
October 21st, Monday, 8:00PM-11:00PM – Big Ed Sullivan Blues Jam at The Red Lion, 151 Bleeker St., Greenwich Village, NYC (212) 260-9797
A rare New York appearance. I will be filling in for the regular keyboardist David Bennet Cohen at the Monday Night Jam at the Red Lion. For those of you who are not familiar with the scene, at a blues jam different musicians get on & off during the course of the evening. I will play the first set @ 8:00, but after that there will likely be other keyboard players, so if you show up and you don’t see me on stage, it’s likely that I’m taking turns with the other keyboard players. The Red Lion has an enormous selection of bottled beer and decent bar food – plus The Village is always fun on a crisp autumn night.
http://www.redlionnyc.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Ed-Sullivan/253831450378
October 25th, Friday, 8:00PM-11:00 – Shuffle Jump & Moan at The Shillelagh Club, 648 Prospect Ave, West Orange, (973) 509-1134
I mentioned this in my last e-mail, but as long as I’m here, no harm done.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shuffle-Jump-Moan/379081422265206?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/ShillelaghClub/
October 26th, Saturday, 7:00PM-9:00 – Better Off Dead at Ruthie’s BBQ, 64 1/2 Chestnut Ave, Montclair (973) 509-1134
Most likely we’ll be inside. BYOB.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.ruthiesbbq.com/