Program Notes for John Gunther and Super String Theory
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This arrangement draws from a solo piano performance by Monk. This composition typifies the character of Monk’s music with it’s quirky melody, hints of blues, and a moving rhythmic counterpoint in the voices underneath the melody. It is in typical "song form". The main theme is stated (theme A1), repeated again (theme A2), followed by a new theme (B), then a return to the first theme (A3) or AABA.
More information at: http://www.downbeatjazz.com/sections/artists/text/bio.asp?from=go&id1=7146
Thomas Mapfumo, born in Marondera, Zimbabwe is also sometimes called the Lion of Zimbabwe. He is responsible for blending traditional Shona mbira (thumb piano) music with western instruments and a political message full of innuendo and traditional proverbs. He established the musical style, chimurenga (the Shona word for struggle). Mapfumo took the mbira rhythms and transposed them onto the guitar. Hondo translates as war.
More information at: http://africanmusic.org/artists/mapfumo.html
This original composition draws from religious and ceremonial music from around the world. These musical traditions represent some of the oldest artifacts of our human culture and can perhaps be thought of as musical archetypes. The first movement is based on a Gregorian Chant melody. Gregorian chant was given its name by Pope Gregory the great (c.540-604) who helped to organize the music of the Roman Catholic Church. Chant had already been "in use" for centuries and its roots extend deep into the past merging with Greek, Jewish, Roman and Near East musical systems. The second and third movements draw from the mbira tradition referred to in "Hondo". Like the Gregorian chant, the Mbira music provides a vehicle for expression and worship. The final movement is based on a Nursery Rhyme sung by the Baka pygmies of the rainforests in Cameroon, Africa. Though its origins are shrouded in mystery, like the mbira tradition, it extends deep into the past of this particular musical culture handed down from generation to generation.
Bach wrote six sonata and partitas for solo violin and they have become an important part of the classical violinist’s repertoire. In these works he demonstrated his ability to create the illusion of a full harmonic and contrapuntal texture by using multiple stops (violin playing two or more notes at once) and single melodic lines which outline or suggest an interplay of more than one voice. Performed here as a duo with violin and clarinet, the violin plays the music written while the clarinet improvises over the written line. Because Bach’s music is often very symmetrical, the melodic line can be offset by a few notes and a whole new harmony and melody is created. (same idea as singing "Row, row, row your boat" as a round)
The self-proclaimed "Father of the Blues", W.C. Handy was an important composer, cornetist, and bandleader at the turn of the century. Though blues certainly existed before Handy and its origins are not attributable to any one person, he is responsible for the first published blues, Memphis blues in 1909. St. Louis Blues was his most famous composition. Like the early jazz tradition, the string ensemble is given a "lead sheet" — melody and chords only — and improvises as an ensemble much like a Dixieland or traditional jazz band.
In this performance, composed sections alternate with instances of "free" improvisation where each member of the ensemble makes up its own melody. Also utilized is an electronic device which allows the performer to "loop" or record a short phrase, have that phrase repeat, and record more phrases on top of that. Polytonal refers to the use of multiple keys or tonalities at once, a compositional technique commonly used by twentieth century composers such as Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky.
Fiddle music and the fiddle or violin is central to American Folk or "Roots" music and its influence continues today in contemporary country music. The instrument and music was played throughout rural America in the early 1900’s primarily for dances. Robertson toured with traveling medicine shows from 1903-1906 and also worked as a pianist for silent movie houses. His gravestone bears the inscription "Worlds Champion Fiddler"
About Super String Theory:
Born out of a rehearsal underneath a Bodega in the East Village of New York City, Super String Theory draws from an eclectic source of influences and musical styles. Thelonious Monk, West African Mbira Music, Bartok and the strains of a didgeridoo can all be found within the dimensions of Super String Theory. The ensemble is led by instrumentalist and composer John Gunther, who has blended his voice as a jazz saxophonist (along with flute and clarinet) with the traditional instrumentation of a string quartet. All members of this group are top-notch improvisers and regulars of New York’s "downtown" music scene. The ensemble includes Roxanne Bergman and Charles Burnham on violin, Maryam Blacksher on viola, and Leo Huppert on the bass.