Benoit Glazer's (the owner of the home) children were joined by several other musicians onstage and several off playing a fun, impromptu (if a little long) 5 minute piece consisting of the note C called "On the Sea" (or was it "At Sea"?). Having his children play so many types of music is wonderful to warm the audiences. The work was a good primer to the rest of the evening because it invited the audience to listen to music in a new way.
Elliot's music began with a new yet unrecorded work "Homage to Leroy Jenkins" for piano, clarinet and violin. Sharp uses contemporary technique and development to acquire his result quite naturally. Every note was in relation to the whole in an austere way, yet it never felt forced or for effect. Kevin Strang and Shelley Mathews, both local musicians, joined a Polish pianist from the residency (quite good!!) for an unrehearsed but musical realization of this difficult work. A very memorable staccato figure of pairs ending with a wide appoggiatura provided a wonderful motif for the work. One of the cool treatments of the motif was processing a rest into it - shifting the figure's notes by one over the motif's fixed rhythm. The counterpoint was vivid and alluring throughout. I'm looking forward to the recording of this work.
The best work of the evening was Elliot Sharp himself playing a solo work. With elation on his
face, elliot launched into one of his trademark voyages, so musically employing what to too many others are only sound effects. Every imaginable texture seemed to enter into the music's dialogue, including e-bow, hammer ons with both hands, steel, pulls, staccatos, retunes, behind the bridge - and some ones I've never seen before. The best way to hear the music was to close the eyes and not think guitar - just to drink in the sounds bouncing around the room: only to open you eyes to look at the joy on Elliot's face while so deeply involved in his intimate web of sound.
For Elliot's last work of the evening, "Syndicate", he was joined by 11 of the areas' best classical and jazz musicians. Each played from their own unique set of 12 printed fragments. Two of these works were played. The instructions were simple, play the fragments, keeping the tempo, but moving freely from one fragment to the other at will. EMPATHY is the key - listening, and shaping your own music into the unfolding sound of the collective. Michael Welch's wonderfully colorful drumming knitted these works together - his sensibility really worked nicely with Elliot's musical gestures. These kinds of works just take their own form and life, and with a group of excellent musicians as these - did so with humor and excitement. Danny Jordan, who was meditating/exploring the artifact harmonics of the flute ended the second and last section of "Syndicate" with Elliot providing the fitting last sounds.
I found Elliot to be of generous warmth and intellect. He loves traveling the world, except that now, his heart pines to be with his 4 year old twins at home in NY. May your loves be celebrated in your music for many years to come, Elliot!
