NEXUS Now

NEXUS - NEXUS Now

Someone asked for more NEXUS a while ago.

released in 1989; recorded at McClear Place in Toronto, Canada on June 15 and 16, 1989

CD includes 5 pieces

Marubatoo (1989) composed by John Wyre

Bob Becker - marimba solo
William Cahn - marimba
Robin Engelman - crotales, songbells
Russell Hartenberger - vibraphone
John Wyre - bass marimba solo

Marubatoo is based on "Maruba", a composition for marimba and tuba written at Tanglewood, Massachusetts in the summer of 1987. The original solo marimba part remains intact. The tuba part is given to the bass marimba, generally assuming a melodic role, highlighted by crotales (tuned antique cymbals) and song bells.

Fauna (1988) composed by William Cahn

Bob Becker - marimba, Chinese opera gong, animal horn, quica
William Cahn - digital samplers and sequencers, New Guinea war-horn, conch shell horn, panpipes
Robin Engelman - marimba, handbell, melodion, Chinese opera gong, friction drum (lion's roar), bass harmonica
Russell Hartenberger - Chinese cymbal, Chinese opera gong, darabuka, quica, slide whistle
John Wyre - didgeridoo, darabuka, Chinese opera gong, New Guinea war-horn

Fauna was composed in May 1988. It is an experimental piece combining electronic and acoustic musical instruments, and it is also programmatic in nature.
The electronic instruments are used to generate reproductions of natural sounds (water, birds, voices), as well as reproductions of acoustic musical instruments (drums, marimbas, Chinese opera gongs, penny-whistles). These sounds are combined with acoustic instruments such as wooden and conch shell trumpets, a melodion, marimbas, and Chinese opera gongs, to produce music that is constructed around a single melody, harmonized, and repeated in several series of variations.

Cymbal (1988) composed by Bob Becker

Bob Becker - suspended cymbals, Pakistani iron bells, camel bell
William Cahn - crash cymbals, suspended cymbals, keisu bells, gongs
Robin Engelman - sheet cymbal, suspended cymbals, keisu bells
Russell Hartenberger - suspended cymbals, keisu bells
John Wyre - suspended cymbals, keisu bells, temple bowl, Tibetan cymbals

Originally conceived and performed as a solo piece in 1976, Cymbal was revised and reorchestrated for NEXUS in 1988. All of the sounds heard on the recording of this piece were produced acoustically in real time by the performers.
Conceptually this piece is based on the resonant tones inherent in the complex sounds of fine cymbals, reinforced by various other cymbals, bells and gongs of specific pitch. Structurally it is a slowly moving chorale - like progression beginning with an ambiguous altered seventh chord and finally cadencing in Db major.

Rain Tree (1981) composed by Toru Takemitsu

Bob Becker - vibraphone solo, crotales
Robin Engelman - marimba, crotales
Russell Hartenberger - marimba, crotales

Rain Tree belongs to Takemitsu's Rain Series and is scored for vibraphone, two marimbas and crotales. When Takemitsu was planning the piece he was greatly influenced by a novel of Kenzaburo Oe titled Atama no ij Ame no Ki. The opening page of the score has a paragraph quoted from this novel:

"It has been named the 'Rain Tree'; for its abundant foliage continues to let fall rain drops collected from last night's shower until well after the following midday. Its hundreds of thousands of tiny leaves -- finger-like -- store up moisture while other trees dry up at once. What an ingenious tree. Isn't it?"

Remembrance (1988) composed by Robin Engelman

Bob Becker - chang chiki, two cowbells
William Cahn - wood block, two piccolo wood blocks, chang chiki, squeak toy
Robin Engelman - two almglocken, rope drum, Cidelo Ihos, lion's roar
Russell Hartenberger - chang chiki, two cowbells
John Wyre - darabukas
Michael White - trumpet
Rachel Thomas - tenor trombone
Thomas Allen - bass trombone

A rhythmic motif or series of tones can recall music heard in the past. One can qualify this juxtaposition but it is, nevertheless, spontaneous.
Remembrance was written for NEXUS and is dedicated to an old porch swing. (from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

1. Marubatoo {13:08}

2. Fauna {13:19}

3. Cymbal {11:59}

4. Rain Tree {11:11}

5. Remembrance {9:36}

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Toccata

NEXUS - Toccata

The 1995/96 concert season was the twenty-fifth year of performances together for the five members of NEXUS. It was a year highlighted by a tour of Europe and Scandinavia, a Silver Anniversary series of concerts in Toronto broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and a twenty-fifth anniversary celebration concert in the Eastman School of Music's historic Kilbourn Hall, the venue for the very first performance by NEXUS on May 20, 1971. In the early years of the group's existence, concerts consisted almost entirely of improvisations on percussion instruments collected by the individual members of NEXUS. Many of these instruments were from non-Western musical cultures and were not associated with the classical and popular music already familiar to the conservatory-trained percussionists. The instruments were mostly bells and gongs of Asian origin, although there were also wooden instruments, drums, and various home-made percussion instruments, and they invariably sounded pitches that fell in-between the notes of the European tempered scale system. Since there were no existing compositions for this unusual collection of instruments, the music was created in spontaneous improvisations, with no advance planning at all. Spontaneity has always been a major part of NEXUS' approach to performing its repertoire, and improvised pieces, such as Kichari, Reunion, and Toccata were featured in the NEXUS anniversary season programs. In these pieces, the listener will find the musical heart of NEXUS. Eric Robertson, the Toronto-based virtuoso organist, joins NEXUS in Toccata for some serious improvised fun. (Bill Cahn)

Members (performers all on percussion): Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Robin Engelman, Russell Hartenberger, John Wyre

Tracklisting:

1. Kichari {15:00}
live at Studio 10, Berlin, Germany - October 6, 1995

2. Tongues {5:05}
live in the CBC Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto, Canada - June 11, 1996

3. Reunion {12:06}
live in Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York - February 20, 1996

4. Toccata {22:56}
live at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Toronto, Canada - May 11, 1996; with Eric Robertson - organ

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Rune: Nexus Plays the Music of Hawkins Tenney and Mather

Nexus - Rune: Nexus Plays the Music of Hawkins, Tenney and Mather

Dance Variations composed by John Hawkins

performers:

Bob Becker - marimba

Robin Engelman - xylophone

Russell Hartenberger - glockenspiel, bongos, congas

John Wyre - vibraphone, roto-toms

Rune composed by James Tenney

performers:

Robin Engelman - Part I (objects of metal with short decay)

Russell Hartenberger - Part II (wooden objects)

Bill Cahn - Part III (rattles of various types, including snare drums and tambourines)

Bob Becker - Part IV (drums)

John Wyre - Part V (metallic objects with long decay)

Clos d'Audignac composed by Bruce Mather

performers:

Bob Becker - solo marimba

Robin Engelman - marimba

Russell Hartenberger - vibraphone

John Wyre - glockenspiel, cowbells, tubular bells, bass drum

James Tenney's piece was the one that drew me to this recording as I am interested in his work and hope to have more on this blog from Mr. Tenney in the future. Meanwhile, "Rune" and the other material is quite enjoyable (for me) and worth checking out especially if you're interested in percussion music.

Tracklisting:

1. Dance Variations: I {1:46}

2. Dance Variations: II {1:19}

3. Dance Variations: III {7:11}

4. Dance Variations: IV {6:51}

5. Dance Variations: V {2:11}

6. Dance Variations: VI {1:35}

7. Rune: 0' (first part) {8:06}

8. Rune: 8' (second part) {12:09}

9. Clos d'Audignac: (solo marimba) {4:40}

10. Clos d'Audignac: (ensemble entrance) {2:21}

11. Clos d'Audignac: cadenza I {3:15}

12. Clos d'Audignac: (interlude) {1:46}

13. Clos d'Audignac: cadenza II {2:07}

14. Clos d'Audignac: (coda) {1:37}

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