…or: “Folk Forum, Follow-ups, Photos, Flushing, Fairbanks’ Fan Fun for Fall”
October 2012
Dear Creative Music Lovers,
First, welcome to the many new fans who attended Temple of Memories, the concert of Project Hansori and Soh Daiko at Locating the Sacred festival last month (pictured here)! Scroll down or click here to hear a short but fun moment from that concert. This newsletter comes in the midst of a flurry of activity this Fall. Though I’m not sure if any readers live near my D.C. appearance next week, tomorrow and especially Friday are two local NYC appearances I’m very excited about. Also read on for a new award announcement, show follow-ups, and a link to an entertaining post about my former jail cell studio.
UPCOMING APPEARANCES:
10/26/12: Jeff in D.C. with USAF Airmen of Note
8pm @ Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University. Washington, D.C. Free.
730 21st Street, NW Washington, DC 20052
I will lead the Air Force’s premier Jazz band on a performance of my original piece Mulberry Street, which won the 2012 Sammy Nestico Award (mentioned in September’s newsletter). A segment of the concert will be nationally broadcast later on NPR. Broadcast details are TBD, and it’s unclear whether my portion will be included on it. FYI, this is the venue hosting the “Rumble” between John Stewart and Bill O’Reilly on an earlier date this month, so the venue will be plenty warmed up for us.
10/17/12: Jeff panelist at Korean Culture Forum
Wednesday, October 17 @ 6-10pm. Suggested admission $10/ members free.
Flushing Town Hall
137-35 Northern Blvd Flushing, New York 11354
The Korean Culture Forum: Korean Traditional Music, Today, Tomorrow includes mini performance by Sonagi, resident Korean percussion ensemble while in tour in the U.S. I’ve been asked to appear as a a guest panelist on a discussion of the state of Korean music now and in the future. I hope to add to the discussion some insight from my experiences with fusing some of these traditions into my own music. It will be an honor to join some very notable colleagues tomorrow. Friday I have the privilege to perform with Sonagi (see below).
10/19/12: Sonagi Project at Flushing Town Hall, with special guest Jeff Fairbanks
Friday, October 19 @ 8pm. $15/$10 members, students.
Flushing Town Hall
137-35 Northern Blvd Flushing, New York 11354
Almost every show I share in the newsletters is one where I am the band leader, whether it’s Project Hansori or Street Beat. However, this Friday is a unique chance to see me performer as a featured guest on another leader’s project. I’m thrilled to have been invited perform with Sonagi Project, the janggu-centered Korean percussion group, during their tour of the U.S. Sonagi is led by the visionary and innovative Chang Jae-Hyo, in a class of his own as an accomplished Pansori singer, ajaeng (bowed zither) player, as well as percussionist. It’s really been a musical high to work with Jae-Hyo and his group for several days earlier this month, preparing for our concert. I wish I could have a regular part of my shcedule doing this kind of music making. My portion of the concert will be about 25 minutes, and will involve just about all my Eastern and Western training and experience, including imitating the taepyeongso (double-reed instrument), Jazz inflection, and free improvisation, all within strict, complicated rhythm patterns. I love it!
ASCAP PLUS AWARD
This Fall has yielded a big harvest in terms of awards. Since learning of the USAF Sammy Nestico award in September, I just learned that I was given an ASCAP Plus Award as well. This award is meant to recognize my achievements of the last full year, 2011. Considering 2011 included my debut album release on a reputable New York label, several major grant awards, commissions and performances, it really was my career best year …until this one!
COMPOSER RESIDENCY UPDATE #2: Composing from Jail
I figured the above headline would raise some eyebrows when I wrote this post on my website on Oct 1st. If you didn’t catch it then, read it here: http://fairbanksmusic.com/2012/10/01/composing-from-jail/
IN CASE YOU MISSED THESE SHOWS:
9/16/12 Locating the Sacred, presented by Asian American Arts Alliance
I love taking risks with creative music. That’s exactly what we did at the Locating the Sacred Festival, joining a Taiko ensemble (Soh Daiko) with a Jazz big band (Project Hansori). The sound of the two groups together was a wonderful success. I can say with some experience both positive and negative, that collaborating (between individuals, let alone bands) can be difficult, risky, scary, and the end product does not always work. That’s probably why it doesn’t happen often. But as I listened to our collaborative, closing piece I thought, “this sound is why I take these risks”. The same goes for our 45-minute Ives-ian sound collage, which made an acoustic effect better than I could have even imagined. And it’s hard to believe that the actual time rehearsing both full bands together as a unit was less than an hour! Thanks to the open-mindedness of the performers and the audiences who packed the floor (and the 2nd floor, basement, lobby, and stairways!). Everyone was willing to get out of their comfort zones to try something new, and that we did. And boy did it pay off.
10/7 Street Beat at All Nite Soul fest
If Project Hansori took us an a spiritual journey at Locating the Sacred, Street Beat reminded us to have fun at All Nite Soul. In an event that started at 7pm (or 5:30 including the Jazz service), we startled awake die-hard but weary fans at St Peter’s Church at 1am by blasting How Great Thou Art from the balcony above and behind them. I think we caught them off-guard again when we re-entered at 2am, marching through the sanctuary and winding between pews to a Calypso beat. I’m laughing as I write. Good fun. The festival organizer himself called our performance “exciting and inspiring”.
10/13 Street Beat at All Saints Church Pumpkin Fair
Street Beat added a last minute public performance last weekend at this street fair in my neighborhood of Sunnyside, Queens. Too bad I couldn’t get this newsletter out in time!
Thanks for reading,
Jeff Fairbanks
www.fairbanksmusic.com www.reverbnation.com/jefffairbanks