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Topic: Video - Susan Alcorn Quintet at the Berlin Jazz Festival |
Susan Alcorn
From:
Baltimore, MD, USA
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Posted 7 May 2022 4:19 pm |
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This video is from a performance by my quintet (our second and perhaps final gig) headlining at the Berlin Jazzfest on November 4th, 2021. With the assistance of Michael Formanek on double bass, Mary Halvorson on guitar, Eddy Kwan on violin and Ryan Sawyer on drums, I manage to eke my way through the music I wrote and arranged for this group.
The music from this performance is the same as the CD "Pedernal" that was released in November of 2020 (which is still available on Bandcamp).
There are three groups in this video, Han Bennik's International Contemporary Ensemble (which is well worth watching), my quintet, and Mary Halvorson's "Code Girl" which also features Michael Formanek. Code Girls's set was immediately after ours - they had to rush to another part of the building to play immediately after.
On this link, my quintet starts at the 1:19.45 mark.
https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/106322-007-A/susan-alcorn-quintet-icp-orchestra-negro-leo-the-killing-popes/
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www.susanalcorn.net
"So this is how you swim inward. So this is how you flow outwards. So this is how you pray."
- Mary Oliver |
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Daniel Morris
From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
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Posted 8 May 2022 2:20 pm
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Great music, Susan!
(Looking forward to seeing you in Cleveland, come June.)
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amp w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Eventide, Pigtronix. |
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Larry Jamieson
From:
Walton, NY USA
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Posted 8 May 2022 4:50 pm
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| Interesting, Susan. That was an amazing quintet of very talented musicians. Do you write out arrangements for all of your music or rehearse and collaborate as to who will play what during a given piece of music? At times there is so much going on such as in "Are You Are." I enjoyed it. |
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Susan Alcorn
From:
Baltimore, MD, USA
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Posted 9 May 2022 9:06 am
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Dan, it will be nice to see you again in Cleveland this summer!
Larry, I'm glad you liked the video. The musicians are indeed really talented, and I feel fortunate that we could record and play together. I've known and played with all these musicians for some years except for Eddy who
For this project, I composed the music and wrote out all the parts. Some of the improvisations in between the written score are slightly scripted - who solos when, but some of the time it can end up with everyone playing (which, with this group, I like). When we come back to the written sections, often there is a specific line written for an instrument to bring us in whenever that person is ready, and other times I visually cue (not easy with both hands on a steel guitar) them in.
For the album, in the fall of 2019 we rehearsed for a day and a half then spent a day in the studio recording. We did two takes of most of the pieces and used whichever one worked best. A couple months later we played at the New York Winter Jazz Festival, and then almost two years later, the Berlin gig. For that one, three of us rehearsed for about 3 hours with Eddy who just seemed to take off with the music.
_________________
www.susanalcorn.net
"So this is how you swim inward. So this is how you flow outwards. So this is how you pray."
- Mary Oliver |
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Larry Jamieson
From:
Walton, NY USA
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Posted 10 May 2022 6:42 am
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| Amazing, what a lot of work! Well done, you are taking steel guitar to new audiences and in new directions. Congratulations on all you have accomplished. |
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Susan Alcorn
From:
Baltimore, MD, USA
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Posted 20 May 2022 2:24 pm
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Thank you, Larry.
_________________
www.susanalcorn.net
"So this is how you swim inward. So this is how you flow outwards. So this is how you pray."
- Mary Oliver |
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Rick Schmidt
From:
Prescott AZ, USA
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Posted 22 May 2022 11:39 am
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| loved it Susan! |
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Susan Alcorn
From:
Baltimore, MD, USA
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Posted 22 May 2022 2:35 pm
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Thank you, Rick.
_________________
www.susanalcorn.net
"So this is how you swim inward. So this is how you flow outwards. So this is how you pray."
- Mary Oliver |
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