"Singularity evolved from the idea that music shouldn't necessarily reveal itself on the first listen."
Singularity began to take shape over two years ago. It began with a saxophone quartet I improvised (using multitracking) and grew into a collection of spontaneous saxophone quartets and collaborations with some fantastic musicians. A major inspiration for me musically during this formative time was the music that multi-instrumentalist and producer Bob Drake was creating. His first solo CD "What Day Is It?" taught me the magic of creating music that functions on many levels, leaving the listener to discover new things even after hearing the recording dozens of times! Little did I know that two years later, Bob would be the producer of my CD, and contribute his amazing musicianship to the project.
My concept of the music was simple enough. I wanted to weave "found" sounds into a fabric of different pieces and textures of music. I purchased a portable DAT (digital audio tape) recorder and began capturing all sorts of situations and places, emphasizing my role as an observer and not a participant. The sounds on Singularity are diverse and offer you a glimpse of people and places that surround me.
Just as the ambient sounds on Singularity capture the physical world around me, the people involved in Singularity comprise the musical world that surrounds me. Ned Rothenberg is a truly gifted improvisor and saxophonist. His explorations into the world of multiphonics have been a great inspiration for me and many other saxophonists. Performing with Ned was a workout! He constantly pushed me harder and further than I had ever gone and the three duets on Singularity are the fruit of that labor.
My collaboration with Thomas Dimuzio began with a series of e-mails and a trip to San Francisco. We ran the live sound of the saxophone through an amazing battery of electronic equipment that allowed Tom to modify my sound in real time. I could then respond to the modified sound and change my notes and timbre to match or contrast what I heard. This experimental reciprocal improvisation apporach yielded some startling and interesting sounds. While in France (mastering and finishing recording in October 1998), another element was added to these pieces with the drumming of Chris Cutler. Chris' drum parts were added at random to the Dimuzio/DuMars pieces, after the fact. To our amazement, the pieces of the musical puzzle fit together as though planned. At the end of one of the pieces (Fright Train) we paired Chris' drums and a recording I made of a freight train leaving the yard. This could be one of the strangest duets I have ever heard. But again, as if magic was involved, the drums and train work together perfectly, gaining momentum and intensity in perfect concert.
A major element of Singularity is humor. One of the songs (Oom) developed in a rather unusual way. The song began as a sax quartet but somehow morphed into a swamp-rock song gone completely wrong (complete with my totally inept violin and bass playing)! Another song features a walk through my mom's farm featuring cows, chickens, sheep, goats, cats, birds and a squeaky gate. It is these moments where the sound that surrounds us IS the music. Another song that captures the frenetic pace of real life features a mixture of improvisations created by myself and guitarist Doug Theriault and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. Within a one-minute time frame you will hear pieces of foreign radio, a native Sioux song, electric saxophone, amplified key clicks, static, guitar and drum machines.
My favorite song, and the last one on the CD, is the only composed piece. It is a song called Mystery that I wrote literally days before we were leaving for France to finish the recording. It hit me very suddenly, and I recorded basic parts with my MIDI sequencer before we left. After some rewriting of the guitar parts, and Bob and Jennifer adding their magic to it, the song really took shape. The solo section also features my cats at dinner time. Every time we open a can of cat food they go nuts, so I recorded them in their ritual. Now every time I play the CD they run to the kitchen and become confused. Mystery is also the best example of the next album that I am working on, which will feature Bob, myself and Jennifer.
The remaining material on the CD consists of 2 sax quartets that are intermingled with ambient captures. One is from a movie theater, and the other is from a walk down the busy street that I live on. The end of my walk offered an interesting audio encounter and challenged my role as a silent observer. You'll have to buy the CD to see for yourself!