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Composer Brooks Frederickson’s debut album Small Works is a snapshot of the community of collaborators Brooks lived and worked with in Brooklyn. The community includes some of the leading contemporary music interpreters of today: Ashley Bathgate (Bang on a Can All Stars), Eliza Bagg (Pavo Pavo), all three members of Bearthoven (Matt Evans, Karl Larson, Pat Swoboda), Exceptet, Longleash, and Brendon Randall-Myers (Invisible Anatomy / Marateck). Small Works comes from not only the small forces needed for each piece, but also from the small amount of material that acts as the germ for each piece.
The album includes premiere recordings of four of Brooks' chamber works written between 2014-2017. This group of pieces, some of which have been presented by MATA, premiered at Le Poisson Rouge and presented as a part of So Percussion's Brooklyn Bound series, show Brooks' interest in building musical worlds out of limited materials.
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Track order and personnel:
1. Lag
Exceptet: Chuck Furlong clarinet, David A. Nagy bassoon, Evan Honse trumpet, Matt Melore trombone, Mark Utley percussion, Sarah Goldfeather violin, Pat Swoboda upright bass
Song Cycle:
2: Here we are
3: Jaws will shut
4: I’m sitting in the corner
5: Dream (Christmas tree)
6: I stood outside
Texts by Ben Seretan
Eliza Bagg soprano, Karl Larson piano, Brendon Randall-Myers electric guitar, Ashley Bathgate cello
7. Colorfast
Longleash: Pala Garcia violin, John Popham cello, Renate Rohlfing digital keyboard controlling Dan Trueman’s bitKlavier
8. My life in a truck
Brendon Randall-Myers electric guitar, Matt Evans percussion
credits
released November 16, 2018
The works were recorded at Oktaven Audio by Ryan Streber and at Guilford Sound by Dave Snyder.
The recordings have been edited, mixed and mastered by Ryan Streber at Oktaven Audio.
Looking forward to seeing them live! Spectacular album. Saw them play at Open Ears in 2020 (virtually, thanks to the pandemic). Excellent record! Mohan Thomas
C. Diab describes “Exit Rumination” as “a sonic exorcism,” and its dark, swelling songs are equal parts catharsis and tension. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 26, 2018
Rachel Grimes brings the same knack for gorgeous moodiness she developed in Rachel’s to this moving, beautiful score. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 26, 2018
"Electronic chamber music" from this lauded ensemble, with the musicians "sampling" the notation for a stunning, innovative sound. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 8, 2017
Very complex neo-classical music. This has lots of layers to it, and sounds at times discordant, but I like it more with each listen. This band requires some patience, but I think you get rewarded for that patience. Found in Ed Buckley's collection. Roy Meerkamper