For all fans of Pangean, I’ve place the interview here. I wasn’t able to find a “notes” section on facebook.
BTW – you really should follow Pangean Orchestra on facebook to stay current on all things Pangean: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pangean-Orchestra/178897032533
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So, here’s the interview with our amazing guest artist.
Special guest Jacob Adler will direct the Pangean Orchestra at the ifest!
On Sunday evening at 8 pm The Pangean Orchestra will perform under the leadership of Jacob Adler. Jacob is an active composer, teacher, and performer in Phoenix, and he has been performing with Pangean since the beginning. In a very special performance, Jacob will now take the stage as the group’s director. TPO thought it would be fun to interview him in advance.
TPO: Jacob, what first interested you in performing with us?
JA: It was an opportunity to make music with a group of talented musicians from around the world. Where else could I share a stage with a santour, sarod, rabab, tabla, pipa, pedal steel guitar, and bagpipes?
TPO: What do you think will be different in this Sunday’s performance to fans familiar with our group?
JA: The Ifest concert will feature all new music, each piece written by a different member of the ensemble. The program developed as a collaboration during the rehearsal process, each player contributing their ideas to create a unique sound. The TPO is a vast collective of world musicians, and a new constellation of performers have come together for the Ifest.
TPO: What is your goal as director of the Orchestra for the Ifest?
JA: Mike Tyson said, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. My main role is to facilitate rehearsals, which is a forum for creativity and communication. The ensemble consists of highly talented individuals who know how to unite as a single organism.
TPO: A little bird told us you teach Carnatic rhythms, how did you get to be so knowledgeable on this subject?
JA: I studied Carnatic rhythm and its application to contemporary classical music and improvisation at the Amsterdam Conservatory. I teach this subject privately and at ASU; my next rhythm workshop will be in NY on June 12. What I do is demonstrate simple tools for performing complex time proportions and ratio relationships – these can be applied to any style of music and any instrument.
TPO: Do you have a favorite project/group outside of Pangean that you’re involved with? Can you tell us about it?
JA: My wife, Ilona, and I create music under the name Zeelab, which began at the edge of the North Sea. The windy shores of Zandvoort aan Zee became for us an inspiring environment in which to discuss and develop new musical ideas and questions: how can biological growth and fractal integer sequences be expressed in sound? what does the 17th century Stylus Fantasticus performance practice sound like on a hammond organ? how can the overwhelming ecstatic drone experience bring communities together? Armed with pipe organs, pianos, synthesizers, and laptops, Zeelab continues to explore the sonic universe in a wide variety of spaces. We are collaborating with the Iktus percussion quartet in concert at the Issue Project Room in NY on June 9. Recordings can be heard here: http://zeelab.bandcamp.com
TPO: Who’d win in a fight – Thor, Iron Man, or Papa Smurf?
JA: You know, I had a funny dream last night about conducting the TPO. The musicians wouldn’t listen to reason, and against all good taste they decided to perform Frescobaldi Passacaglias with car horns from under the hood of a Camry while being driven recklessly around a Tempe strip mall. Maybe for the next concert.
Thank you Jacob! We’ll see you all Sunday at 8pm at the AZ ifest.
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