The Metal Garden

CD by Tigger Benford and Peter Jones

Percussion and Prepared Piano

58 Minutes with 20 pieces of  prepared piano and percussion duets, with additional music by Bruce Huron on saxophone (track 18) and penny whistle (track 19) and Sam Bardfeld on violin (tracks 8 and15). Sometimes driving, sometimes spacious, sometimes lyrical, sometimes abstract, the CD is arranged to take the listener on a smoothly evolving sonic journey!

Lots of nice percussion environments - many moods, textures, rhythmic polyphony!  Pieces tend to be through composed and have tempo changes.  Good for Repertory or Modern Class Combinations.  

Notes from the jacket:  

"The music was created as a series of improvisations based on time and character.  All pieces had a designated length and rhythmic intent.

 
The idea of prepared pianowas first explored by the American composer Henry Cowell.  John Cage, who studied with Cowell, fully developed the idea and made his mark on the 20th centurywith this unique concept.  It is in respect to Cowell's and Cage's innovations that the piano was prepared.

The percussion instruments heard here include Japanese bowl gongs, Chinese Opera gongs, woodblocks, Chinese tomtom, button gongs, djun djun, hi hat, tam tams, cymbals, camel bells, almglauken, and many others.  Many of the larger gongs were brought to America from Germany in 1931 by modern dance poineer Hanya Holm."

Pieces include:
Arrival 1 (4:46),
Four Short Pieces (Gesture - 1:57; Stab - 2:11; Shadow -2:19; Sharp -1:36),
Kendo (2:48),
Bloid Talk (2:23),
Montuno Sam (3:23),
Harbor (3:40),
Igor (2:17),
Intermission Waltz (2:24),
Five Interludes (Wool - 2:38; Cagey - 1:20; Buster - 1:25; Swarm - 1:17, Saucer - 2:27),
Djun (2:37),
Knit Factor (4:09),
Loon (4:59),
Departure 1 (3:26)

Excerpts of The Metal Garden are in MP3 format.
If you need a free MP3 player or more information on how to play an MP3 file, Click Here.

 Play or Download an excerpt of Trk 8 - Montuno Sam

 Play or Download an excerpt of Trk 9 - Harbor

 Play or Download an excerpt of Trk 10 - Igor

 Play or Download an excerpt of Trk 17 - Djun

The Metal Garden is $17.00 for the Single CD.

CDs by Tigger Benford:   The Metal Garden, Fluctuating Hemlines, Talamalika, Songs From the Second World

CDs by Peter Jones:  The Metal Garden, Gradual Motion,  Gradual Motion II, Skeletons, Three Characters, Songs From the Second World

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