Originally published in Earshot Jazz December 2014
Bassist Nate Omdal likes the “Italian cooking” style of music creation – put the right ingredients (musicians) together in the pot (studio) and the results can be delicious (spectacular sounding). In the case of the soundtrack for the short narrative dance file Enemy Within, it was Josh Rawlings on piano, Begin Scarseth on violin, Maria Scherer Wilson on cello, and Nate Omdal on double bass in the PONCHO Concert Hall at Cornish College of the Arts being sampled by “bitter barista” rapper/producer Matt Watson a.k.a. Spekulation.
Omdal composed and rearranged stripped down dramatic harmonic cadences from Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni and Aaron Copeland’s orchestral suite Appalachian Spring. Clean performances of these sketches formed the building blocks for mixing and morphing by Omdal and Watson to represent the film’s narrative of a dancer representing insecurity as she stalks and challenges three other dancers struggling with beauty, self image and confidence. The film spans ballet, modern, and dubstep dancing and the soundtrack became the basis for the film’s choreography.
Showing posts with label film review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film review. Show all posts
Review of Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
Originally published in Earshot Jazz June 2017
In my twenties, I fell under the spell of the sound of John Coltrane's saxophone. As as young student of the saxophone myself, I collected his recordings and assembled them into a shrine. It became a ritual -- listening to the vinyl albums over and over, looking at the iconic photographs, transcribing his music, studying his technical innovations, reading about his artistic pursuit, absorbing the passion and dedication of this great American artist.
For periods during the next 35 years, I attempted to mimic Coltrane's unrelenting practice schedule. In my fitful case, it led to facility with my instrument. With Coltrane, it led to a unique spiritual voice that could speak to the heart of civil rights, cry for higher consciousness, and advocate for peace.
In my twenties, I fell under the spell of the sound of John Coltrane's saxophone. As as young student of the saxophone myself, I collected his recordings and assembled them into a shrine. It became a ritual -- listening to the vinyl albums over and over, looking at the iconic photographs, transcribing his music, studying his technical innovations, reading about his artistic pursuit, absorbing the passion and dedication of this great American artist.
For periods during the next 35 years, I attempted to mimic Coltrane's unrelenting practice schedule. In my fitful case, it led to facility with my instrument. With Coltrane, it led to a unique spiritual voice that could speak to the heart of civil rights, cry for higher consciousness, and advocate for peace.
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