Kevin Bartlett (musician)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Bartlett is a composer/performer who specializes in complex, multi-layered electronic symphonic compositions influenced by both classical
and progressive rock
styles. He was born in Albany, New York
.
Released on his own label, Aural Gratification, Bartlett's 2003 Near Life Experience was selected as one of Echoes
staff's Top 25 albums of that year. Backroads Music listed NLE as one of the Top 5 Albums that "Matter Most" in 2003. Musical Starstreams
chose NLE as #6 of the Top 20 albums of 2003. 2008's Glow in the Dark, embraced by progressive music fans as well as ambient music lovers, also won critical acclaim, making Echoes' top 25 lists for both staff and listeners. Music from the album is also featured in documentary with an expected release date of 2009.
Bartlett's label released nine albums by singer/songwriter Happy Rhodes
. Bartlett played guitar both on the albums and on the live performances supporting them. His playing style has been described as "Gilmour-esque
", but he also lists Peter Gabriel
-era Genesis
and Peter Hammill
as influences.
, ran a lighting design and stage management company and managed a record store. His experience also includes booking and concert promotion and theatrical scoring. He scored the world premiere of Toni Morrison
's play Dreaming Emmett, as well as creating scores for New York's Circle Rep, the Nikolais Dance Theatre Company, and the Empire State Youth Theatre Institute. He wrote and performed the soundtrack for Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars, an internationally released documentary on Christa McAuliffe
and the space shuttle Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
, as well as thousands of commercials. Bartlett even scored the numbers and alphabet for Sesame Street
.
Bartlett's music is featured in Tribe of Heart's Peaceable Kingdom The Journey Home, created and edited by Jenny Stein and James LaVeck, along with music by Joy Askew. Music from his 2008 recording Glow in the Dark is featured in the film.
He has won numerous Communicator and Telly Awards for music composed for commercials with clients from academia to government and food to fashion. He has composed for MTV, VH1, Sesame Street and many others.
, he moved to the Catskills
in the early 90s. Sidelined by an accident in 2002, he spent a year undergoing surgery and doing physical therapy to restore function to his crushed shoulder. He records at his home studio in Woodstock, New York
.
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
styles. He was born in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
.
Released on his own label, Aural Gratification, Bartlett's 2003 Near Life Experience was selected as one of Echoes
Echoes (radio program)
Echoes is a daily two-hour music radio program hosted by John Diliberto featuring a soundscape of ambient, space, electronica, and New Age music. The program features in-depth artist interviews and intimate "living room" performances. Interview subjects have included Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel,...
staff's Top 25 albums of that year. Backroads Music listed NLE as one of the Top 5 Albums that "Matter Most" in 2003. Musical Starstreams
Musical Starstreams
Musical Starstreams is a terrestrial and internet radio program that first aired in the San Francisco bay area in December 1981...
chose NLE as #6 of the Top 20 albums of 2003. 2008's Glow in the Dark, embraced by progressive music fans as well as ambient music lovers, also won critical acclaim, making Echoes' top 25 lists for both staff and listeners. Music from the album is also featured in documentary with an expected release date of 2009.
Bartlett's label released nine albums by singer/songwriter Happy Rhodes
Happy Rhodes
Happy Rhodes is an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and electronic musician with a four-octave vocal range. She has released 11 albums since 1986.- Family :...
. Bartlett played guitar both on the albums and on the live performances supporting them. His playing style has been described as "Gilmour-esque
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
", but he also lists Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
-era Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
and Peter Hammill
Peter Hammill
Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill is an English singer-songwriter, and a founding member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Most noted for his vocal abilities, his main instruments are guitar and piano...
as influences.
Work
Bartlett, in his youth, played in several bar bands in Albany and Rochester, New YorkRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, ran a lighting design and stage management company and managed a record store. His experience also includes booking and concert promotion and theatrical scoring. He scored the world premiere of Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...
's play Dreaming Emmett, as well as creating scores for New York's Circle Rep, the Nikolais Dance Theatre Company, and the Empire State Youth Theatre Institute. He wrote and performed the soundtrack for Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars, an internationally released documentary on Christa McAuliffe
Christa McAuliffe
Christa McAuliffe was an American teacher from Concord, New Hampshire, and was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster....
and the space shuttle Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
, as well as thousands of commercials. Bartlett even scored the numbers and alphabet for Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
.
Bartlett's music is featured in Tribe of Heart's Peaceable Kingdom The Journey Home, created and edited by Jenny Stein and James LaVeck, along with music by Joy Askew. Music from his 2008 recording Glow in the Dark is featured in the film.
Awards
Bartlett is founder and president of Aural Gratification, a record label which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008 and the name of the company under which he does commercial work.He has won numerous Communicator and Telly Awards for music composed for commercials with clients from academia to government and food to fashion. He has composed for MTV, VH1, Sesame Street and many others.
Personal
The son of a former radio newsman and a member of the legendary Rothschild family, Bartlett has one sister, Elizabeth. Raised in Albany, New YorkAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, he moved to the Catskills
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
in the early 90s. Sidelined by an accident in 2002, he spent a year undergoing surgery and doing physical therapy to restore function to his crushed shoulder. He records at his home studio in Woodstock, New York
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
.
Discography
- 1983 Rhinebeck Variations
- 1984 Deviations
- 1984 Automations
- 1985 Aberrations
- 1985 Incantations
- 1986 Evocations
- 1987 Breadfeet
- 1988 7
- 1989 Spatial Thanx
- 1990 Thing Thang
- 1991 Warpaint - Happy Rhodes
- 1992 Equipoise - Happy Rhodes
- 1993 Rhodesongs - Happy Rhodes
- 1994 Building the Colossus - Happy Rhodes
- 1994 The Muse of Intent - Mitch Elrod's Swim Team
- 1995 Live at the World Cafe Vol 1
- 1995 Album Network Adult Rock
- 1995 Aural Gratification Vol 1
- 1997 Aural Gratification Vol 2
- 1996 The Keep - Happy Rhodes
- 1996 Echoes Livingroom Concerts Vol 2
- 1996 Puddleskin Waving - Mike Bassett
- 1998 Sleepy Hollow 25th Anniversary
- 1998 Many Worlds Are Born Tonight - Happy Rhodes
- 1999 Echoes Livingroom Concerts Vol 5
- 2003 Near-Life Experience
- 2005 Self Portrait - Barbara Lombardo
- 2006 Parachute - Bar Scott
- 2008 Glow in the Dark