The Visibility of Thought
Encyclopedia
The Visibility of Thought is an album of contemporary classical compositions
by Muhal Richard Abrams
performed by various ensembles which was released on the Mutable Music label in 2001. The album features performances by Abrams, Jon Deak
, Joseph Kubera, Mark Feldman
, Thomas Buckner
, the ETHEL String Quartet
and Phillip Bush
. The Allmusic review by François Couture states "Abrams' writing is not without its moments, but it is unlikely that it will overshadow his recognition as a free jazz pianist".
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
by Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Free jazz medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.- Biography :Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago...
performed by various ensembles which was released on the Mutable Music label in 2001. The album features performances by Abrams, Jon Deak
Jon Deak
Jon Deak is a Hungarian American double bassist and composer. He is currently associate principal bass of the New York Philharmonic, a position he's held since 1973 after joining the Philharmonic in 1969 under Pierre Boulez, and a prominent contemporary composer of orchestral and chamber works...
, Joseph Kubera, Mark Feldman
Mark Feldman
Mark Feldman is an American jazz violinist.Feldman worked in Chicago from 1973 to 1980, and in Nashville, Tennessee from 1980 to 1986. He worked in New York City and Western Europe from 1986. Feldman often works with John Zorn, Sylvie Courvoisier, John Abercrombie, The Masada String Trio, Dave...
, Thomas Buckner
Thomas Buckner
Thomas Buckner is an American baritone vocalist specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music and improvised music...
, the ETHEL String Quartet
Ethel (string quartet)
ETHEL is a New York based string quartet that was co-founded in 1998 by Ralph Farris, viola; Dorothy Lawson, cello; Todd Reynolds, violin; and Mary Rowell, violin. Unlike most string quartets, ETHEL plays with amplification and integrates improvisation into its performances...
and Phillip Bush
Phillip Bush
Phillip Bush is an American classical pianist, with a career focusing primarily on chamber music and contemporary classical music....
. The Allmusic review by François Couture states "Abrams' writing is not without its moments, but it is unlikely that it will overshadow his recognition as a free jazz pianist".
Track listing
- All compositions by Muhal Richard Abrams
- "Duet for Contrabass and Piano" - 6:01
- "Duet for Violin and Piano" - 10:01
- "Baritone Voice and String Quartet" - 10:38
- "Piano Duet #1" - 10:48
- "The Visibility of Thought" - 5:14
- "Piano Improvisation" - 29:05
- Recorded at Systems Two in Brooklyn, New York, in August and December, 2000
Personnel
- Muhal Richard AbramsMuhal Richard AbramsMuhal Richard Abrams is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Free jazz medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.- Biography :Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago...
: pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
, sequencerMusic sequencerThe music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
(tracks 5 & 6) - Jon DeakJon DeakJon Deak is a Hungarian American double bassist and composer. He is currently associate principal bass of the New York Philharmonic, a position he's held since 1973 after joining the Philharmonic in 1969 under Pierre Boulez, and a prominent contemporary composer of orchestral and chamber works...
: contrabassContrabassContrabass refers to a musical instrument of very low pitch; generally those pitched one octave below instruments of the bass register...
(track 1) - Joseph Kubera: piano (tracks 1, 2 & 4)
- Mark FeldmanMark FeldmanMark Feldman is an American jazz violinist.Feldman worked in Chicago from 1973 to 1980, and in Nashville, Tennessee from 1980 to 1986. He worked in New York City and Western Europe from 1986. Feldman often works with John Zorn, Sylvie Courvoisier, John Abercrombie, The Masada String Trio, Dave...
: violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
(track 2) - Thomas BucknerThomas BucknerThomas Buckner is an American baritone vocalist specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music and improvised music...
: baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
(track 3) - ETHEL String QuartetEthel (string quartet)ETHEL is a New York based string quartet that was co-founded in 1998 by Ralph Farris, viola; Dorothy Lawson, cello; Todd Reynolds, violin; and Mary Rowell, violin. Unlike most string quartets, ETHEL plays with amplification and integrates improvisation into its performances...
: Ralph FarrisRalph FarrisRalph Farris is an American violist, violinist, composer, arranger, producer and conductor. He specializes in new music and is a founding member of the string quartet ETHEL....
, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
; Dorothy Lawsott, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
; Todd Reynolds, violin; Mary Rowett, violin (track 3) - Philip Bush: piano (track 4)