A little more than a week ago, I was lucky enough to attend the first annual Switchboard Music Festival live at Dance Mission Theater on March 30, 2008. It was a full day of inspired music that’s best described in their own words:

The Switchboard Music Festival is an eight-hour music festival bringing together composers and musicians who are all pushing the boundaries of their respective genres. No other Bay Area music festival or concert series is dedicated to the idea of bringing together such an eclectic, genre-crossing/-breaking/-bastardizing group of experimentalists, innovators, and musical omnivores.

Some of the finest musicians in the Bay Area played over the course of the eight-hour music marathon, including Aaron Novik, Amy X Neuburg, Christopher Adler, Dan Becker, Del Sol String Quartet, Jeff Anderle, Edmund Welles, Erik Jekabson, Gamelan X, Ian Dicke, Ian Dickenson, Inner Ear Brigade, Jonathan Russell, Robin Estrada, Ryan Brown, and Slydini.

This really turned out to be a tremendous day of live original music, so please enjoy the photographs and this audio sample of Erik Jekabson’s trumpet solo (using a delay) called Opening Fanfare, which was the appropriately-named first song played at the festival (thanks Erik!). And don’t forget to help support this very-worthy festival when it comes around next year.

 Opening Fanfare [6:03m]: Play Now | Download

Here’s a few photos and audio samples from a recent Classical Revolution show played live at the Revolution Cafe on January 27, 2008. If you haven’t ever experienced this now-weekly classical jam session in the Mission, you really should because it’s a great example of some of the amazing live music that’s taking place in the burgeoning Mission creative music scene. They play late every Sunday night at the Revolution Cafe, and you can check their website for more up-to-date info.

Paul Hindemith, String Trio #2 (1935)
I. Massig Schnell
II. Lebhaft
III. Langsam-Schnelle Halbe

Albers Trio
Laura Albers, Violin
Becca Albers, Viola
Julie Albers, Cello

Brahms Sextet #1 in B Flat Major, op 18 (1860)
II. Andante, Ma Moderato

Classical Revolution
Jory Fankuchen & Edwin Huizinga, Violins
Charith Premawardhana & Becca Albers, Violas
Julie Albers & Adrian Fung, Cellos

 I. Massig Schnell (Hindemith) [7:34m]: Play Now | Download
 II. Lebhaft (Hindemith) [6:44m]: Play Now | Download
 III. Langsam-Schnelle Halbe (Hindemith) [8:25m]: Play Now | Download
 II. Andante (Brahms) [10:15m]: Play Now | Download

Late last year, I had the distinct privilege of helping the talented Jeff Anderle and Jonathan Russell produce the first album related to their ongoing project Sqwonk. The CD features innovative compositions and arrangements for dueling bass clarinets that I recorded in the acoustically-pleasing Recital Hall of the new San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Listening to these guys play off of one another with that primal bass clarinet sound is truly something to behold, so it is with great pleasure that I present this sample of Profiteering from the album. If you like what you hear and want to support their efforts, the complete CD can be purchased for a nominal price here.

Jon and Jeff are also helping organize, and will be playing as Sqwonk, at the upcoming Switchboard Music Festival, which is an eight-hour music festival that brings together composers and musicians who are seriously pushing the boundaries of their respective genres. The festival will be held on March 30, 2008 at the Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco, so mark your calendars because that’s certainly going to be a show to remember!

Note: Photo is from Sqwonk’s CD Release at Old First Church on October 5, 2007.

 Profiteering [9:10m]: Play Now | Download

On October 5, 2007 I recorded Crafty Apples playing in the Old First Church Concert Series. The ensemble features Sky Grealis on flute, Jason Levis on percussion, Aaron Novik on bass clarinet, and Charith Premawardhana on viola. They’ve been around for about two years and describe their work as an opportunity to “explore timbre and texture and less rigid structures mixed with improv and extended techniques” — all of which can be heard in the audio sample included below.

 Crafty Apples [16:08m]: Play Now | Download

I had the recent opportunity to attend the Bay Area Classical Harmonies performance of The Passion According to Saint John [J.S. Bach] at Trinity Episcopal Church in San Francisco on May 17, 2007. While there, I managed to capture just enough media with my tiny MP4 cam to make this short film. You can click on the video and audio links below to watch and listen.

 Windows Media Video [5:58m]: Play Now | Download
 QuickTime MP4 Video [5:58m]: Play Now | Download
 MP3 Audio [5:51m]: Play Now | Download

Here’s a few photos I made of the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus and the Peninsula Women’s Chorus teaming up for a fantastic live choral performance at Mission Dolores Basilica on May 13, 2007.

I was recently asked to record an innovative performance put on by the Bay Area Composer’s Circle. They are a group of young composers who get together a few times a year to put on a concert of entirely original classical music. The night was filled with amazing compositions that spanned a wide range of musical styles, including an operatic piece, a piano solo, a string quartet, and a bass clarinet duet to name just of few. You can get a small taste for what the performance was like by clicking on the music file below of award-winning composer and bassist Ian Dickenson’s fanatastic solo called Sex Blues. This recording is intended for personal, non-commercial use only and cannot be used for any other purpose without the express consent of the artist.

 Sex Blues [8:59m]: Play Now | Download