nuove promo live (page 1)nuove musiche (the new music) finds its title in a songbook written by...

S A R A H P I L L O W

In 1601 the Italian composer Giulio Caccini published a book of songs andentitled it “Le Nuove Musiche”, or “The New Music”. These songs introduceda new way to interpret spoken text, and led to a revolution in singing style.Vocalist Sarah Pillow has extensive experience in the historically informedperfomance of early baroque song. This, however, was preceded by her studyand performance as a jazz musician. After performing the two stylesseparately and making several recordings of early music, jazz and modernmusic, Sarah was inspired to put all these genres together and create her ownversion of “Nuove Musiche”. Joined by leading musicians of rock and jazz,Sarah Pillow has taken these beautiful songs from another world and broughtthem relevance in today’s world. This album, moving in a fresh, new direction,proves that great music lasts forever.

Sarah Pillow

John Goodsall

Percy Jones

Marc Wagnon

Frank Katz

Voice

Guitar

Bass

Vibraphone

Drums

Contact: S.C. Entertainment 212 929-0630

BIOGRAPHY

Sarah Pillow has paved her own way in the music world,with an eclectic career which spans many vocal styles. As ajazz vocalist, she has performed at many jazz festivalsincluding the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, andreceived a Downbeat Magazine award for excellence inperformance. In improvisation and the avant-garde, Sarahhas performed at the Kitchen; the Knitting Factory; CentralPark’s Summerstage as a featured soloist in a tribute to thecomposer John Cage; and in several other venues in NewYork as an improviser-accompanist to improvised danceperformances. As a classical musician, performing highlightsinclude the title role in the New York premiere of MichaelChing's one-act opera, "Faith"; the New York Philharmonic’sDisney Millennium project and their production of “SweeneyTodd” in celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s 70th birthday;and as a featured soloist at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Centerin excerpts from Monteverdi’s “Orpheo”. Sarah performsregularly as a solo recitalist in several venues in Europe andthe United States, performing repertoire from the 17thcentury to modern music.

Her work in early Baroque repertoire, or “early music” hasbeen extensive, including performances and a recording forBBC Radio 3 in England. She has performed in Ireland,England, France and the United States with historical harpistJan Walters, with whom she founded the group “MusicaFabula”. This group is recognized for its original and creativeinterpretations of early music repertoire. Sarah’s recordingsattest to her diversity in vocal styles, and she can be heardon such varied recordings as Henry Purcell’s opera “Dido andAeneas” and “An Afterthought”, where she has written lyricsto Marc Wagnon’s progressive jazz fusion compositions.

Her latest recording, “Nuove Musiche”, is a rock-jazz-alternative album based on 17th century melodies and texts,and features guitarist John Goodsall and bassist PercyJones, founders of the pioneering fusion band Brand X.


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CD REVIEW Artist: Sarah Pillow Album: Nuove Musiche Label: Buckyball Not for the narrow-minded I must admit that I was quite reluctant to put this CD on. The press kit announced that it was a mix of Baroque, Jazz and Progressive Rock. Baroque, for those of you who aren¹t all that familiar with Classical music, is what Beethoven used to do... Although Progressive Rock is a mix of Classical, Rock and Jazz, this is in an altogether different direction. On the one hand I was excited at the possibilities offered here. On the other, I was a bit scared at the result. Well, my hat goes off to Sarah Pillow! And to Buckyball Records for sensing the enormous potential in this lady and this genre. Nuove Musiche (The New Music) finds its title in a songbook written by Giulio Caccini in 1602. It was an important song book and Sarah wanted to use it as an introduction to this musical project. Now the whole thing sounds a lot like a Rock band playing Classical music. Although it manages to retain a modern sound. As if the music was written yesterday. All of the songs on this album were written between the 16th and 17th centuries. The lyrics are often in Italian, while at other times you¹ll hear French and English (The folks at Buckyball were nice enough to translate them all in English in the booklet. Judging from the translated French, as I can read the original, it has been well done). Many talents to accompany that superb voice. ³Amarilli Mia Bella² (Amarillis, My Beauty), where a picking guitar, filled with effects kind of reminds you of a Heavy Metal song. But instead of rising to a thunderous chorus, a Classical guitar is played marvellously. A great introduction to the album. ³Dido¹s Lament² is another beauty of a piece. Filled with distorted electric guitars, without ever going overboard. Always hinting at something very powerful. A powerful lament, indeed! The only two tracks I was a little less enthused about were the fourth (Il Mio Cocente Ardore) and the last (Can He Excuse My Wrongs?). Not that they aren¹t good, they are. Only these are straightforward Jazz pieces that seem out of place on this particular album. The overall sound is extremely fresh, while remaining Classical at the same time. Extremely innovative. There¹s even a cow in there somewhere... (Really, there is!) Very well done. Hopefully, this style will become more popular and Ms. Pillow will give us more of it. A-J Charron 2001-08-15

PRESS“Ms. Pillow has a lovely, natural-sounding tone and versatile giftfor interpretation.” -James Oestreich, The New York Times

“In other words, Sarah swings. Her scat version of Bird's"Confirmation"had her rising up into the stratosphere, displayinga formidable vocal range”.-Francesca Nemko, Jazz Now

“...Sarah Pillow sings with considerable allure in the beautifulsoaring melody of the lament "Proserpina Gelosa" and thebeguiling low register of ‘il mio cocente ardore’...”-Nicholas Rast, BBC Music Magazine

“...Sarah Pillow's singing of ‘O Maria Dei Genetrix’ isgorgeous....”-Stephen Pettit, The London Sunday Times

“...a passionate and improvisatory approach - sensual,languorous, compelling.” -George Pratt, BBC Music Magazine

“The music on this CD (‘An Afterthought’) features the vocals(and lyrics) of Sarah Pillow, who turns in a first rateperformance.... two tracks that really stand out are ‘VenusIncognito’ and ‘The Warrior,’ which blend great lyrics and vocaldelivery.” -John Covach, Progression

“...after hearing Sarah Pillow’s delivery of the Improvisation onthe Passacaglia I was not surprised to learn that she is also ‘anaccomplished jazz singer’...”- John Duarte, Gramophone


BAND BIOGRAPHIESPercy Jones:A native of Wales, Percy played with Liverpool Scene and Scaffold, and toured the U.K. pub/clubcircuit extensively. He is a founding member of Brand X and it is his and John Goodsall’s musicalcharacter that has defined the band throughout the years. His album credits include three albumswith Liverpool Scene, seven with Brand X, Paranoise, Masami Tsuchiya, Tunnels, two soloalbums and numerous sessions and performances with names such as Brian Eno, Bill Frisell, RoyHarper, Nova, Elliot Sharpe, Bobby Previte and Suzanne Vega. Percy is considered to be one ofthe greatest bass players in the world by Bass Player Magazine. This master’s unique approach tothe fretless bass can be best summarized with his quote: “I'll try anything to make the basssound like it usually doesn't”. Percy’s performances with Nuove Musiche are inspirational.

Marc Wagnon:Born in Switzerland, Marc studied classical percussion at the Geneva Conservatory whileperforming as a drummer in several jazz-rock groups. Marc moved to the United States to studyat the Berklee College of Music, focusing on the vibraphone and percussion. He soon moved toNew York City where the cultural diversity influenced him in his playing and compositions. Hisfirst group in New York, Shadowlines, includes such prestigious musicians as Dave Kikoski, RayAnderson, and Dave Douglas.Marc has performed and recorded extensively in the United States, South America and Europewith Shadowlines, the avant-rock group Dr Nerve, Brand X, Gongzilla, and Tunnels. Marc is co-author of most of the arrangements for “Nuove Musiche”.

John Goodsall:John began playing guitar at age 7; at 15 he started his first band, Babylon, with members whowould later become Joe Cocker’s Grease Band. He then began touring extensively, and at 17,John was playing large stadiums and festival shows, headlining over acts like Emerson, Lake andPalmer and the New Yardbirds (later to be Led Zeppelin). In London, his session work wouldeventually lead him to cross paths with Percy Jones, Robin Lumley and Pete Bonas; the playersthat would become Brand X. John moved to L.A. and emerged himself in the session scene,working with such musicians as Bill Bruford, Peter Gabriel, Billy Idol, Bryan Adams, Toni Basil,Mark Isham, as well as many others. His movie soundtrack credits are also quite extensive. Inaddition John helped pioneer MIDI technology with Gibson Laboratories and released twoalbums with his band The Fire Merchants, before reuniting with Brand X in the early nineties.John met Marc Wagnon on the last Brand X tour, and started working with him and Sarah Pillowon the Nuove Musiche project. John is co-author of most of the arrangements for “NuoveMusiche”.

Frank Katz:According to Herbie Hancock’s drummer Mike Clark, "Frank Katz is one of the most excitingdiscoveries since Jack Dejohnette and Tony Williams." Frank started playing drums at the age of six and appeared on his first album at the age ofseventeen. Two years later Frank joined the faculty of the New York Drummers Collective. Frankhas toured extensively with Brand X and appears on their 1992 release X Communication and their latest album Manifest Destiny.


INTERNET PRESS“If you like to listen to women with beautiful voices singing in foreign languages over updated Baroquemusic performed by former members of the fusion band Brand X, then you should click on the linkbelow. If not, seek therapy.”Tucows music.com

“With the Brand X boys backing her in this delicious vox-trek through a myriad of stylings that just aredarn good vibes and jams all intermingled with Sarah's sultry croonings. She navigates nuances andruns in a way-cool groove. She's a natural! Throw in dat hot Brand X groove and you can't go wrong!” Eclectic Earwig Review

“The idea behind Sarah Pillow's Nuove Musiche was to take XVIIth century melodies and give them ajazz-rock treatment. Pillow sings the original lyrics, whether they be in English, Spanish, Italian orFrench (an English translation is provided in the booklet). Musical background is provided by the jazz-rock outfit Brand X (Percy Jones, bass; John Goodsall, guitars; Frank Katz, drums; Marc Wagnon,keys), helped by guests Chris Speed (clarinet on one track) and Beverly Au (viol on one track). All trackshave been re-arranged by Pillow, Wagnon and Goodsall, keeping the melody and most of the chordprogressions intact, but the incarnations this music takes are varied and most surprising, ranging fromjazz-rock ("Usurpator Tiranno") to funk ("Exulta, filia Sion"), jazz ballad ("Il Mio Cocente Ardore") andclassical crossover ("Orphée"). The album's unifying factor resides in Pillow's warm and delicate voicedelivering these beautiful melodies from Purcell, Monteverdi, Caccini and Dowland that can't help butsound anachronistic. The stylistic shifts from one piece to another might puzzle some listeners and, thefact is, some experiments are not that conclusive, but overall Nuove Musiche is an enjoyable attempt atrevamping and introducing this repertoire to the jazz public.” François Couture AMG Expert Review


Excerpts from Sarah Pillow’sinterview with Matthew Finchon WBAI RadioNew York CityDecember 8, 2000:

(Track #11 of Sarah Pillow’s Nuove Musiche isheard, “Can He Excuse My Wrongs”)Matthew Finch: Listeners of WBAI’s belovedChris Whent will not recognize this song as themusic of John Dowland whose dates are 1563-1626, a favored and featured artist on our earlymusic program with Chris every Sunday from 9-11AM. But that is John Dowland! Or at least that isthe work of John Dowland; it is also the voice andthe work of my guest right now, vocalist SarahPillow. Sarah Pillow, we have a lot of directions togo in and a short time in which to do it, as thevice president of your own label, etc. But letsstart by talking about the life of a musicalfusionist. You are educated in the fields of bothjazz and early music, as a vocalist.....Sarah Pillow: And classical.MF: And classical. But there’s something elsehappening here.SP: Yes, well, the difference between me and yourtypical classical singer is that I started out as ajazz singer. so I had an idea of improvisation andpopular style before I went to the “classics”. Iwas able to not lose the integrity of the jazz style,so I don’t sound like an opera singer singing jazztunes. Once I got into singing early music, whichhappened in the early ‘90’s, I saw a really strongcorrelation between those two styles, jazz and17th century music. Given the fact that this 17thcentury music was written before the classicaland romantic styles were invented, there is moreof a kind of folksy sound; improvisation was bigduring that time, phrasing, and the music servingthe text as opposed to visa versa.

MF: What about that improvisational quality,because obviously as a jazz musician that is whereone would find common cause. Maybe it’s theway early music is presented......SP: Stiff? Would that be an adjective one mightuse? (laughs)MF: No one can imagine that this is not musicthat varied very much from town to town,especially if we have an author like John Dowland,that every thing was his way...SP: Oh you mean instead of different singersputting there own mark on the music... Well thefact is that this music started out as spoken wordthat had musical accompaniment, and then itgrew into being sung, but sung with the inflectionof the language. So if you were to say “amore”,you would sing “amo-----------re”, with theinflection on the middle syllable, as it is spoken.So musically, you’d have an eighth note to a halfnote to a quarter note, and that’s how the musicdeveloped, and that’s how opera developed. Andso along with that is the idea that it was verytheatrical music, very dramatic. And a lot of thathas been taken out of this music, and because ofserving the text if you want to say “death”, youwould say ‘morire’ (Italian for the word ‘death’) as“morihihihihihire” (demonstrates a trillo) So theyused the throat a lot to accent words. If you weretalking about ‘ecstasy’ you might go off on somecadenza. Of course there were certain basic rules,you couldn’t sing it in an atonal way but follow thechordal structure. But improvisation was big inthat musicians took songs and they improvisedwith embellishments in ways that supported thetext.MF: So am I to judge that there is somethingperhaps a little more organic about your approach,because many people in the audience remember afew years back the group “Enigma” made aninternational sensation by taking gregorian chantsand putting, I don’t know if you’d call it acid beatsbehind it, but that’ll serve...SP: Right, and that leads us to another topic we

were going to touch on today, which is musiccopyrights, Napster, MP3.... Enigma actually usedparts of a cd recorded by the Hilliard Ensemble, Iknow those guys, I’ve actually worked with one ofthem, John Potter. They basically stole theperformance copyright, they didn’t pay theHilliards any royalties or anything. So the Hilliardsfound out about it and they sued them which wasa totally legitimate thing to do, and they actuallywon the lawsuit! And then the Hilliard Ensembleturned around and created a fund instead ofdividing it up amongst themselves and theystarted a contest for new composers to write forthe Hilliards, and every year they give out anaward and they perfom the composer’s work.

MF: So they didn’t take the money and invest in adrum machine...SP: Yeah let’s just put a rock beat under that... butno, actually the Hilliard Ensemble put out analbum with the saxophonist Jan Garbarek, so thisidea has been going on for a while. I’d say “NuoveMusiche”, my album, goes one step further in thatthe musicians are Percy Jones, John Goodsall,Frank Katz and Marc Wagnon, who all haveplayed with the band Brand X, one of the originalfusion bands. So there’s me with the knowledgeof the two styles, and them coming in with afusiony, rock jazz and putting together these tunesand making new arrangements for them.MF: Did you have to enter into serious debatewith these musicians, or was there... I mean howdid you bring together such a range of musicians,obviously these musicians have worked togethervery tightly. But who was making the call on howto approach a particular piece of music? You arealso, by the way singing in Latin, Spanish, Italianand English...SP: And French!

MF: And French...did the project just have akismet behind it?SP: It was amazingly organic. Since I sing bothstyles I was able to go back and forth, but forinstance I have been doing this kind of crossover,in fact I have recorded three records for ASV, anEngland-based label, and they are all of the musicof Giovanni Felice Sances (1600-1679) At the endof two of those discs I do an improvisationwithout words over a chaconne played by baroqueharp and guitar. Then I’ve performed in a fewfestivals where we introduced the crossover idea.Then John Goodsall was in town doing some gigsand we were just hanging out and he startedplaying this thing on the guitar, and I startedsinging “Amarilli, mia bella” (singing) and it justwas like, kismet! It just worked amazingly well, sowe just went on with that, and continued, and wemade a whole album.MF: Now the album is released on BuckyballRecords based here in New York, and you are theV.P. of Buckyball....SP: I am.MF: Now starting a label is difficult enough as itis, but you were published in the New York Times,it’s not often that a musician gets a letter to theeditor in there, and I don’t know if it’s fair yet tocall you an activist... there’s a whole conceptunderlying Buckyball, we probably don’t have timeto go into it except to say that Buckminster Fulleris the source for the name of the label.SP: Yes, Buckminster Fuller spoke a lot aboutsynergy, and as musicians, Marc Wagnon and I,who are the founders of Buckyball Music, believethat musicians can gravitate together and makesynergy which is the whole being greater than thesum of its parts and create good music as well asbeing good business people. It becomes a way forus to control our art.

Nuove Musiche is a solo CD from Sarah Pillow,who is well known for her work with MarcWagnon’s Shadowlines. All of the members ofBrand X, Sarah’s longtime friends, and (clarinetist)Chris Speed played with her. The CD includessome baroque songs composed by Dowland andMonteverdi in the 17th century which are sungwith the background music of Brand X. Uponfirst blush the music appears to be simply afemale vocalist singing baroque music, but Ms.Pillow’s unique style of singing creates anappealing atmosphere. Some may feel that BrandX’s sound is not suitable for this music, butlistening to Brand X is very enjoyable. This CD isa masterpiece, which evokes memories of BrandX’s musical recordings of the 1970s. English translation by Reverend Akinori Imai

Percy Jones plays the bass exceptionally well. How he uses the bass strings with his fingers is absolutely unique. Theextreme control of his instinct is amazing although it is not the main focal point of this unusual recording.

Sarah Pillow interprets jazz as jazz rock, and as opera. Her voice is her talent. Her clear bright voice is seductive over acontinuously deliberate delivery. John Goodsall, along with Percy Jones, the former bass player of Brand X, produced thearrangements and give strong support to the group. Marc Wagnon, at the vibes, keyboard and percussion, realizes thesampling, while drummer Franz Katz completes and enriches the group.

Eleven songs from 16th and 17th century composers have been translated into the art and into the style of our times. Rock,jazz, funk, and a keen sense of rhythm are showing the way from the original songs to the appropriate arrangementsperformed by the group. Quite a lot of opera works, folkore and quite untypical rock music sounds altogether. My ear istickled when Sarah Pillow sings tremolo on 'Jubilate Deo'. The group never loses its focus during all of the recorded sessions.The flowing structure of the guitar solos and the samples are guiding the ensemble, and are anticipating the moments ofstillness when the voice is alone. Volkmar

DISCOGRAPHYNuove Musichesynergetic fusion/Pillow-Wagnon-Goodsall-Jones/BR007 Buckyball Records

An Afterthoughtjazz fusion/Pillow-Wagnon-Douglas-Anderson/BR004 B. Records

G. Felice Sances (c.1600-1679)Sacred and Secular Songs/MusicFabula/ASV Gaudeamus 193

G. Felice SancesMissa Solicitas & SacredMotetsMusica FabulaASV Gaudeamus 180

Paper Cutsjazz standards/Pillow-Wagnon-Douglas/BR001 Buckyball Records

G. Felice Sances17th c. music for sop., harp & guitarMusica Fabula/ASV Gaudeamus 155

Henry Purcell Dido and AeneasI Musici di San Cassiano/7518 Vox Classics

Georgian Music for Harp and SopranoMusica Fabula/ CD 203 Soundalive Music


Sarah Pillow holds a degree in music from Oberlin Conservatory. She has studied baroque music andhistorical performance practice at Die Akademie für Altemusik in Bremen, Germany; The HilliardSummer School in Cambridge, England; and the Baroque Performance Institute in Oberlin, Ohio. Sheresearches 17th century reperetoire at La Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and the British Library inLondon. Her discography includes five recordings from the Baroque period, and in addition to givingrecitals of music spanning from the 17th century to modern reperetoire, she regularly conducts lecturedemonstrations of historical performance practice in the United States.

Lecture Topics:

The Beginning of the Baroque

This lecture provides a window into the dawning of the 17th century and the baroque musical period.With the birth of opera, the invention of the telescope, and William Gilbert’s treatise on magnetism andelectricity, change was taking place at an accelerated rate in all disciplines. Subjects covered include:daily life in the 17th century, basics of the baroque music style, “Le Nuove Musiche” (beginning ofmodern song), the development of opera, and prolific women of the times.

What is Early Music?

Have you ever wanted to buy a classical music cd, but were confused by titles or different musicalperiods? Sarah Pillow deciphers musical genres: including chant, medieval, renaissance and baroquemusic. She also provides samples of the different styles and a “beginner’s list” for those who want toexpand their musical horizons to the years before Mozart and Bach.

Women and Music in the 17th Century

Although women were banned from singing in churches and the castrati flourished in opera, womencomposed and were famous for performing secular music in the 17th century. This lecture touches onthe lives of women in the baroque period, and what they were up against in becoming successfulmusicians. Personalities include the Three Ladies of Ferrara, Barbara Strozzi and Francesca Caccini.Comparisons are also explored between the lyrics of songs and the secrets and fate of theircomposers.

Lectures and Residencies


The band that backs Sarah Pillow consists of world renowned performers. They areavailable for workshops and residencies:

Percy Jones

Percy has made an instructional video featuring his personal approach to playing the bass, which hasbeen distributed worldwide. The unique style he created has been followed by many contemporarybassists. He regularly gives clinics and workshops, and just completed a tour of clinics throughout theUnited States for Ibanez. Percy is an official endorsee for the Ibanez fretless bass.

Marc Wagnon

Marc teaches percussion, improvisation and electronic music in New York, where he developed asystem to allow the visually impaired to compose music on a computer. Marc has extensive knowledgein South American and African polyrhythms and leads a percussion and jazz ensemble. He has alsospent several seasons teaching week-long modern improvisation workshops in Europe. Marc’sinstrument, the electronic “midi” vibraphone, involves an unusual combination of programming,sampling, and using the vibes as a percussion instrument with hands, as well as with mallets.

Frank Katz

Frank is a longtime member of the faculty of the Drummers Collective, the internationally renownedschool for drums and percussion in New York City. Frank has written a book about drum technique,accompanied by a CD. He has taught many students privately, including two who have become quitesuccessful: Anton Fig (David Letterman Show) and Gordy Knudtsen (Steve Miller Band). Frank is anofficial endorsee of Tama drums and Zildjian cymbals.

John Goodsall

John teaches guitar privately in Los Angeles, and is well known for his contribution in creating theoriginal fusion style of the 70’s. John is an official endorsee of Brian Moore custom guitars, and DRhandmade strings.

Lectures and Residencies


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