An Apple for my Teacher
Dana Reason – composer, sounds, keys

Ensemble

Alissa DeRubeis – Synth
Mark Dresser – bass
Mike Gamble – guitar/electronics
Melody Owen- Second Life/Visuals
John Savage – woodwinds
Justin Peake- drums, cymbals
Holland Andrews- Voice, pedals
Helen Gillet- Cello 

My last visit with Pauline Oliveros (1938-2016) was in December of 2013. We were in the basement of Roulette, in Brooklyn, New York, and I was interviewing her.

Oliveros had and continues to have a profound influence on my work. From my mid-teens into adulthood, I followed her music and ideas, and traced her courage. As a graduate student at Mills College, I studied composition with her. Oliveros’ Deep Listening label published my first solo recording, “Primal Identity”.

In the early 2000s, I had the incredible honor of touring alongside her and Philip Gelb on shakuhachi as the Space Between Trio. The trio had several remarkable performances featuring guests such as: Mark Dresser, who is performing tonight, Barre Philips, Joelle Leandre, India Cooke, Jon Raskin and Matthew Sperry.  

As a pioneering voice in experimental and electronic music, Oliveros proposed expansive and profound rethinkings of sonic futures. Futures that decolonized sound-music-listening practices, centralizing the right to music make as a community-based practice. A practice that not only honors the human experience of sounding and sensing, but situates listening as a socially engaged and profound aesthetic act.  Oliveros’ year long Deep Listening Certificate training furthered this practice. It was a honor to take this training alongside Dr. Catherine Lee, who is also performing on tonight’s concert.

Tonight reflects and manifests the sonic lessons I learned from my teacher, Pauline, and also serves as a tribute to her great creative spirit, generative artistic practice, and collective service to humanity. Dare to listen, deeply.

 

– Dana Reason