eftah
eftah (open) is the fruit of twelve months of careful development of composition, form, improvisation and electronic manipulation sourced and sampled from the oud, an ancient arabic lute. The music is - in aesthetic - an extension of traditional forms incorporating sufi chant and taqsim as well as modern developments in playing and avant electronica. The oud is used as the main sound source (w/ some voice and clapping added). The instrument is recorded in complete performance, sampled and then manipulated digitally to create the final pieces. Samples of the oud are layered and effected to design sound enviroments ranging from ambient sheets to harsh percussive attacks.
this music began as a collaboration between andrew stoltz
and jeremy bleich for an art installation but changed shape when the duo got
invited to perform at the nweamo international electronic music festival (www.nweamo.org).
this festival was held in Mexico City, Portland, OR and San Diego, CA. eftah
was also invited to perfrom at the High Mayhem experimental music festival (www.highmayhem.org)
in Santa Fe, NM. the focus was then shifted to produce a full length recording
which was completed in the fall.
in addition to collaborative pieces, there are also 3
short songs included - solo oud pieces recorded using various techniques.
“eftah was the one work on the
program that seemed to fufill the NWEAMO mission
of uniting the avant garde with popular music. jeremy bleich nimbly performed
a
series of ralph-towner-esque licks on the oud, which were processed and accompanied
by stoltz’s laptop, at times laying down a thick modal carpet of sustained
tones, at
others gentle ripplings of processed notes….”
–
Christian Hertzog for sandiego.com
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eftah bios
andrew stoltz
digital audio
andrew stoltz is a composer and sound artist whose most recent works are primarily
concerned with
physical vibration, the layering found in nature and the quantitative values
of population as they relate
to civic design. working with traditional and electronic instruments, spoken
text, field recordings and
software, his working method is a dialogue between raw organic materials and
technology.
in addition to his digital-acoustic
works, he has also composed music for dance, film and the traditional concert
hall. he holds a masters degree in music composition from cleveland state
university. a 2005 recipient of an
ohio arts council individual artist award, andrew is also active as a working
musician and teaches music theory
and electronic music at lakeland college in kirtland, ohio.
jeremy bleich
oud
jeremy
bleich incorporates a wide palette of culture, ancient and modern instruments,
traditions
and forms
as well as electronic manipulation into
the creative process of composing, performing and recording music.
his approach to the electric bass and the oud have earned him a reputation
internationally as an innovator.
jeremy is focused on producing music that captures the essence and meaning
behind the process of
creating it. He holds a degree in music composition from cleveland state university.
jeremy is a member of the
critically acclaimed group birth and has performed and/or recorded with
coung vu (pat metheny group), joe maneri, jeff coffen (bela fleck), chris
jonas, carmen castaldi
(joe lovano), kevin mcCarthy and nashville songwriters rick elias (ragamuffins)
and jason white.
he has played the oud in collaboration w/ mustafa stephan dill (SAMA trio),
and iraqi oudist rahim alhaj.
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