R3DL - Excerpts
R3DL is an evening length improvisation by dancers Ron Estes, Leslie Seiters, and Rebecca Bryant with musicians Don Nichols and Ray Castrey. This video features excerpts from the first performance of this piece, recorded at Purdue University Dance Studio Theater on November 6, 2009. Instruments used include cymbals, gongs, flower pots, tone blocks, bamboo flutes, electronic toy phone, tin cans and other found instruments, toy hand clappers, whistles and various small percussion instruments.
Don Live @ the Black Sparrow 1
Excerpt 1 of Don Nichols performing at the Black Sparrow July 19, 2010. This is a new piece for percussion, live video, and both live and pre-recorded sound. The video filters the live performance based on the sound captured live. Similarly, the live sound is captured, manipulated and mixed with the pre-recorded and acoustic sound.
Content With Content Solo Dance by Rebecca Bryant. Concept and Soundscore by Andrew Wass. Recorded live in 2007.
Don Live @ the Black Sparrow 2
Excerpt 2 of Don Nichols performing at the Black Sparrow July 19, 2010. This is a new piece for percussion, live video, and both live and pre-recorded sound. The video filters the live performance based on the sound captured live. Similarly, the live sound is captured, manipulated and mixed with the pre-recorded and acoustic sound. Thanks to Paul, Chris and Don for the recording assistance at the Sparrow.
unmade Part 1: unmade is a dance and video work created by Rebecca Bryant with music by Don Nichols. This piece, premiered in May 2009, is danced by Purdue University dance students Arlianne Bejarano, Danielle Nikrin and Hillary Steckel with video dancers Kaleigh Bachus, Narin Tangprasertchai and Sara Wislocki. The entire piece is 11 minutes long, so please check out Part 2 after viewing this clip.
Cloudy But Sunny - Solo Version
CBS is a solo for performer, video and pre-recorded sound. Recorded May 2010. The performer plays through an abbreviated 1/2 hour local newscast, which is divided into sections. Each section receives a specific visual and sonic treatment, as well as guidelines for the live performer. For example, the soloist plays the speech rhythms of the news anchor whenever he is speaking--following a transcript of his speech and listening via headphones. The ending of this piece has been truncated due to length.
unmade Part 2: unmade is a dance and video work created by Rebecca Bryant with music by Don Nichols. This piece, premiered in May 2009, is danced by Purdue University dance students Arlianne Bejarano, Danielle Nikrin and Hillary Steckel with video dancers Kaleigh Bachus, Narin Tangprasertchai and Sara Wislocki.
Mergers
This is one in a collection of 3 interactive environments for percussion, video and sound. The performer alternates between a small table of percussion instruments and a modified, stripped-down drum set. His attacks on the instruments are monitored by computer and influence the colors of his filtered image.
The Man Who/The Woman Who
Excerpt from the piece for dance and percussion by PMPD. Performed at Missouri State University's Coger Theater in 2008. The ad-hoc drum set (including a table of cans, gongs, a license plate and other metal instruments) gets moved around the perimeter of the stage, causing the performers to change the "front" of the stage and offering the audience different vantage points.
Mergers
This is one in a collection of 3 interactive environments for percussion, video and sound. In this, the performer plays on a table of small percussion instruments. His movements appear on an otherwise black screen behind him, and affect the degree to which his sound is manipulated.
in this piece, something will be revealed and something will stay concealed Rebecca Bryant performs a solo dance theater piece--Part 1
Mergers
This is one in a collection of 3 interactive environments for percussion, video and sound. In this, the performer plays a thumb piano and a table of small percussion instruments. Live sounds are recorded and layered on top of the texture. The performer's movements are filtered through an ever-changing grid that is projected behind him.
in this piece, something will be revealed and something will stay concealed
Part 2 of Rebecca Bryant performing "in this piece, something will be revealed and something will stay concealed," a solo dance theater piece.
North Star Boogaloo Excerpts from North Star Boogaloo Percussion solo by George Lewis. Set to text created and read by Quincy Troupe.
WITNESS Part 1 of a dance/theater piece with choreography and text by Rebecca Bryant and music by Don Nichols. This piece was premiered in December 2008 by Purdue University dance students Kaleigh Bachus, Samantha Berger, Kaitlin Falk, Jamie Grigsby, Carrie Meyer and Danielle Nikrin.
Another Border Crossing Another Border Crossing combines traditional Persian Radif with Iranian Newscaster Speech. The percussionist, Don Nichols, plays the rhythms of the newscaster on the tombak--a Persian drum. The rhythms, idiosyncrasies, pacing and inflections of the Iranian newscaster must be intricately translated onto the drum. As a result, the drum both 'speaks' the news and juxtaposes itself into a traditional musical setting. This was a part of his Breaking News program that combines percussion and television news. Recorded live in 2008.
WITNESS Part 2 of a dance/theater piece with choreography and text by Rebecca Bryant and music by Don Nichols. This piece was premiered in December 2008 by Purdue University dance students Kaleigh Bachus, Samantha Berger, Kaitlin Falk, Jamie Grigsby, Carrie Meyer and Danielle Nikrin.
News Between Copies, Pt. 1 Don Nichols Performing the percussion solo live. A metal plate sculpture serves as both video screen and instrument. Audio from a single news broadcast is manipulated and combined with live percussion to comment on the ideas of originality, news and repeatability. Images of newscaster faces are superimposed on each other while their words are stretched to create the accompanying soundscore.
[SPECIMENS] Part 1: Specimens is a dance/theater piece choreographed by Rebecca Bryant and performed in December of 2009 by Purdue University dance students Annamarie Bustion, Jamie Grigsby, Susan Kurth, Andrea Larson, Hillary Steckel and Mandy Hampton Wray. The piece is 11.5 minutes long. Earlier versions of this piece were also performed in San Diego and Los Angeles under the titles Specimens and Unpinned.
Cloudy But Sunny
9 min highlights from a trio in which each percussionist follows, in real time, a local half-hour newscast that aired at the same time and in the same city. The newscast is broken up in segments, each one receiving its own treatment by live performer, video and recorded audio. For example, the male newscaster's speech is played precisely by the percussionists on a chosen instrument whenever he speaks. What we hear are the words 'spoken' through the instruments. Performing are Greg Stuart, Don Nichols and Ross Karre.
[SPECIMENS] Part 2: Specimens is a dance/theater piece choreographed by Rebecca Bryant and performed in December of 2009 by Purdue University dance students Annamarie Bustion, Jamie Grigsby, Susan Kurth, Andrea Larson, Hillary Steckel and Mandy Hampton Wray.
SOUND SAMPLES
Percussion/Acoustic Works
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Track Descriptions
1. Rebonds b excerpt - Iannis Xenakis. Percussion solo
2. Rebonds a excerpt - Iannis Xenakis. Percussion solo
3. Plockepinn - Anders Åstrand. Multiple percussion solo written for Don Nichols
4. Near, Far, Close -Don Nichols. Original percussion solo multi-tracked in three parts.
5. yet untitled - Don Nichols. Prepared snare drum, bass drum and hi hat
6. Rogosanti excerpt - James Wood. Percussion solo
7. Thirteen Drums excerpt - Maki Ishii. Percussion solo
--Tracks from the Danny Weiss Quartet CD "Here & Now"--
8. Here
9. By George
10. And You
11. The Approach
Electronic & Electro-acoustic Works
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Track Descriptions
1. Minow Swimming Upstream by Don Nichols -- in 1961 FCC Chairman Newton Minow addressed TV producers and other network excecutives with his famous "vast wasteland" speech. This is an audio collage that adds a contemporary commentary on his persistently relevant ideas
2. Church Car by Charles Amirkhanian -- both parts being spoken by don nichols in a multi-tracked re-construction
3. Debate 08 by Don Nichols -- an audio collage, comprised of radio news reports in 10 different languages, creates the rhythmic material for various collections of percussion instruments. The collage plays once in its entirety while the percussion ocassionally shadows the voices. Then the collage repeats, but this time all the voices are replaced by the percussion sounds.
4. ascention 3 (right place) by Don Nichols -- a real-time radio improvisation
