Nothing Works as Planned - 4.5 star review

NOTHING WORKS AS PLANNED
[Interval Recordings - 2007 - 2Cd]
Genere: Experimental


Registrato in parte a New York e a Tel-Aviv, questo album rappresenta la fusione delle idee musicali di nove artisti, fissate in presa diretta e trasposte su supporto ottico, che trasformano in suono il 'loro' significato della frase 'Nothing Works As Planned' ovvero 'Nulla funziona come previsto' o forse sarebbe meglio dire 'Nulla di pianificato'. Il doppio CD è la documentazione della serie intitolata "Nothing Works As Planned", tenutasi a Tel-Aviv presso il Tel Aviv Museum of Art in occasione della Biennale di Musica Nuova, grazie alla Riverberazione naturale data dagli ampi spazi e dagli alti soffitti della struttura il suono finale risulta essere corposo quasi vivo, un vortice di suono sempre delicato che ricorda per 'movenze compositive' quei campanellini giapponesi dai quali il suono nasce casualmente sfruttando le vibrazioni indotte dal vento; così, quasi casualmente, lievi interferenze elettroniche vanno a giocare con archi e fiati mentre il 'suono' del pubblico conferisce al tutto una sensazione di presenza, quasi come se fossimo li ad ascoltare con le nostre orecchie, stesi su un tappeto catturati da qualche video installazione, il tutto corredato da un ottimo packaging con paesaggi fotografici dell'artista olandese Stefan Otto. Caldamente consigliato.

http://www.ultrasonica.it:80/site/modules/recensioni/index.php?op=r&rev_id=419&cat_id=1&sort_by

Tour with Giuliano Perin

Giuliano Perin Ensemble: Giuliano Perin (vibes), Neil Leonard (sax), Maurizio Scomparin (trumpet), Marcello Tonolo (piano), Luciano Milanese (bass), Massimo Chiarella (drums)

March 27th, 9:00PM
Teatro Dei Rinnovati, Asolo, Treviso, IT

March 28th, 9:00PM
Villa Bertoldi, Settimo di Pescantina, Verona, Italy, IT


March 29th, 9:00PM
Teatro "Falcone e Borsellino"
Comune di Liminea, Padova, IT

March 29th
Meeting with Nicola Bernardini and Maura Capuzzo to plan sound installation for Giornata del'Ascolto in May.

April 1, 9:00PM
Imola Forum cafè, Bologna, IT

-------------------------------------
IN THE MONTHS AHEAD:

Nov 1 8:00P
Festival de Jazz de Gijón, Spain
and tour of Asturias
Neil Leonrd/Juan Carlos Casimiro Ensemble
-------------------------------------
Friday July, 11th @ 8:00 PM
"Alte Aula" Folkwang Hochschule
Week long residency and Multimedia performance with Neil Leonard, Claudius Lazzeroni, Dietrich Hahne, Thomas Neuhasu
Folkwang University, Essen, Germany
-------------------------------------
Friday, May 2 @ 8:00
GASP Gallery
BRUXISM: ANNE RHODES voice; CARL TESTA double bass, clarinets, and electronics with guests NEIL LEONARD and TODD BRUNEL on bass clarinets

Giornata dell’ascolto, Italy

-------------------------------------
May 18 2008
Giornata dell’ascolto - city-wide listening day, Padova, Italy
Presentations with:
Nicola Bernardini -800 meter sound installation
Giuliano Perin – jazz ensemble at Loggia del Cornaro (above), next to Chiesa Sant'Antonio.

International Computer Music Convention - 2008

I will be assisting with the organization of ICMC 2008 in Belfast. I am looking forward to this amazing event!

Solo saxophone concert

I played a solo saxophone concert on the afternoon of my birthday. This High Street Hill Association sponsors and annual music event featuring Brookline musicians. Several years ago they featured a solo concert by Steve Lacy.

http://www.highstreethill.org/

Site for Giornata d'ascolto installation

This is the site of a sound installation presented by the Giornata d'Ascolto. My collaborator is Nicola Bernardini from the C. Pollini Conservatory, Padova. Maura Capuzzo and I are creating the sound installation for this point. Here is a frontal view of the church.

Concert with Vijay Iyer

The Music Technology Division Presents
A Music Synthesis Department Visiting Artist
VIJAY IYER

Concert: Wednesday, Feb 20
7:30 p.m.
1A, 1140 Boylston Street
Free and open to the public

The concert will feature Vijay Iyer on acoustic piano, laptop and video playing solo and with Music Synthesis students, alumni and faculty.

Neil Leonard - saxophone; Spencer Putnam - laptop; Anthony Baldino - laptop; Leah Gough-Cooper - EWI




Described in the The Village Voice as “the most commanding pianist and composer to emerge in recent years,” VIJAY IYER was named #1 Rising Star Jazz Artist and #1 Rising Star Composer by the Downbeat International Critics Poll for both 2006 and 2007. His twelve highly acclaimed albums include Reimagining (2005) and Tragicomic (2008) with his quartet; Simulated Progress (2005) and Orbis Tertius (2008) with the trio Fieldwork; Raw Materials (2006) in duo with saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa; and In What Language? (2004) and Still Life with Commentator (2007), his large-scale works with poet-performer Mike Ladd. In his newest ensemble, "Tirtha," Vijay joins forces with South Indian guitar virtuoso Prasanna and young tabla star Nitin Mitta. Vijay performs constantly around the world at international festivals and concert venues, and he has collaborated with artists such as Steve Coleman, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Amiri Baraka, Butch Morris, Ethel, dead prez, Karsh Kale, George Lewis, DJ Spooky, John Zorn, Dennis Russell Davies, and the American Composers Orchestra. He received the 2003 CalArts Alpert Award in the Arts, the 2006 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and project grants from the Rockefeller Foundation MAP Fund, the New York State Council on the Arts, Chamber Music America, Creative Capital, American Composers Forum, Meet the Composer, Arts International, and The Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. He is a faculty member at New York University, New School University, and the School for Improvisational Music, and has published articles in Music Perception, Journal of Consciousness Studies, Current Musicology, Uptown Conversation: The New Jazz Studies, and Sound Unbound.

myspace.com/vijayiyer

Bass Clarinet on Landon Rose's Dr. Clash & His Assistant

Neil Leonard, bass clarinet on Dr. Clash & His Assistant

Leonard wins Newbury Comics Faculty Fellowship

(photo of Leonard interviewing Stanley Crouch, Herb Alpert visiting professor)

Newbury Comics Faculty Fellowship Awardees Announced
The Office of Academic Affairs is happy to announce the awardees of the inaugural Berklee College of Music Newbury Comics Faculty Fellowship: Lori Landay and Neil Leonard

Berklee College of Music
The Newbury Comics Faculty Fellowship
Awardees Announcement

Congratulations to all who submitted project proposals for the inaugural Berklee College of Music Newbury Comics Faculty
Fellowship. We are pleased to announce the awardees.

Lori Landay is an Associate Professor in Liberal Arts. Her project, Visual Worlds, focuses on online 3-D animated
environments in which people can interact socially, express themselves creatively, fly, play games, shop, build things, own
"land", share music and video, and learn in new educational contexts. She will research various virtual worlds such as
Second Life, ActiveWorlds, and There.com, with particular emphasis on two foci important to Berklee: how the music industry
might become involved with virtual worlds and the educational opportunities for virtual worlds.

Neil Leonard is an Associate Professor in the Music Synthesis department. His project, Composition and Performance for
Robotics, Video and Architecture, explores the role of sound in connection to three visual disciplines (robotics, video and
architecture). He will create three new works: 1. a composition for woodwinds, custom music software, drawing machines,
and live video; 2. a work for saxophone, video/performance artists and laptop musicians based on recordings of a sculpture
by Jannis Kounellis; 3. an 800 meter sound installation for the Giornata dell'Ascoloto (Listening Day) festival in Padova, Italy.
Through collaboration with video and interdisciplinary artists, Leonard will explore strategies for creating personal narratives
using new technology. These compositions will be performed in Essen Germany, La Spezia and Padova, Italy, with
collaborators there.

VORTEX presents:

Neil Leonard - sax & live electronics with
Anthony Baldino & Spencer Putnam - live electronics

Also appearing:

Doug Principato - guitar
The Rivera Brunel Method - Brunel - clarinets/Rivera - cello

Fri. 15 February @ OUTPOST, 8pm $5 or b/o
http://www.zeitgeist-outpost.org/

Anthony Baldino composes electronic music for modern dance and concert performance. Last summer he toured Italy playing in the Sguardi Sonori, Pop-Eye and Futurity Festivals. He composed and designed sound for films featured in the Sundance film festival. Anthony recently conducted the world premiere of Olivia Block's Rime and Glaze for 24 musicians (voices, string quartet, laptop soloists, contact mics).

Spencer Putnam began his music career in Omaha, Nebraska and now resides in Boston, MA. Under the moniker of Maetoba, Spencer performs as a multi-instrumentalist often toting a guitar, bass, keyboard and/or a variety of percussion instruments in an electronic setting using a variety of software applications on his laptop to simultaneously manipulate live and pre-recorded sounds. He has written and recorded music and sound for televised and private advertising, a small collection of short films and animations, the Boston 48-Hour Film Project and is currently in the process of incorporating live video-manipulation techniques into his on-stage performance.

ACHILLE SUCCI, BRUNO RABERG, GARRISON FEWELL, NEIL LEONARD

Sonic Arts @ GASP proudly presents:

Friday, January 25th @ 8:00

Achille Succi - saxophone/bass clarinet
Neil Leonard – saxophone/electronics
Garrison Fewell – electric guitar
Bruno Råberg – acoustic bass

Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, Genova

I will be helping with the organization of the 8th International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression hosted by Università degli Studi di Genova. 5 - 7 June 2008

The conference consists of a three full-day event where research papers, demos, and performances will be presented on the state-of-the-art concerning new interfaces for musical expression. There will be one day of workshops before and after the main conference, as well providing focus on special areas close to the NIME community.

Performance Program Committee

Miguel Azguime, Andreas Breitscheid, Pascal Decroupet, Raphael De Vivo, Michael Edwards, Jean Hébert, Neil Leonard, Michelangelo Lupone, Pietro Polotti, Curtis Roads, Jøran Rudi, Rodrigo Sigal, Alvise Vidolin, Daniel Weissberg, Iannis Zannos

http://nime2008.casapaganini.org/index.html

NEW CD!

Various Artists / Nothing Works As Planned / Interval Recordings 02

Release Date: 17.12.2007
Genre: Experimental / Electro-Acoustic
Double CD
Time: CD1 40:30 / CD2 41:17

Track List
CD1;
1 – Intro (1)
2 – Ido Govrin / Limbo Sketches; live laptop and video (1)
3 – Amnon Wolman / Increased Fines; live laptop (1)
4 – Jonathan Chen / Three Switch-Hitters; live electronics and video (2)
5 – Neil Leonard / Echoes and Footsteps; saxophone, electronics and video (1)

CD2;
1 – Kiki Keren-Huss / summer 2006, War; contrabassoon, violin and electronics (1)
2 – Beth Denisch / Fire Mountain Intermezzo; string orchestra (3)
3 – Arie Shapira / Violin 2004; violin and electronics (1)
4 – Keren Rosenbaum / Waltz; violin and electronics (1)
5 – Yossi Mar-Chaim / Nothing Works as Planned; violin, Contrabassoon and electronics (1)

(1) Recorded live at the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art, October 3rd 2006, Tel-Aviv Israel
(2) Recorded live at Issue Project Room, December 5th 2006, New York USA
(3) Recorded live at Moscow, Russia (February 2006) by the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, Misha Rachlevsky, Music Director

Words

This double CD presents diverse approaches to the phrase ‘nothing works as planned’ by nine composers and sound artists. Each and every one of them captures a singular moment which was compiled together to create an esthetic sonic statement of reason and beauty.

‘Nothing works as planned’ is comprised of live recordings of concerts in Tel Aviv and New York.
The double CD is a documentation of a series, entitled “Nothing Works as planned”, which held at the above mentioned cities and was premiered at the Tel Aviv Biennale of New Music hosted by the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

The premier took place in a large suite of galleries that was between exhibitions and therefore void of art work. The high ceilings, long reverberation and departure from conventional concert seating made for a cathedral-like setting and proved to be an ideal site for the concert of works featuring electronics, small ensembles and large video projections.

The series continued with a concert at the Issue Project Room in Brooklyn, New York. IPR is located in a circular tower that was once a silo situated on the Gowanus Canal. Again, the unconventional setting and the unique acoustical space made an ideal venue for the performance of experimental music.

‘Nothing works as planned’, as with every release by Interval Recordings, contains a photo/visual image by the Swedish artist, Stefan Otto, and an “interval” graphic design rework and over all cover design by the Norwegian artist Erik Skodvin.
_______________________________
interval recordings / Info
www.interval-recordings.com
www.myspace.com/intervalrecordings

Concert with Choreographer Elena Borgatti

10 novembre 2007
Padova, Teatro delle Maddalene
ore 21.00

Mil maneras para decir adiós (prima assoluta)
Marco Pavin, chittara

Tre Fiati (prima assoluta)
Neil Leonard, saxophone/live electronics

Coreografia di Elena Borgatti
Musica di Neil Leonard

Dancers: Claudia Baldan, Giulia Colombo, Hoda el Deib, Tiziana Maiuro, Veronica Pasqualotto.
www.cmp.unipd.it/danza/




Mil maneras para decir adiós
Dancers: Hoda el Deib, Tiziana Maiuro, Veronica Pasqualotto






Tre Fiati
Dancers: Claudia Baldan, Giulia Colombo

Equatorial Rhythms CD Released!

EQUATORIAL RHYTHMS - Catalogue insert CD Du store verden! 2007 – DSV 04 Christopher Cozier: An extract from Sound System Version II – a sound collaboration by Christopher Cozier, Robin Foster, Sheldon Holder & Martin "Mice" Raymond. Featuring Sheldon Holder of "12", Christopher Cozier, Chantal Esdelle, with extracts from "Pardon I Soldier" by Christian Campbell and "Yvette's Story" by Yvette Gray. Mixed by Martin "Mice" Raymond & Christopher Cozier at ChampionSound Studios, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. (1.03) Don Byron: Mulatta – soundtrack for an installation by Yvette Mattern, recorded and mixed by Scott Petito (2.47) Satch Hoyt: Shrine ... Symphony – extract from The shrine – the 27 brides of the Black President installation, engineered by Evan Sobel. Music with the featured soundscape a collage on a 8 bar sample of Felas song Suffering and smiling. Other featured sounds are ambient sounds of Lagos city, Satch Hoyt on flute, voices of Malcolm X and Kwame Nkrumah, Alice Coltrane on harp. (8.42) Neil Leonard: Sacred Bath, part II – electroacoustic soundtrack for the video Baño Sagrado by Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons. Composed, performed and programmed by Neil Leonard. Drumming in the middle section is an algorithmic variation on a four bar pattern by Cuban percussionist Ernesto Rodriguez. Previously released on the CD Timaeus. (6.46) Stephen Vitiello: Call Waiting (music_box_call_later_dogs_version), sound by Stephen Vitiello, Eder Santos for the Call Waiting installation (3.48) Kristin Bergaust & Alexis Parra: An extract from Musica Quemada, feat. Kelvis Ochoa & Telmary Diaz (4.04) Paulo Vivacqua: Deserto (7.18) Vu Nhat Tan: bung, recorded in Hanoi, July 2005 (4.52) Theo Eshetu presents: Defrosting the sun – vocals: Sabina Meyer, bass clarinet: Hans Koch, electric bass: Paed Conca, drums: Fabrizio Spera (4.24) Salem Mekuria: Sounds from TOBIA – an extract from IMAGinING TOBIA (1.33) Guilherme Vaz: Strong bone cornet from Oslo (15.04) Heri Dono / Jompet: Kala Kali – an extract from the installation, recorded by Endro & Aris (6.55) All tracks, copyright 2007, except (4) copyright 1993, 2007. See list-of-works for additional information. Compiled by bb. for the dsv! Mastered by Svein Hansen at Ola Narr.

Concert in Padova

A review from the Ancona Jazz site:

http://www.anconajazz.com/it/news/giulianoperinpassionreasoncaligola2006.php

GIULIANO PERIN
“Passion & Reason” – Caligola (2006)

Giluano Perin, vibrafono; Marcello Tonolo, pianoforte; Luciano Milanese, contrabbasso; Massimo Chiarella, batteria; Neil Leonard, sax alto, sax soprano; Maurizio Scomparin, tromba; special guest: Dave Samuel, marimba

Sottopongo volentieri alla vostra attenzione questo vibrafonista, giunto solo al terzo disco pur non essendo giovanissimo. Personalmente, posso dire di averlo conosciuto in club e di averne riportato un’impressione, molto positiva, di un musicista umile e riservato ma ben conscio delle proprie potenzialità espressive.

Ciò che colpisce di più in questo disco, e in maggiore misura rispetto al precedente “Into The Vibes”, è la qualità delle composizioni originali, scritte a arrangiate da Perin con rara maestria e una consapevolezza tutta italiana nella sintesi melodica. Da tempo vado sostenendo che i temi scritti dai nostri jazzisti, fin da prima della guerra, hanno un fascino peculiare, ad un ascolto attento subito distinguibili. E qui i temi colpiscono dal primo ascolto, con il loro sapore alla Horace Silver e Art Blakey, ma filtrati e arricchiti da profumi urbani tipici italiani.

Il solito hard bop? No, per niente. Piuttosto del vero jazz che guarda alla tradizione per un messaggio di grande modernità. E non è poco. Un ulteriore punto di interesse è la qualità dei soli di Perin, curiosamente “stridenti” con l’atmosfera dei brani per quella componente alla Lionel Hampton che anima il suo portato stilistico. E non dimentico gli altri: se i fiati rispondono con notevole perizia (più lirico Scomparin, più teso e swingante Leonard, peraltro assai convincente al soprano), entusiasma la sezione ritmica, veramente all’altezza di quelle super lodate d’oltreoceano, con un Max Chiarella che sarebbe ora di valutare nel modo più giusto. In fine l’ospite d’onore Dave Samuels, amicissimo e mentore di Perin, dà un apporto alla marimba da fuoriclasse qual è.

Penso che arriverete alla fine di questo disco senza fermarvi mai, e d’altronde i brani sono tutti belli e variati, tali da rendere l’ascolto di estrema piacevolezza. Permettete di citare almeno “In Tangenziale”, dove sono inclusi i rumori della terribile tangenziale di Mestre, e il recupero di “Innamorati a Milano”, splendida e forse oggi dimenticata canzone di Memo Remigi, qui trattata a mo’ di ballad dallo struggente portamento.

“Passione e ragione” : non poteva esistere titolo migliore per questo disco, che non merita affatto di essere confuso nella montagna di uscite (brutte e inutili, per lo più) che angosciano il mercato.

Massimo Tarabelli

Leonard's sound works go to the Bass Museum, Miami

The Bass Museum presents
MARIA MAGDALENA CAMPOS-PONS:
EVERYTHING IS SEPARATED BY WATER
Sept. 21, 2007 – Nov. 11, 2007

Leonard's sound is featured in two large scale multimedia installations. This exhibition will feature approximately 17 major works that include mixed media installations and large-format Polaroid photographs. This body of work spans 15 years (1990-2005), and explores the artist's ancestral displacement from Africa, her self-imposed exile from Cuba, and her experience as an Afro-Cuban woman living in North America. On view through November 11, 2007, this traveling exhibition is the first in-depth view of Campos-Pons's artistic career, and is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue, the first to explore her work. Organized by the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Italia nuovamente ...

I will give a workshop at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica 'A. Steffani' di Castelfranco Veneto, Italy



I will present three works in concert at the conservatory, including the world premier of a wind quintet dedicated to Paul Robeson entitled "4951 Walnut". This piece is a larger arrangement of a work for jazz quartet that was commissioned by the Paul Robeson House and Philigraphika.



The following day I present works for dancers/saxophone/electronics and dancers/acoustic guitar/electronics at Teatro Maddalena in Padova. The hosting group is Interensemble, directed by Bernardino Beggio.



The program features new works by choreographer Elena Borgatti.

Sonic Memories In/Site commissioned by Philigrafika for the Paul Robeson House

The Neil Leonard Ensemble in the Paul Robeson House, premiering "Sonic Memories In/Site" a suite of new works celebrating phase one of the renovation of Robeson's home.

Tom Lawton

Lee Smith

Craig McIver

I was commissioned by Philagrafika to compose music to celebrate the first phase of restoration of the Paul Robeson House. This is the house where he spent much of the last ten years of his life. I presented works for jazz ensemble and sound for an installation by Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons at the Robeson House in West Philadelphia.

I played with a stellar group of Philly musicians. I was in a band with Tom Lawton (piano) when I was a teenager. We rehearsed every week for two years. The trombonist was Robin Eubanks - The trumpeter was my brother Devin. This will be the first time that I play with Tom in over two decades.

Performance: October 13, 5 pm and 6:30 pm

Neil Leonard - woodwinds
Tom Lawton - piano (Dave Douglas, Don Byron)
Lee Smith - bass (Mongo Santamaria, Cedar Walton, Roberta Flack)
Craig McIver - drums (Max Roach M-Boom, Odean Pope)

Paul Robeson House
Corner/Opera. Rethinking a Site.
A Site-Specific Installation by Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons
4951 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA



Re:Print Re:Present Re:View

Re:Print Re:Present Re:View is part of an effort to facilitate critical dialogue about the role of printmaking in contemporary art that will culminate with Philagrafika 2010. Increasingly, artists have embraced printmaking processes as an integral part of interdisciplinary practice and each of the artists participating, Berni Searle, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, and Rachid Koraïchi, whose use of printmaking reflects their commitment to community, collaboration and an expanded concept of the fine print.

Curated by Salah Hasan, the project includes three artist residencies, an artist publication and the exhibition of the work created over the course of the residencies. The multi-sited exhibition will run September-November, 2007 at our project partner, Temple Gallery in Old City, Philadelphia, as well as site specific installations at Paul Robeson House and Church of the Advocate.

I was honored to work with art historian/curator Salah Hasan (left) who brought our work to the Venice Biennial, 2001.

Stenersen Museum publishes soundtrack by Leonard in major sound art exhibition

Stenersen Museum

Equatorial Rhythms features Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons video Baño Sagrado, with a 35 minute electro-acoustic score by Neil Leonard. The catalog will include excerpts of the video and and Leonard's remix of the piece on the accompanying DVD/CD.

Equatorial Rhythms
September 28 – December 30, 2007

Equatorial Rhythms will focus on the art and music of countries that have deep-rooted, indigenous musical traditions that are unique to each participating country – musical traditions that are anchored in the national identities and daily lives of the people of these countries.

By presenting both art and music by artists from the selected countries, and in many instances a crossover between art and music, the synergy between art and music will come to the fore. All in all, the complex cultural issues addressed throughout the exhibition will contribute to an extensive, interdisciplinary, cross-cultural dialogue – one that runs both North/South and East/West.

Participating artists
Kader Attia (France)
Kristin Bergaust (Norway)/Alexis Parra (Cuba)
Kjetil Berge (Norway/Cuba-Brasil)
Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons (Cuba)/Neil Leonard (US)
Albert Chong (Jamaica)
Christopher Cozier (Trinidad and Tobago)
Heri Dono / Jompet (Indonesia)
Andrew Dosunmu (UK)
Theo Eshetu (UK/Ethiopia)
Satch Hoyt (UK/Jamaica)
Alfredo Jaar (Chile)
Kimsooja (Korea)
Yvette Mattern (Puerto Rico/Germany)/Don Byron (US)
Salem Mekuria (Ethiopia)
Lamia Naji (Morocco)
Olu Oguibe (Nigeria)
Eder Santos (Brasil)
Guilherme Vaz / Sergio Bernardes (Brasil)
Paulo Vivacqua (Brasil)
Vu Nhat Tan (Vietnam)

Interval Recordings to release recordings from ACF Tour

www.interval-recordings.com



www.acfnewengland.org

From the liner notes:

Notes on a Music Festival
American Composers Forum, New England
Sonic Circuits 2006, International Electronic Music Festival
New Music from Israel and the U.S. presented in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Boston and New York

In October of 2006, I found myself sitting in cafe with Ido Govrin and Liora Belford in a southern district of Tel Aviv. Over lunch we reflected on performances that we had just presented in Israel and began to wonder how we could present these works to an audience world-wide. This CD is the result of that conversation and is comprised of recordings of concerts in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Boston and New York.

One week prior to this discussion, I arrived in Tel Aviv for the ACF concerts that were curated and produced by Kiki Keren-Huss. The series, entitled “Nothing Works as Planned”, began with a concert hosted by the Tel Aviv Biennale of New Music and held at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. We performed in a large suite of galleries that was between exhibitions and therefore void of art work. The high ceilings, long reverberation and departure from conventional concert seating made for a cathedral-like setting and proved to be an ideal site for the concert of works featuring electronics, small ensembles and large video projections.

A few days later we drove to Haifa to present work in a concert at the University of Haifa. Weeks earlier Haifa had been bombed and for some time there was a question whether or not we would have to postpone the tour. By the time we arrived in Haifa, the city appeared to be serene and we presented the second concert in Israel with works by Liora Bedford, Ido Govrin, Kiki Keren-Huss, Yosi Mar-Chaim, Keren Rosenbaum, Arie Shapira, Amnon Wolman and myself.

In December Keren-Huss, Shapira and Wolman traveled to the US to continue the series. Our first concert was held at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and also featured works by Jonathan Chen, Dennis Miller and myself. Many of the works that were performed in Israel were performed again with US performers, making this an ideal experience for the composers to hear their works unfold in new ways and for new audiences.

The series concluded with a concert at the Issue Project Room in Brooklyn, New York. IPR is located in a circular tower that was once a silo situated on the Gowanus Canal. Again, the unconventional setting and the unique acoustical space made an ideal venue for the performance of electronic music.

I would like to thank David McMullin, Director of ACFNE for all of his hard work to bring the events to a successful conclusion. Dr. Beth Denisch, the founder of ACFNE, was the original architect of this international exchange. Dr. Denisch worked for several years to establish this unique link between the sister cities Boston and Haifa. Her efforts brought composers together to present work, collaborate on performances and share ideas. At the conclusion of the concerts, the composers on this CD suggested that we include her work, as her artistic vision and dedication were central to our activities.

Neil Leonard
Curator/Producer, Sonic Circuits ACFNE

Concert @ Jack and Luna's cafe' - NY

Jack and Luna's cafe' proudly presents:

Neil Leonard - sax
Bill Pernice - piano (Jon Hendriks/Willie Nelson)
Don Miller - bass (Dizzy Gillespie/Ramsey Lewis)
Chris Bowman - drums (John Hassell, Paul Bley, Jane Ira Bloom)

Saturday September 1
shows 7:30 7 9:00 PM

Jack and Luna's cafe'
3926 Main St.
Stone Ridge, NY
845 687- 9794 for reservations

I have had the pleasure of playing with Chris Bowman since '78. This is a photo of one of our bands featuring: Bowman, Leonard, David Bryant - piano, Jamalaadeen Tacuma - bass.