Sunday, February 22, 2009

Academy Award Best Music (Score)

My pick was Thomas Newman for Wall-E.  Just for the quirky oboe tune and the beautiful space ballet music.  I think it's Thomas Newman's best score to date, certainly his best since American Beauty (1999).  And it certainly packed a lot of emotion into a concise, recognizable, distinctive score.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Dubowsky Ensemble Live Music to Experimental Film at ATA Feb 20


JACK CURTIS DUBOWSKY ENSEMBLE
Performs Live Music to Experimental Film
Featuring Jean Genet’s Chant d’Amour, works by Derek Jarman, and contemporary experimental filmmakers.

DATE: Friday February 20, 2009, 8pm

VENUE: Artists’ Television Access (ATA)
992 Valencia Street San Francisco CA 94110
(415) 824-3890
http://www.atasite.org/calendar/?x=3524

COST: $6

HIGH RES PHOTOS: http://www.destijlmusic.com/jcde.html

The Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble, a groundbreaking new music ensemble led by classical and film composer Jack Curtis Dubowsky, performs live musical soundtracks to experimental films including Jean Genet’s underground classic Chant d’Amour (shot by Jean Cocteau), works by Derek Jarman, and new works by Phil Maxwell (UK), Hazuan Hashim (UK), Ben Coopersmith (NYC), and Samara Halperin (SF).

The Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble specializes in abstract, spacious, free form, transcendental, electro-acoustic contemporary music. Dubowsky has scored five feature films including That Man Peter Berlin and Rock Haven. Dubowsky has received grants from Meet the Composer, Zellerbach Family Fund, Friends of the SF Public Library, and this year from the American Composers Forum.

The Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble I album was performed and recorded live with no overdubs; no pre-recorded music is used in concert either.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

2009 San Francisco Tape Music Festival, Friday Jan 30

Schaeffer / McKinnon / Mercer / Block / Ussachevsky / Blum performances first half.


Had been sitting in the studio and working on Redwoods score all day.  
So couldn't really sit and listen to any more loud music and didn't stay for the second half.

Sometimes you just need a break.

But you should go.  Really.  It was packed.  And a young hip crowd too.