Jordan Lewis
Through contemporary performance practices I investigate pathways to create landscapes of sound through percussion. From traditional compositions to entirely free improvisation, along with unique collaborations, my vision is to express provocative sound and meaning and build a two-way bridge with audiences and their unique perspectives of music. Performers having parallel philosophies in performance, all having significant influence on my work, include Third Coast Percussion, Frank Rosaly, So Percussion, and Brad Dutz/Chris Wabich duo. Vicki Ray, Bruce Reiprich, Drew Worden, John Cage, David Skidmore, and Chris Wabich have provided inspiration and encouragement within my compositional realms.
For this composition, 793, Brad Dutz, Bruce Hamilton, Owen Davis, and Andy Akiho have given direct relationships and inspirational frame works in which I have drawn from. A non-musical inspiration for this work has come from historical and renowned astronomer, Percival Lowell and related aspects of space discovery. As a citizen, of Flagstaff for over fifteen years, My goal is to sculpt not only musical structures but also instruments which are inspired by an identifying characteristic of what Flagstaff has become, a safe-haven for those who have a passion for the night sky. By incorporating the use of newly fabricated instruments and emerging and provocative techniques in the percussion world such as bowing, friction induced tone production, electronic processing, and similar technical avenues, I have attempted to encapsulate the audience in poetic allusion to what space may feel and sound like as well as figuratively placing a perspective on our existence in this galaxy.