In Nature
This our game album. Each piece has an element of play built in, prompting the feeling that you have when you play a game, when you are engrossed, following chance, but also how we use our intuition, oftentimes alongside a map and strategy. The album also explores how chance, time, and intuition exist throughout nature and music.
RELEASED AUGUST 22, 2023 AS PART OF THE BAY AREA BRIDGES SERIES!
About the Album
The first piece, In Nature, was written in homage to the beautiful landscape of the Mountain West, particularly Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. The piece is made up of several melodies brought together in one large piece, and one collective improvisation over these ideas. The separate melodies follow the Circle of 5ths, with a different musician taking the lead for each idea/melody/song. The songs each exude the beauty of the region: In Nature, Canyon, Valley (Lamar Valley), Geyser (The Grand PrismaticSpring and the Exploded Geyser), Lake (Bird Over Jenny Lake then Snake River), Mountains (the Tetons), Air, and back toIn Nature, with rivers of sound connecting us in between. On this 20 minute piece, we are grounded by the musicianship and creativity of Ryan Pate (guitar) and Michael Pinkham (drums).
I Wanna Dance and Be Human is based on a melody that was born through singing and body percussion, then transformed to a larger group exploration of the theme-simply wanting to dance (all the time) and feel authentic. The piece starts out in free improvisation, moves through clapping, into the core piece, and out on free improvisation. On this piece we brought in Mia Pixley on cello and vocals, and Aled Ordu on vocals. This piece was inspired by the writer Octavia Butler.
The next set of 12 pieces is a suite of music exploring the sentiments that each month makes us feel–the traditions, the seasons in the Bay Area, the cycle of the year. Each month is in a different time signature and key, representing that cyclical feeling in music. The musicians produced the music of their birthday month, including guest, Mia Pixley (cello).
Arcadia is a true game piece. Each musician, prior to playing, draws cards randomly. The draw determines the melodies they play and in which order, as well as the dynamics (represented by different colors on the cards-blue, red, brown, green, orange, black, white, and grey). When visiting the Arcadia National Park (Maine) during the fall season, Ruthie was drawn to the vibrant colors and spontaneity of nature. Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, playing Dungeons and Dragons and reading Choose Your OwnAdventure, she wanted to build off the idea of chance in both music and nature, which gave way to this piece. Each time it is played, leads to a very different outcome, yet always encompasses the beauty and essence of the piece. Featuring Michael Pinkham on drums, Patrick Malabuyo on Trombone, and Mia Pixley on cello.
Lastly, Sapiens explores different eras of human evolution–cognitive, agricultural, unification of humankind, the scientific revolution. This exploration occurred through improvisation and production, all while recording in the studio. We improvised and recorded four eras, each building on the last.
Tracks
In Nature (Dineen)
I Wanna Dance and Be Human (Dineen)
January (Dineen)
February (Dineen)
March (Dineen)
April (Dineen)
May (Dineen)
June (Dineen)
July (Dineen)
August (Dineen)
September (Dineen)
October (Dineen)
November (Dineen)
December (Dineen)
Arcadia (Dineen)
Sapiens (RDL+)