Jacob David Sudol(b. Des Moines, Iowa 1980) writes intimate compositions that explore enigmatic phenomena and the inner nature of how we perceive sound. He recently finished his M.Mus. at McGill University and currently resides in La Jolla, CA where he is working towards a Ph.D. in composition at the University of California at San Diego with Roger Reynolds, Chinary Ung, Philippe Manoury, and Rand Steiger.
Over the last five years some of Jacob's mentors in composition have included John Rea, Denys Bouliane, Philippe Leroux, Sean Ferguson, Dan Asia, and Craig Walsh. He has also participated in master classes with Danish composer Bent Sørensen and German composer Manfred Stahnke.
During 2005-2006, Jacob was the first-ever composer-in-residence for the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble under the direction of Denys Bouliane, in collaboration with the McGill Digital Composition Studio. He has also written music for the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, the Contemporary Keyboard Society, percussionist Fernando Rocha, saxophonist Elizabeth Bunt, and clarinetist Krista Martynes. As an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, he composed the music for a collaborative dance project with choreographer Hillary Peterson, and he was the principal composer and pianist for El Proyecto de Santa Barbara, a chamber Latin jazz ensemble.
During the 2005 and 2007 Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques and 2006 MusiMars festivals Jacob was an electronic assistant for performances with Court-Circuit, Matt Haimovitz, Sara Laimon, Martin Matalon, Moritz Eggert, Manfred Stahnke, the Caput Ensemble, and the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble. These concerts were broadcast by the CBC and the European Broadcasting Union in over fifty countries throughout the world. He is currently a studio research assistant for Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Roger Reynolds.
During his free time Jacob takes an active interest in religious phenomenology, cinema, acoustics, literature, poetry, and visual art. As a composer and performer, he always attempts to bring insights from these other fields into his work.
Disclaimer:
All music posted on this blog is posted out of love and the idea that for the truly great music of our time(s) to be known it must first and foremost be heard. If you like what you hear please support the artist by buying the recordings, scores, and/or encouraging the performances of the music in every way possible.
If you are the composer, performer, performing organization, artist or directly represent the composer, performer, performing organization, or artist of anything posted on this website and would like your material removed please contact me and I will happily oblige.
This October 10th, 2005 I would like to first wish everybody a happy Canadian Thanksgiving. Secondly, and more related to music, I would like to wish everybody a happy Monk Day.
Eighty-eight years ago today the illusive, illustrious, and ever-eccentric “High priest of bop” Thelonious Monk was born. In my opinion, Monk fits firmly in the middle of two of the mose important big threes of jazz. The first of these is the most individual jazz piano voices – Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Bill Evans. The other is the three great “M’s” of jazz – Mingus, Monk, and Miles. Furthermore, in my humble opinion, the natural flow of Monk’s chopped up city-syncopations and the off-kilter almost shattered lyricism of his melodic conception easily make him one of the most important composers in the long line of American compositional experimenters.
For those not familiar with Monk’s music I’d like to make a few recommendations from my iTunes selections for the day – the three great consecutive mid-50’s Riverside albums – Brilliant Corners (highlights being the every quirky title track, “Pannonica” with Monk’s brilliant céleste playing, and “Bemsha Swing” complete with jazz timpanis), Monk Himself (Monk’s originality is never clearer than when he plays alone), and Monk’s Music (which features a great selection of tunes and the two greats from different generations of tenor saxophone playing – Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane).
posted by Jacob Sudol
