One-on-one: the essence of collaboration. Enjoy these pairings from the Echoes archive
Michael Halaas and Joan Jeanrenaud (2007) A stormy duet for piano and cello Michael Halaas is a journeyman pianist with several CDs of solo piano. But this isn't your average meditative, new age keyboard–he's been called a cross between Metallica and Pink Floyd. In a San Rafael living room, Halaas is joined by cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, a name familiar to fans of the Kronos Quartet. Together they create the dramatic structures from their CD, The Lucidity Project, live.
R. Carlos Nakai and Udi Bar-David (2008) Native flute and classical cello meet in modern chamber music
R. Carlos Nakai is the noted Native American flute player who has never found a cultural collaboration he couldn't make is own. Udi Bar-David is the Israeli born cellist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Together they recorded the album Voyagers and they come into the Echoes Living Room to play that music live.
Ian Boddy and Robert Rich (2007)
Two electronic explorers converge in a synthesizer sound charge
Robert Rich and Ian Boddy are both veterans of the electronic music scene and they've recorded a pair of albums together, but they've never played together in concert until now. They launch a set of hitherto unrecorded soundscapes live.
Anja Lechner and Dino Saluzzi (2007) Tango tangents from the reigning master of the bandoneon Dino Saluzzi is the heir to Argentinian tango master, Astor Piazzolla, and the best-known player of the button accordion called the bandoneon. But Saluzzi goes in more intuitive and cerebral directions than Piazzolla. We capture him in introspective duets with German cellist Anja Lechner from the Rosamunde Quartet. They give a live concert of music from their CD Ojos Negros
AjantaMusic (2006) Former New Wavers get ambient Ultravox, Magazine and Cowboys International were bands from the New Wave that had a then very young guitarist named Robin Simon and his brother Paul as members. Robin meted out slash & burn guitar and Paul pounded the drums. That was 25 years ago. Now Robin and Paul Simon work as AjantaMusic, playing a melodic brand of ethno-ambient music. In a charming Victorian rowhouse in London, Robin and Simon plug in and play live.
Aurah (2007) Dream voices and looping guitars
Aurah is the duo of Marc Dold and Judith Martin. Together, they've made elaborately arranged albums like Kismet and Etherea Borealis. When they play live, it's just the two of them, and through looping, they build up guitar and keyboard orchestrations and vocal choirs. In their garage studio behind their Los Angeles home, Aurah invite us in to hear their soundscapes created live.