For the duration of the concert
a long, curvy, electric red LED sign
spoke in rivers of rhythmic code
running, running, running
above our heads
I have no idea what was said
only that as the night grew, my feeling
intensified:
this was some kind of placental communiqué,
charting the ebb
and flow of the life-blood of the
sounds streaming over us, through us, within us
The drummer’s wild, free hair surfaced
from time to time – like cresting tsunami ocean
waves
held in paintings sent from that other,
far-away floating world: ukiyo-e!
With Van Gogh’s heavy hand of longing
and like the changeable cloud patterns of
childhood
the wash, wash, wash of his cymbals
invoked the Everyman expanse of blue to
move through us
over us
within us - echoing the riverrush
of the group’s subliminal intent
Enter: the long songs of whales
to join: the open arms of trees
in witness of: the elegant, firm spires
bursting
up and into
pinnacles
made of rock
made of spirit
made
of endangered hopes and sunken dreams
Reflected in the window
of the off-air
ON AIR
studio
hundreds of cabs and people were shown to be
stopping and rushing, rushing
and stopping
their antics held spellbound
in a kind of funky, visual ostinato
accompaniment;
a telegraphed reminder of the bittersweet
allure of those
big
city
lights
That evening, in the cauldron of the theatre,
every mitochondria available
was asked to dance
by those powerful, telescoped frequencies
pulled forth
from metal and wood
The sublime
conjured:
with sinew and bone
hewn
by dedicated and skilled human beings
who channeled
the knowledge of the spheres
the stories of the ancients, the world
as it is, as it was, as is ever
--Monique Avakian
6/28/2015
Pronunciation note: “you-KEE-ohweh”
* This original poem of mine was inspired by the concert
held on June 26, 2015 at the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space
44 Charlton Street New York, NY 10014
The
Subliminal and The Sublime featured a
solo opening set by Garth Stevenson (original music), followed by the sextet
of:
Chris Dingman on vibraphone
Loren Stillman on alto sax
Fabian Almazan on piano
Ryan Ferreira on guitar
Linda Oh on bass
Justin Brown on drums
The work entitled, The Subliminal and the Sublime, was composed by Mr. Dingman, sponsored by the Inner Arts initiative and commissioned by Chamber Music America with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation.
Chris Dingman on vibraphone
Loren Stillman on alto sax
Fabian Almazan on piano
Ryan Ferreira on guitar
Linda Oh on bass
Justin Brown on drums
The work entitled, The Subliminal and the Sublime, was composed by Mr. Dingman, sponsored by the Inner Arts initiative and commissioned by Chamber Music America with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation.
(CD artwork and
design by Shoko Tagaya)
