David Dalle
Thursday August 10th, 2023 with David Dalle
New music from Derrick Skye; setar and kamancha with Hamid Motebassem and Imanyar Hasanov.

American composer Derrick Skye is quickly becoming one of my favourite composers. Skye was born in Los Angeles. Through both his studies and his music, he has embraced the many musical traditions which have made a home in contemporary California. He has studied Western classical music, Persian classical music, Balkan music theory, Hindustani tala, and Ghanaian percussion. Skye is, at heart, a percussionist, and rhythm plays a big part of Skye's music. This has given his music incredible momentum. In this sense, it reminds me of percussionist Sarathy Korwar's music. He often takes diverse elements from many different traditions which move irresistibly in delicious twists and turns. This is wonderful, joyful music! Derrick Skye has just released a new album "This Place" with four compositions which demonstrate this. We will start with the first piece, "god of the gaps" for violin, tar, and electronics. It is a guided improvisation based on Persian music, but also with West African rhythm, as well as a Canadian inspiration from composer Ann Southam and her approach to unmetered cells from her 1985 compostion Retuning. The second piece "As I heard When I Was Young" for string quintet, references the Gospel music Derrick Skye heard as a child, but also shows inspiration from Malian blues guitar, Ghanaian flute, and Moroccan percussion. The third piece "Neither Separated, Nor Undone: Anthems of a Crowd 6" for two choirs and orchestra, features influences from Persian music, Ghanain rhythmic phrases, Balkan compound meters, and 16th century vocal polyphony. The fourth work for "Harp Hymnal" for harp and electronics navigates the connections between electronic music, beat making, Western classical music, West African music, and Indian classical music! The music sources are so diverse, but Skye makes them all fit gloriously!