{"id":4851,"date":"2019-08-19T22:37:12","date_gmt":"2019-08-19T22:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bridgetoeverywhere.org\/?p=4851"},"modified":"2019-10-06T06:33:31","modified_gmt":"2019-10-06T06:33:31","slug":"meet-percussionist-and-composer-james-waterman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bridgetoeverywhere.org\/meet-percussionist-and-composer-james-waterman\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Percussionist and Composer James Waterman"},"content":{"rendered":"
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James Waterman.<\/p><\/div>\n

As we gear up for the coming season, we’re excited to be premiering several pieces written by members of Bridge to Everywhere. One of these pieces is Abacus<\/em>\u00a0by percussionist and composer James Waterman.\u00a0Abacus<\/em>\u00a0is inspired by mathematically conceived rhythmic compositions found in North and South Indian classical music.<\/p>\n

“In writing this piece, I was interested in exploring how adding or subtracting beats from a musical phrase… affects the number of beats of rest left at the end of the phrase,” said James Waterman. “It occurred to me that adding or subtracting beats from a musical phrase within a cycle is not unlike sliding beads along the rods of an abacus.”<\/p>\n

The melodic and harmonic material in\u00a0Abacus<\/em> is derived from several influences including Ghanaian xylophone music, five-note scales and patterns found in Balinese gamelan music, and the tonal and chordal idioms of American pop music.<\/p>\n

James has been a core member of Bridge to Everywhere since 2016. We\u2019re excited to be bringing his talents as a composer to the ensemble. Hear the premiere of Abacus<\/em>\u00a0on\u00a0Friday, August 30 at the Brand Library & Art Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n