BETWEEN THE NOTES, CONTINUED FROM PG. 19
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one facet of the microtonality that is Rosenblum’s trademark; another is the Eastern-sounding keyboard work in “Two Harmonies.”) “He’s always been interested in repetition,” says his colleague Moe. “Not in a mindless way, but in a really intriguing way. How you deal with the memory of things you’ve heard before, but they’ve changed so slightly — or even a lot. “Was a time when you were either a strict minimalist, the Phil Glass, or you were doing the anti-Phil Glass thing. Mathew was able to sort of steer the course between the two of them.” Composing is “a process that goes on, and it never ends,” says Rosenblum. “Every time I write a piece, I feel like I’m starting from scratch and learning again. I’m not sure exactly why. You don’t want to fall back into things that you know. … I like to try to keep hearing new things and moving in different directions.” Even as he moves in other directions — he’s currently working on a Guggenheim Fellowship, and will return to teaching later this year — Rosenblum’s older work continues to come around. This Saturday night, Jan. 11, at The Andy Warhol Museum, h2 Saxophone Quartet will play “Möbius Loop” as part of a concert produced by Music on the Edge. h2, which has been playing since the mid2000s, chose the piece because Rosenblum helps curate the series (which h2 was recruited for by Amy Williams, who rounds out the composition program at Pitt along with Rosenblum and Moe). “There are so many influences in his music,” says h2’s Geoffrey Deibel. “There’s a strong groove element, there’s an aleatoric element — at times, all four players are doing something different. There are a lot of tempo changes. There are a lot of parts that are hard for each player to play, and to play as an ensemble.” For a saxophone quartet, microtones mean playing in ways that are unconventional. “It’s mainly a combination of strange fingerings,” says Deibel. “Often in microtonal music they’re quarter-tones, but in this piece there are quarter-tones and sixth-tones. It’s a lot of preparation.” “We really like it and enjoy playing it,” says h2’s Jeffrey Loeffert. “I imagine it’s something that’s not played a lot because it requires a lot of intensive rehearsals,
NEW RELEASES {BY ANDY MULKERIN}
h2 Saxophone Quartet
and it helps to have an ensemble that’s been playing together as long as we have.” Rosenblum will also be featured this year as part of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Year of Pittsburgh Composers. Part of the program takes five Pittsburghbased composers, and commissions them to write a five-part piece based on the natural elements. Rosenblum is joined in that venture by Patrick Burke, Boomi Jang, Reza Vali and Amy Williams. In pop music, it’s normal for an artist to conquer his or her own city before becoming known elsewhere; in the world of contemporary composers, it’s quite different. Rosenblum has lived for the past 20-plus years in Squirrel Hill with his wife Maggie and their two daughters, but his notability in new-music circles doesn’t necessarily permeate everyday life here. For the symphony to highlight local composers is a step toward making people like Mathew Rosenblum notable in their own environs, not just in New York. In February, Music on the Edge will present a program of Burr Van Nostrand’s music at Bellefield Hall; Lindsey Goodman, Dave Eggar and Eric Moe, along with the New England Conservatory Chamber Ensemble, will play two pieces by Rosenblum’s onetime mentor. Having his own piece played is great, but this is what Mathew Rosenblum is excited about. “Burr is this sort of undiscovered genius guy who got lost in the shuffle in the ’70s,” Rosenblum explains. “It was very exciting, then people lost track and he hasn’t written anything in 30 years. And he was one of my first mentors. He’s coming down, and it’s a very important event for us.” AMU L K E R IN@PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.08/01.15.2014
FIST FIGHT IN THE PARKING LOT YEAR OF THE OX (SELF-RELEASED)
Two super-sludgy tracks bookend this five-song EP from the well-known locals, with some more upbeat heavy rock songs in between. Things get downright epic on the centerpiece, “Natural Fool,” where singer Abby Krizner’s voice shines, showing that she’s got way more than snarl. Those stoner-metal tracks are where the band really shines, but this entire EP is quality. FIST FIGHT IN THE PARKING LOT EP RELEASE. 8 p.m. Sat., Jan. 11. Altar Bar, 1620 Penn Ave., Strip District. $5. 412-206-9719
WILL SIMMONS & THE UPHOLSTERERS INNUENDO: THE ITALIAN WAY (UNREAD/ALMOST HALLOWEEN TIME)
Vinyl and cassette are the two ways to get this new release from the onetime Four Roses frontman, who’s on to more earnest (but upbeat) material on this folkpop release. Simmons is backed by scene vets Bill Fulmer, Bob Junkunz and Greg Lagrosa on 13 tracks of lo-fi sunshine pop and thoughtful, well-written (if at times maybe slightly overdone) lyricism. The trombone is tasteful and integrated nicely — a feat on a pop record. WILL SIMMONS & THE UPHOLSTERERS LP RELEASE. 9 p.m. Sat., Jan. 11. Thunderbird Café, 4033 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $5. 412-682-0177
INFLUX LATENCY (SELF-RELEASED)
Six tracks of cute, though sometimes deceptively complex, indie rock from the new local three-piece with some diverse backgrounds (including jazz performance). There’s a certain youthful naiveté about Karl Jancart’s lead vocals, which provides an interesting counterpoint to the complicated rhythms and the shifts from folk-pop to pop-punk and further. Nice first effort! AMULKERIN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM