Aram Shelton grew up in southeast Florida and began studying and learning how to play music around the age of ten with his first instrument, the saxophone. As he studied more he became increasingly interested in improvised music, as this music tends to truly express the individuality of the performer. A person’s character is unmasked when listening to an improvisation. Some can mimic, some can impress, and some are truly insane. In 1999 he left Florida and moved to Chicago due to the diverse music scene which seems guided by improvisational principles. There he continued to study music and expanded his range of instruments by learning clarinet and bass clarinet, studying trumpet, and eventually using computers to add other textures and sonic possibilities unable to be created by acoustic instruments.
Highly active in Chicago’s creative music scene, Shelton spent much time playing improvised music in groups such as Ken Vandermark’s ‘Crisis Ensemble’, the Chicago Improviser’s group, Doug Scharin’s ‘Him’, the Fast Citizens (members which include Fred Lonberg-holm and Josh Berman), and Matt Bauder’s ‘Weary Already of the Way’. He also worked on creating music which combined electronics and acoustics with musicians such as Ernst Karel, members of TV Pow and Koutaro Fukui (ondo music). Along the way he has performed with musicians such as Jeff Parker, Dave Rempis, Steve Bernstein, Jeb Bishop, Josh Abrams, Guillermo Gregorio, Chris Jonas, Kent Kessler, Steve Hess, and Rob Mazurek. He continues his collaborations with Chicagoans Tim Daisy and Jason Ajemian in the trio Dragons 1976 (Locust Music) and Grey Ghost (482 Music), a duo with Johnathan Crawford.
In the fall of 2005 Shelton moved to the Bay Area to study at Mills College. His focus continues to shift towards improvisation-based music that more naturally combines electronics and acoustics in a live setting. Recordings of his music are available through 482 Music and Locust Music.
November
“November” has developed over the course of a year. It was originally conceived as a piece for three clarinets and piano. As I am very interested in real-time manipulation of acoustic instruments, I recorded the parts and began to work with them in MSP. I decided to incorporate this aspect into the live performance as well. I developed a patch which allows the operator to record in the main thematic material and rearrange in real time. To go further, certain processes done to the sound by the patch were then put back into the score for the acoustic instruments. This back and forth between the electronics and acoustic instruments created the structure of the piece and allows for an interaction between the distinct parts.
The thematic aspects of the piece are based on a melodic improvisational style which I developed over the time I lived in Chicago. I would like to thank Jacob Danziger, Steini Gunnarson, Terran Olsen, and Paul Scriver for performing this music.
Performers:
Aram Shelton: Clarinet
Terran Olsen: Clarinet
Paul Scriver: Bass clarinet
Steini Gunnarson: Piano
Jacob Danziger: Computer