Longdance Music

... and the journey continues ...

Boethius, the medievel philosopher and musicologist, spoke of three musics: musica cosmolis- the music of the cosmos including the birth and death of galaxies and star, orbits and rotations, gravity and centrifical forces, musica humana- the music of humans, this includes what we would now call psychology, sociology, astrology, the flows, rhythms and interactions within and between persons, and musica instrumentalis- the music of musical instruments with there vibration, resonance timbres.

The music of the longdance seeks to align these three musics. We open of lenses to see that we are on a planet rotating on its axis while being orbited by the moon all rotating around our sun. We dance seasonal and witness these celestial bodies as they make there dance through our sky. We live day to day season to season with the effects of there progressions effecting our light, our season and weather.

With the backdrop of this cosmic music, we seek to recognize and embody our human music. Where are we in the this season of our life? What song and story are we living? Who are we fighting loving giving our time and energy to?

To focus the alignment of the cosmic music and our human music, we use the drum, and sing voice and other musical instruments with there particular evocative, provocative and souling sounds.

I have been a main composer and conductor of this longdance music, yet each person who has danced has influenced and developed and help to realize this music.

One layer of this music came via Elizabeth Cogburn. From her we learned the power of the steady 1/8 note pulse- one, one, one, one, With each one note pulse the entire universe is created and dissolved. This one, one, one rhythm is also poinantly found inthe teaching of master cellist and music teacher David Darling who taught to play that one one pulse with absolute focus commitment energy and purpose.

Another layer of our rhythm came through the west african tradition- a tradition rich in emboding polyrhythm- playing two or more differant musical meters at the same time creating rich complex patterns. I had studied West African music with Ibrahim Camara and Montgomery Stone and learned a particular partner of a kakilambe- a piece usually played in 4/4 but this particular version used the same hand patterns but was played in 6/8.

Rev Bob Werme, a musician and former core member intuitely developed to Jun Jun (bass drum)

The 3/4 heart beat- during a year of particular professional strife I was invited to play the role of the christos in the enactment of the station of the cross at Promisek, a catholic community in CT. During the two hour procession throught the stations a heart beat drum beat was played. At the moment of Jesus's death this heart beat stoppen and Sunday morning the beat revived into a powerful dance.

We also layer on 16th note riffs which freely flow between the 3/4 and 6/8 meters. Personal self expression and improvisation is encouraged. Interaction between the drummers and dancers is encouraged.