Conversing With Spirits
David Colson composer
Henning Schroeder saxophone
Matthew Coley marimba
Scott Thornburg trumpet
Silvia Roederer piano
Joseph Lulloff alto saxophone
Yu-lien The piano
The Western Michigan University School of Music Percussion Ensemble | Judy Moonert conductor
Fall immersed into a collection of innovative stories and sounds on David Colson’s CONVERSING WITH SPIRITS. Colson’s distinctive push-and-pull textures are both an inviting and invigorating in the aptly named Un raz-de-marée de terreur et de joie (A tidal wave of terror and of joy) for bari sax and marimba, a welcome that drifts into a call back to classical trumpet repertoire: the long lamentations and surges of havoc discovered within Duo for Trumpet and Piano. This being closely followed by Ghost Music, a virtuosic marimba solo featuring Matthew Coley, a composition most reminiscent of uncanny whisperings in shadowy atmospheres—no doubt with a touch of whimsy, and a whimsy that is no stranger to the nature of cats, or more specifically, Cat Tales, a touching tongue-in-cheek collection of saxophone and piano vignettes invoking the personality of eight cats familiar to Colson. The River within Us concludes the collection, an at-once bubbly and fluttering two-movement work featuring the Western Michigan University Percussion Ensemble. Treat yourself to CONVERSING WITH SPIRITS, and enjoy the endless surprises it has to offer.
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Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Composer | Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Un raz-de-marée de terreur et de joie (2021) | David Colson | Henning Schroeder, baritone saxophone; Matthew Coley, marimba | 11:55 |
| 02 | Duo for Trumpet and Piano (2016): I. Staring into the sapphire sky | David Colson | Scott Thornburg, trumpet; Silvia Roederer, piano | 5:46 |
| 03 | Duo for Trumpet and Piano (2016): II. Butterfly Nebula | David Colson | Scott Thornburg, trumpet; Silvia Roederer, piano | 4:09 |
| 04 | Duo for Trumpet and Piano (2016): III. Simple song full of notes | David Colson | Scott Thornburg, trumpet; Silvia Roederer, piano | 3:57 |
| 05 | Duo for Trumpet and Piano (2016): IV. On the prairie | David Colson | Scott Thornburg, trumpet; Silvia Roederer, piano | 3:12 |
| 06 | Ghost Music (2019): I. Gliding smoothly | David Colson | Matthew Coley, marimba | 3:20 |
| 07 | Ghost Music (2019): II. Phantom winds | David Colson | Matthew Coley, marimba | 3:31 |
| 08 | Ghost Music (2019): III. Sudden Apparitions | David Colson | Matthew Coley, marimba | 2:10 |
| 09 | Ghost Music (2019): IV. To move unseen | David Colson | Matthew Coley, marimba | 4:13 |
| 10 | Ghost Music (2019): V. Echoes and whispers | David Colson | Matthew Coley, marimba | 4:57 |
| 11 | Cat Tales (2020): I. Wally | David Colson | Henning Schroeder, soprano saxophone; Joseph Lulloff, alto saxophone; Yu-Lien The, piano | 1:15 |
| 12 | Cat Tales (2020): II. Ella | David Colson | Henning Schroeder, soprano saxophone; Joseph Lulloff, alto saxophone; Yu-Lien The, piano | 2:17 |
| 13 | Cat Tales (2020): III. Frank | David Colson | Henning Schroeder, soprano saxophone; Joseph Lulloff, alto saxophone; Yu-Lien The, piano | 1:09 |
| 14 | Cat Tales (2020): IV. Bother | David Colson | Henning Schroeder, soprano saxophone; Joseph Lulloff, alto saxophone; Yu-Lien The, piano | 0:50 |
| 15 | Cat Tales (2020): V. Charisse | David Colson | Henning Schroeder, soprano saxophone; Joseph Lulloff, alto saxophone; Yu-Lien The, piano | 2:38 |
| 16 | Cat Tales (2020): VI. Molly | David Colson | Henning Schroeder, soprano saxophone; Joseph Lulloff, alto saxophone; Yu-Lien The, piano | 0:34 |
| 17 | Cat Tales (2020): VII. Pee Wee | David Colson | Henning Schroeder, soprano saxophone; Joseph Lulloff, alto saxophone; Yu-Lien The, piano | 2:11 |
| 18 | Cat Tales (2020): VIII. Cricket | David Colson | Henning Schroeder, soprano saxophone; Joseph Lulloff, alto saxophone; Yu-Lien The, piano | 1:38 |
| 19 | The River within Us (2002): I. This is not a jungle | David Colson | The Western Michigan University School of Music Percussion Ensemble | Judy Moonert, conductor; Peter Breithaupt, Ryan Jonker, David Crider, Joseph Tucker, William Alderman | 6:44 |
| 20 | The River within Us (2002): II. I stand alone on a tall bluff, listening | David Colson | The Western Michigan University School of Music Percussion Ensemble | Judy Moonert, conductor; Peter Breithaupt, Ryan Jonker, David Crider, Joseph Tucker, William Alderman | 5:04 |
Tracks 01-18
Recorded May 11, June 16, August 15,17, 2021 at Blue Griffin Recording in Lansing MI
Producer, Engineer, Editing & Mixing Sergei Kvitko
Tracks 19-20
Recorded May 1, 2010 at Dalton Recital Hall, Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo MI
Producer David Colson
Engineer, Editing & Mixing Bryan Heany
Mastering Melanie Montgomery
Cover photo of The Butterfly Nebula from Hubble by NASA, ESA, Hubble
Processing William Ostling | theastroenthusiast.com
Executive Producer Bob Lord
A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Morgan Hauber
Publicity Patrick Niland
Artist Information
David Colson
David Colson (b. 1957) is an American educator, administrator, percussionist, conductor, and composer of classical music. He is Professor of Music at the Western Michigan University (WMU) Irving S. Gilmore School of Music, where he has taught composition, music theory, and leads the new music ensemble Birds on a Wire. He served as Director of the School of Music from 2007 to 2014 and Director of the Gwen Frostic School of Art at WMU from 2017 to 2021. He came to WMU from California State University–Chico, where he taught composition and music theory, chaired the Department of Music, and was the David W. and Helen E.F. Lantis University Professor, the University's first endowed professorship.
Notes
This album has a ‘looking forwards/looking backwards’ aspect for me as the composer; it is both a GPS and a scrapbook of memories.
Un raz-de-marée de terreur et de joie (A tidal wave of terror and of joy) is a piece that alternates between contemplative and harsh soundscapes. The sudden shifts in texture and tempo have become a recent feature of my music, which I believe creates a more compelling shape and form.
John F. Colson, my late father, was a trumpet player, and the Duo for Trumpet and Piano is dedicated to him. I grew up listening to the trumpet’s standard repertoire, which is ‘classic’ in nature—straight-forward pieces without extended techniques. My piece fits in that realm and is relatively conservative, though difficult due to rhythm, meter, and range.
In 2017, I met percussionist Matthew Coley who impressed me as a performer, especially on the marimba. Ghost Music was written for him. As a former percussionist, I was confident writing virtuoso music that is, first, a vehicle for expression, but also incorporates Coley’s formidable skills on the marimba.
Cats are not my favorite mammals, but they’re attracted to me, and I have known many, mostly belonging to friends and family. The eight vignettes that represent Cat Tales are about a collection of cats, of which I had company with over different times. I enjoyed composing this piece since it allowed me to tell stories about each of the animals.
In 2002, I composed a work for the Colorado Symphony’s percussion section. Each November the percussionists of the orchestra perform a concert titled “Drums of the World.” The River within Us was premiered at this performance and later recorded by the Western Michigan University Percussion Ensemble, which is featured on this recording.
— David Colson
