listen to complete piece

composer	David A. Jaffe (b. 1955)
performers	QUARKS! Trio: Dale Stammen, soprano and tenor saxophones Kim Brockett Stammen, alto and baritone saxophones Judy Kehler Siebert, piano with Irene Mitri, violin David A. Jaffe, violin Andrew Schloss, Boie/Mathews Radio Drum-controlled electronics
publisher	Terra Non Firma (BMI)http://www.jaffe.com
recording	Unreleased studio recording
duration	15:02

about the music

David A. Jaffe:

"Racing Against Time is based on recent personal experience with the peculiar time distortion that results from being the father of two children under the age of three.

"The piece uses the seemingly-magical flexibility of the Radio Drum to extend and abstract the sounds of the instruments and transform them into sounds that we don't usually think of as 'musical,' including a racing car, a jet plane, and a 'weird string.' These are rendered using computer 'physical models,' simulations of the actual physics of the objects, which allow the Radio Drum to impart a finer degree of expressive nuance than would be possible with conventional samples.

"The physical model simulations were created using software written by the composer at Staccato Systems, a company I co-founded in 1996 to develop applications of physical modeling technology. The technology has been used not only for music, but also to impart a sense of hyperrealism to computer game sound effects. Racing Against Time is the first use of this technology in a contemporary music context."

about the composer		back to top

Composer, conductor, violinist, and mandolinist David A. Jaffe's (b. 1955) pioneering work in electronics is evident in his research and compositions, which often feature new instruments and electronic techniques. Influenced by the work of Charles Ives, Carl Ruggles, and Henry Brant, his music combines and juxtaposes a wide range of sources, including folk and popular music, birdsong, and political and social issues.

Born in northern New Jersey, Jaffe studied composition at Ithaca College in New York, Bennington College in Vermont with Henry Brant, and Stanford University, California. His music has been performed at many international festivals and computer music conferences, and he has presented workshops and concerts at the LIPM studio in Argentina, Bratislava Festival of Electroacoustic Music in Slovakia, Melbourne University in Australia, and Havana, Cuba. Ensembles that have commissioned works from Jaffe include the American Guild of Organists, Chanticleer, Kronos Quartet, Mostly Modern Orchestra, and QUARKS! Trio. His music is available on the Elektra/Asylum, Well-Tempered Productions, Wergo, and Vienna Modern Masters labels.

Jaffe is also known for his research in physical modeling synthesis, expression in computer music and real-time performance. He has written articles for Computer Music Journal, Interface, and Perspectives of New Music, and in the books The Music Machine and The Well-Tempered Object. Jaffe is currently Audio System Architect and Manager of DSP Audio Software at Analog Devices, Inc.

related websites
http://www.jaffe.com

about the performers		back to top

The QUARKS! Trio is an ensemble that combines soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, piano, and electronics, often also including choreography and audience participation. Dale Stammen, Kimm Brockett Stammen, and Judy Kehler Siebert formed the trio in 1989 during an artists' residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada. Since then, the trio has performed extensively in western Canada and the United States. QUARKS! is active in commissioning and performing new music, and has recorded on the NAM Editions label.

Violinist Irene Mitri studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Ohio and Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. She has performed chamber music at numerous festivals including Aspen, Interlochen, and Tanglewood, and has played with orchestras in the US and UK. She has also studied, taught, and performed extensively in Cuba, with musicians such as Cuban flutist Richard Egues, pianist Chucho Valdés, and the popular groups Los Van Van and Irakere. Currently a resident of Seattle, Washington, Mitri regularly performs with her Cuban dance band Yerba Buena, tango group Tango Divino, and the Odeon String Quartet.

Percussionist, composer, and researcher Andrew Schloss studied at Bennington College in Vermont, the University of Washington, and Stanford University, California. Schloss's research and composition in computer music has been presented at festivals in North and South America and Europe. In 1988, he was awarded a Fulbright grant to conduct research at IRCAM in Paris, during which time he tested and refined the Boie/Mathews Radio Drum. As a percussionist and computer musician, Schloss has performed with musicians including Laurie Anderson, Hilario Durán, Joe Jackson, Rickie Lee Jones, Tito Puente, and Chucho Valdés. In 2001, Schloss co-coordinated the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) in Havana, Cuba. He currently teaches at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.

related websites
http://www.finearts.uvic.ca/~aschloss