Trippy 1970s Vibe
Prepping for Paint
I find myself recording these improvisations with Jeremy in mind. As in, what would a painter do with this? Specifically, I wanted to give him something rhythmic to mess with. And more poppy. The aAsymmetric part, which you can hear in the surprising leaving out of beat (or sometimes the addition) is me becoming impatient with a straight-ahead groove. But Jeremy picks up on all of that in his playful, trippy, not to mention asymmetric, sort of way.
Appreciating Surprises
This was a challenging yet addictive and fun piece of music to paint to. I created this and many other trippy paintings in my studio one afternoon. I am really drawn into the bluesy vibe and my brush is often moving with that regular rhythm. I really appreciate being surprised by music and Peter’s does that for me incredibly effectively. While painting to Poppy Asymmetric Bounce I often miss-hit those sudden irregularities in the groove but perhaps the bumpiness of the painting can help the viewer/listener notice and appreciate those surprises even more.
About the Artists
Jeremy Harrison recently retired from teaching art at The Rivers School in Weston, Massachusetts where he was on the faculty since 1988. His teaching included drawing, painting, printmaking, and digital photography. He earned a BA from Kenyon College in 1982 double majoring in studio art and religion. He earned his MFA from the University of Iowa in 1985 majoring in printmaking and minoring in drawing. Inspiration for his landscape images comes from his experiences in the wildernesses of Canada, the Adirondacks, and Maine. An experienced canoeist, he helped lead a six-man, 800-mile canoe journey across the Canadian tundra to the Arctic Ocean. He continues to canoe and hike in Maine, Massachusetts, and the Adirondacks while making paintings, prints, drawings, and photographs as often as possible.
With a deep jazz-and-blues core, Peter Saltzman has produced a broad career in the music industry as composer, pianist, singer-songwriter, and author. Various ensembles have performed and recorded his work globally—the Czech National Symphony Orchestra recorded his orchestral dance suite “Walls” (1996), and the Dallas Black Dance Theatre performed “Walls” during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The Dallas Morning News reviewed Saltzman’s music as “powerful stuff.” His second album, Kabbalah Blues/Quantum Funk (2000), earned critical acclaim for its jazz/classical/pop fusion, hailed as “ambitious, richly layered, wonderfully accessible.” Saltzman studied jazz at Indiana University (Bloomington) and composition at Eastman School of Music. He was an adjunct professor of music at Columbia College Chicago, where he taught music technology and piano. His concert works are published by Oxford University Press; his film and television works are published by Wild Whirled Music. Saltzman’s music has been licensed for television shows, jingles, and industrials, including My Name is Earl (NBC, 2006).