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2010 Bang on a Can Marathon in pics (Burkina Electric, who play Summerstage & Celebrate Brooklyn, included)

by Andrew Frisicano

Burkina Electric
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The annual Bang on a Can Marathon took over the World Financial Center Winter Garden Sunday, June 27th for 13 hours (one over the expected 12).

As evidenced in the pictures below, I only caught the last quarter or so of the night (it the was the same day as Gil Scott-Heron in Central Park). The day was packed with curiosity-provoking sets, like the US premiere of Fausto Romitelli’s “Professor Bad Trip,” performed by the Talea Ensemble…

Broken into three “lessons,” the dense piece vividly communicated a kind of doomed atmosphere, beginning with sighing, deflating sounds pouring out of the winds and violins and pitched percussion nervously skittering, and later growing into thunderous sound from the full chamber orchestra. The highlight came in the second section, with a pained, growling cello solo played with impressive control by Chris Gross.

While Romitelli had his share of devotees, there was a clear sense of relief with the contrast Buke and Gass offered next. Playing their namesake baritone ukelele (buke) and guitar-bass hybrid (it’s pronounced “gase”), and a drum with tambourines embedded, their emphatic, quirky brand of rock, enhanced by buke player Arone Dyer’s pure folk-singer voice, was exactly what the crowd needed.
[NJ Star Ledger]

When I arrived, a group of musicians, Slagwerk Den Haag, were scribbling furiously (and rhythmically) on chalk boards.

A focus toward the end seemed to be video projections, which accompanied the double bass loops of Florent Ghys, guitarist Tim Brady‘s wall of sound, and the night’s final performance by Signal, Shelter, a piece composed by Bang on a Can heads Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe. Burkina Electric provided a late-evening burst of energy with West African dance music (they play Celebrate Brooklyn on July 8th and Central Park on July 25th).

Q2 will be broadcasting music from this year’s Marathon in August (as will WNYC’s New Sounds), so look out for that.

More pictures are below…

Slagwerk Den Haag…

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Vernon Reid (and band)…

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Bang on a Can All-Stars…

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Mira Calix…

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Tim Brady (w/ video by Martin Messier)…

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Kambar Kalendarov & Kutman Sultanbekov from Kyrgyzstan…

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Florent Ghys…

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Burkina Electric…

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David Lang, Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe…

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SIGNAL (w/ conductor Brad Lubman)…

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