jeff greene     bassist/composer

I’m looking forward to a handful of shows this month that include the premiere of “Shudder and Fade”, part of  jorsTAP Chicago’s new show Rackets.  Also, the return of the MacKay/Bach/Greene trio and Glass House!  Please visit the shows tab for more details.  I hope to see you out there!

I’m honored to announce that my recent piece for solo double bass + electronics, entitled Marrow, has been awarded the 2012 ISB/David Walter Composition Competition prize in the media division!!  I’ve been a member on the International Society of Bassists for over twelve years now and it’s a great organization that holds its convention every two years.  I’ll be premiering this piece at the Eastman School of Music in June of 2013.  Special thanks to the other entrants for their wonderful music and the panel, Robert Black, Jory Herman, and Irina-Kalina Goudeva for their support.  Here’s the press release….

RESULTS OF 2012 ISB/DAVID WALTER COMPOSITION COMPETITION

Robert Black, chair of the judges’ panel for the 2012 ISB/David Walter Composition Competition, along with fellow judges Jory Herman and Irina-Kalina Goudeva, has announced the winners in three divisions: solo bass or bass with keyboard; chamber ensemble for two to five players with a prominent bass part; and bass with electronic media (tape, CD, live electronics, interactive computer, video or film visuals.) The biennial competition, which honors the memory of double bass professor, performer and composer David Walter, is open to all composers. The ISB renamed the competition as a tribute to his legacy as a champion of the double bass and expanding repertoire for the instrument in 2004.

All entries, submitted anonymously, are unpublished works in any style that have not been given a formal world premiere. The grand prize in each division is $1,000 and a premiere performance at the 2013 ISB Convention, to be held June 3-8 at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

The three grand prizes for the 2012 competition were underwritten in part by the Arizona Bass Players organization with special thanks to Patrick Neher, himself a composer and previous first prize winner in the competition.

The winners of the 2012 ISB/David Walter Composition Competition are:

SOLO DIVISION
Grand Prize – Chiaroscuro (solo double bass) by Jean-Christophe Rosaz, Villejuif, France

Jean-Christophe Rosaz is a composer of French-Swiss nationality born in Chambéry, France. He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon and received a teacher’s diploma in musical writing and composition. In 1989 he studied ethnomusicology and in 1992 received a diploma in film music composition from the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Musique in Paris. www.jeanchristopherosaz.eu

Honorable Mention – Cursive (double bass & piano) by Bin Little, Fishers, Indiana, U.S.
Honorable Mention – Amber (double bass & piano) by Peio Cabalette, Villefranque, France
Honorable Mention – Three Concert Etudes in Scordatura (solo double bass) by
William Wasson, Los Angeles, California, U.S.

CHAMBER CATEGORY
Grand Prize – Breathpiece (amplified voice, cello & double bass) by Jenna Lyle, Chicago, Illinois

Jenna Lyle is a composer and vocalist from Carrollton, Georgia. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Music at Northwestern University. Her works have been presented throughout the U.S. and abroad, with performances recently by NO EXIT New Music Ensemble of Cleveland, Seattle’s Young Kreisler ensemble, and by performers at UCLA’s Hammer Museum as part of the Little William Theater project. (photo by Caleb Chancey) www.lillstreet.com/jennalylebio

Honorable Mention – A Perplexing Question (flute, oboe, violin, viola & double bass)
by Jeffrey Prater, Ames, Iowa, U.S.
Honorable Mention – Miracles…Not Math (double bass & harp) by David Garner, Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Honorable Mention – Concertino No. 1 (solo double bass & bass quartet) by Simon Garcia, Olneiros, Spain

MEDIA CATEGORY
Grand Prize – Marrow (solo double bass and electronics) by Jeff Greene, Chicago, Illinois

Jeff Greene earned his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Indiana University in 2004 and recently completed his Master’s in Music Composition at DePaul University. He has written more than fifty pieces for various ensembles and recorded more than twenty of his own compositions as the leader of Human Motion and Blink. In 2007 the Illinois Arts Council awarded him an Artists Fellowship in Music Composition. He won the bass-with-media grand prize in the 2010 ISB/David Walter Composition Competition. http://jeffgreenemusic.com
Honorable Mention – Noise (double bass, voice and electronics) by Sebastiano Dessanay, Birmingham, England
Congratulations to our 2012 competition winners and many thanks to all 56 entrants from seven countries.

Hi, everyone, I’m happy to announce that the new recording from blink., The Architects (Whistler Records), is now officially available!!  It’s been pressed in cassette format that also comes with a hi-resolution download of the entire album + liner notes, or in digital-only format.

Purchase from Whistler Records right here…..blink : The Architects

Purchase from iTunes right here….blink : The Architects

Also available from…..eMusic, Zune, Napster, Rhapsody, Amazon MP3, and others

photo by John Broughton

Thanks to everyone who made it out to see blink.’s shows last week.  Itwas great to play with Quin, Greg, and Dave again, the first time since we recorded our second full-length album at the I.V. Lab here in Chicago.  It’s almost done being mixed and should be released this fall.  Also, our first European tour is coming together with a few shows in the Netherlands this December.  Check back soon for some more information!

This has been a really busy summer in the best ways so far.  July was full of writing new music for blink. as well as my large ensemble.  blink. performed at Elastic Arts on July 30th and the Velvet Lounge on the 31st where we debuted three new pieces.  August 1st at Heaven Gallery was the second ever performance for my large ensemble of thirteen musician, some of my favorite in Chicago, and I composed two new pieces for that.  As soon as I have the recordings of that show I’ll put them up in the Audio section, as well as some new blink. samples.

August is going to be really exciting also!  Rogue Nations plays at the Hungry Brain on August 16th, Fitted Shards (Greg Ward’s project) at Elastic on August 18th, and then blink. will be touring at the end of the month in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn.  Look for us if you’re in the area.  Keep checking back, there’s a lot of good stuff coming soon!