Prisms, Cycles, Leaps is a sonic illustration of the body’s perception of rhythm and the ancient relationship between cycles in nature and the energy created by tempo. The album bridges several musical cultures and the genres of classical, world, and jazz.
Derrick Skye - Composer/Arranger
Ian Smith - Piano/Arranger
Christine Tavolacci - Flute
Paul Sherman - Oboe, English Horn
Brian Walsh - Clarinet
Maciej Flis - Bassoon
Gavin Templeton - Alto, Soprano, Tenor Sax
Allen Fogle - Horn
Daniel Rosenboom - Trumpet
Steve Suminski - Trombone
Randy Gloss - Tabla, Drums
Marcel Camargo - Guitar
Dimitris Mahlis - Oud
Hannah Arista - Voice
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - Violin/Viola
"Music, for me, has always been a doorway into understanding other cultures and different ways of living. Through learning music of other cultures, I believe that the opportunity for dialogue rather than conflict between strangers is opened, and we can become a society with less conflict due to cultural misunderstanding.
"PRISMS, CYCLES, LEAPS is an orchestral piece that bridges the space between the music of the Balkans, the Volta Region of Ghana and North Indian Hindustani classical music. The time signature of the piece is in a foundational 3/2, but shifts its emphasis to 6/4, 12/8, and 7/8 +5/8 in different sections by using polyrhythmic ostinatos that are found in traditional Ghanaian drumming and dance. The melodic lines of the piece combine elements of Balkan music and Hindustani classical music. While the melodic lines use an ornamentation specific to Bulgarian women’s choir music (similar to accaciaturas and mordents found in Baroque music), the larger form of the melodic lines resembles the tihai rhythmic cadence and the long phrases found in improvised Hindustani classical music. Tihai is a thrice-repeated rhythmic phrase in an overlapping meter that is used to end a section or conclude a piece in Hindustani classical music. The title PRISMS, CYCLES, LEAPS references a search for beauty in life and nature through multiple and varied yet cyclical experiences.
"ALL AND NONE explores rhythmic hemiolas over the time signature 5/4. The piece explores the complexity in nature between small particular patterns that are easily recognized and larger cyclical patterns that are barely recognizable due to their scale.
"DANCE IN 3, MOVE IN 2 focuses on polyrhythms that emerge from a fast tempo in 3/4 & 2/4, inspired by rhythmic cycles found in traditional folk music of the Ewe people of southeastern Ghana and the Dagomba people of northern Ghana.
"SUNLIGHT SPREAD focuses on repeated rhythmic phrases that leap in and out of conventional time signatures, creating layered, overlapping patterns. The piece draws from elements of son huasteco folk music from Mexico.
"ELASTIC RHYMES explores how complex rhythms can appear to expand and contract in different musical surroundings, using asymmetrical elements of traditional Bulgarian folk music and melodic call and response techniques found in West African music. This elastic rhythm concept is found in the music of many cultures and is often used to induce trance as it distorts the predictability of a rhythmic foundation."
—Derrick Skye, 2015
Executive Producers: Derrick Skye, Daniel Rosenboom, and Robert Cresswell
Engineer / Mixer: Ian Smith
Mastering: Daniel Rosenboom
Editing: Derrick Skye and Ian Smith
Assistant: Kyle Duncan
Producers: Derrick Skye, Ian Smith, and Daniel Rosenboom
Recorded at: IAD Studios
Design and Art: Eron Rauch
Liner Notes: Kim Tran
Thank you to:
My lovely wife Kim Tran, The Spiva Family, The Tran Family, The Brant Family, The Howard Family, Daniel Rosenboom, Robert Cresswell, Ian Krouse, Alex Shapiro, Ryan Bancroft, Jon Armstrong, Michael Prince
All Compositions by Derrick Spiva Jr. (ASCAP)
Published by Derrick Spiva Music (ASCAP)
©(P) Orenda Records 2015
All rights reserved.
ORENDA RECORDS 0019