Quinsin Nachoff – Patterns from Nature
Quinsin Nachoff; Matt Mitchell; Ryan Keberle; François Houle; Satoshi Takeishi; Carlo De Rosa; Molinari String Quartet
Whirlwind Recordings (quinsin.com/patterns-from-nature)
Toronto born, Brooklyn-based saxophonist and composer Quinsin Nachoff brings us another momentous work in the form of Patterns from Nature, a full-scale 45-minute work that celebrates the convergence of music, film, and art with scientific research into pattern formation without merely mimicking it. So many elements have convened to create this work that it’s a wonder it could be contained to 45 minutes. Is it a chamber suite? A symphonic work, a film and full score, multimedia presentation, a narrative on the interrelationship of science, art, and the natural environment? It is all of these. As the composer explains: “I composed the music in parallel with filmmakers Tina de Groot, Lee Hutzulak, Gita Blak, and Udo Prinsen, allowing sound and image to evolve together in response to those natural forces. We are not illustrating the science, but working with it as a foundation, something to be interpreted, reshaped, and carried through the form and motion of the piece.”
Drawing on the research of longtime collaborator (and University of Toronto Professor Emeritus) Physicist Stephen Morris’ work in emergent patterns in nature, Nachoff teamed up with the four filmmakers to integrate music, film and science, a project taking ten years to realize. The composition includes seamless marriages between notation and improvisation, highlighting improvising soloists for each movement: titled Branches, Flow, Cracks and Ripples they feature Nachoff himself, pianist Matt Mitchel, trombonist Ryan Keberle, clarinetist François Houle, percussionist Satoshi Takeishi and bassist Carlo De Rosa, with underpinnings from the Molinari String Quartet and direction from JC Sanford. Each movement entwines the explorations of the informing elements, and the ensemble moves effortlessly through melodic and textural elements of contemporary dialects with infusions of urban jazz keeping the human element present. The attention to detail creates a magnificent work.
It was an interesting experience to view snippets of the films and photos available online after hearing the album; the added dimension creates a powerful multi-dimensional narration and it’s a shame they are not accessible with the album. One can only hope it is presented again in full soon.
The second work on the album features Nachoff’s three-movement saxophone concerto Winding Tessellations (2017); a seamless addition to the album and no less exquisite.
Listen to 'Quinsin Nachoff: Patterns from Nature' Now in the Listening Room
