Today we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Patricia Brennan, a vibraphonist and composer who grew up in Veracruz, Mexico, playing salsa with her dad while listening to Hendrix and Zeppelin with her mom. She studied classical percussion at the Curtis Institute, performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Philadelphia Orchestra, then found her voice and career in jazz and improvisation.Patricia’s latest album, Of The Near And Far, takes constellations from the summer sky and turns them into music. She superimposes the circle of fifths over star patterns to generate pitches, then turns them into compositions that reflect a voice as unique as the compositional approach. Patricia’s ten-piece ensemble features a jazz quintet, a string quartet, and an electronic musician, all conducted by Eli Greenhoe. Hot on the heels of her 2024 release, Breaking Stretch, which won Album of the Year and Vibraphonist of the Year in the DownBeat Critics Poll, Patricia's here to talk about finding symmetry between the cosmos and composition, why she carries a telescope wherever she goes, and how ancient myths and modern astronomy shape her work.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Patricia Brennan's album Of The Near And Far)–Dig DeeperArtist and AlbumVisit Patricia Brennan at patriciabrennanvibes.com and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubePurchase Patricia Brennan's Of The Near And Far from Pyroclastic Records, Bandcamp, or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choicePatricia Brennan's acclaimed 2024 album Breaking Stretch on Pyroclastic RecordsEducational InstitutionsCurtis Institute of Music – Philadelphia conservatory where Patricia studied classical percussionYouth Orchestra of the Americas – Continental ensemble Patricia joined at age seventeenCollaborators and Ensemble MembersSylvie Courvoisier, pianistMiles Okazaki, guitaristKim Cass, bassistJohn Hollenbeck, drummer and composerKyle Armbrust, violistArktureye (Noel Brennan) – Electronic musician and Patricia's duo partner in MOCHEli Greenhoe, conductorMusical Influences and ReferencesKeiko Abe – Japanese marimbist who transformed the instrumentRadiohead – In RainbowsErik Satie – "Gnossienne No. 1"Glenn Gould performing BachPhilip Glass – String QuartetsGyörgy Ligeti – AtmosphèresGrachan Moncur III – Evolution featuring Bobby HutchersonKid Koala – Canadian turntablistEighth Blackbird – Contemporary chamber music ensembleFania All-Stars – Legendary salsa supergroupComposers MentionedTōru Takemitsu – Japanese composerIannis Xenakis – Greek-French composerKarlheinz Stockhausen – German composerEdgard Varèse – French-American composerJohn Cage – American experimental composerSteve Reich – American minimalist composerDavid Lang – Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Bang on a Can co-founderAstronomical ReferencesAndromeda Galaxy (M31) – Nearest major galaxy to the Milky WayCircle of fifths – Music theory concept used in Patricia's compositional systemConstellation guide – Reference for the star patterns inspiring the albumNASA's Sounds of Space – Astronomical recordings translated into audio–Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com–• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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