RUMBLE ON SIXTH STREET

This is a preview of a piece from the upcoming album, Fratres, from Doug Yeo, Gerry Pagano and I.

Tommy Pederson wrote this duet. Knowing Tommy's intentions for the song, Doug asked me to do something with it that might bring out the emotions of the street brawl that the title suggests. Doug asked, "What about putting some street sounds at the beginning of the duet, sounds that would bring the listener in with anticipation to Gerry’s and my playing of the duet?".

I went beyond that, compositing a number of sounds not only in the beginning but throughout the piece as well as the end..

Doug would later write in my blog, I was stunned by what I heard. Mike found some recordings of urban street sounds. He put them together: shouting, cars, sirens, frenzied screams, trucks. The sound of thunder, a man yelling, “Put that down! Put that down!” A faint, musical drone of voices emerged as Gerry and I began to play. And then the most shocking thing. As the duet ended, I became aware once again of the intensity of the street sound. Then, suddenly, more thunder and, finally a heavy rain, before everything faded away with a final sound of a police siren. It was shocking. It was like the rain came to wash everything away. Did the rumble happen? Did the police get there? Who won? Did we even play? Blood was washed away, footprints disappeared. Evidence was gone. Tommy’s ambiguous final cadence gave way to the strong, cleansing rain.