[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]
Concert on the Chapman Stick 2008 DVD $25.
with guest percussionist David Langlois.
from Mel Bay Publications. 51 minutes.
review by Emmett Chapman
Nice touch! Quite a message of ease, versatility and mastery using
minimum means. What a pleasure to watch two innovative musicians
melding minds and merging spirits with such precision and abandon on
their respective percussion instruments. Steve taps on his Grand
Stick orchestra of strings and David Langlois' thimble clad fingers
provide all the answers on his collection of pots, pans and assorted
metallic objects - straight from the heart.
The visual effect is immediate and physical. Steve's hands are all
over the board, smoothly tapping from every angle, each sub-technique
creating its own novel sound, mood, rhythm and texture. David's
responsive fingertips are lightning fast and articulate, a natural
extension of his musical mind, an ultimate physical form of
expression.
It's a sonic treat as well. Steve makes moderate use of Roland's
"VG" multi-effects units, occasionally adding distortion for some
right hand lead lines, also adding a thin transposed upper 5th
interval for more ethereal themes and chord progressions. In all
cases, however, the main "effects" are in his fingers and the
interplay between his hands.
And what a great mini-trap drum discovery! Or more to the point, it
seems to be David's special gift, a perfect blending by the ideal
accompanist, and with those very high metallic frequencies that
compliment The Stick so well, filling in the missing musical
register. David instantaneously comes up with the sonic and rhythmic
answer on his miniaturized, high frequency, tabletop trap drum set -
a real time warp!
Steve doesn't follow any typical Stick technique or style, yet his
performances are instructive to any Stickist or tapping guitarist,
radiating a sense of freedom and infinite possibility. His fingers
glide gracefully across the strings and the gestures of his hands
express his musical ideas even before the notes are heard.
It's all a jazz performance of course, and when he goes into his
walking bass accompaniment, his left hand comes alive and crawling on
its own, seemingly with a brain inside. True, it's "on automatic" to
some extent, but it's an educated left hand that keeps refining
Steve's "Compass Bass System" to greater musical direction and
control.
On this DVD they play jazz classics, including those by John
Coltrane, Pat Metheny and Wes Montgomery. Steve plays his own songs
too, including "Tone Eleven", named by the punster in honor of that
Stick artist and stylist who has reached the widest audience for the
longest time.
Stick DVDs are like live concerts, providing an immersive learning
experience with nonverbal insights into the instrument and the
method. Steve's new Mel Bay release, "Concert on The Chapman Stick",
takes you beyond that and onto new ground.
All the Best, Emmett.
Sample video excerpts from YouTube: