Recital: Diego Martinez '22, Double Bass

Anton Webern | Drei kleine Stücke, op. 11 (1914)

Mäßige Achtel
Sehr bewegt
Äusserst ruhig

Paul Hindemith | Sonata for Double Bass and Piano (1949)

Allegretto
Scherzo: Allegro assai
Molto adagio – Recitativo – Lied: Allegretto grazioso

Sofia Gubaidulina | Pantomime (1966)

Jacob Druckman | Synapse for Tape (1971) / Valentine for Double Bass (1969)

Eric Dolphy | Gazzelloni (1964)

Marie Carroll ’22 MM | there is no end (2022)

World premiere

Joy Guidry | This Just Don’t Make No Sense (2020)

First Live Performance

Du Yun | ZigZaggg (2001)

Program note

This afternoon’s program is subtitled “Freedom Sounds'', and is a very carefully curated list of works that I think represent my musicianship and the artist I will always aspire to be. Today, we will all travel through the past century and explore the continuous search for freedom in music through the voices of many different communities and artists.
        The first half of the program will explore “The Beginning” in two different ways: Firstly, the beginning in the sense of compositions that serve as a marker for the beginning of a new movement in avant-garde music. AntonWebern was a massive figure in early twelve-tone serialism, inspiring many of his contemporaries and even his own teacher, Arnold Schoenberg. This sprouted one of the first fully-fledged musical movements in the modern avant-garde, but that was only the beginning. About fifty years later, Jacob Druckman wrote a very famous piece for solo bass that explored the sonic possibilities of the instrument in ways that would never allow the bass to be treated the same way ever again, using the wealth of timbres and textures on both the strings and the body of the bass to imitate electronic sounds. Sofia Gubaidulina has gone on record to say that the two composers she admired most consistently were Bach and Webern. Her minimalist and meditative approach to composition was a spiritual escape and sometimes a dissent to the authoritarian socio-political climate of Soviet Russia. The second exploration of “The Beginning” as a concept are the pieces I picked that are mostly related to my background as a full-fledged classical musician, which marks the beginning of my studies as a bass player and even the first few years of my studies at NEC. Mostly everything on the first half of this program (arguably minus the Druckman) contains standard western classical notation and presents a new development based on that particular background.
        The second half of this program will explore “The Future” in the same two ways. Firstly, this second half of the program will feature pieces that take avant-garde sensibilities and bring them into the new era. Most of these works were written in the 21st century, with the exception of legendary multi-instrumentalist/composer Eric Dolphy’s classic tune Gazzelloni. However, the reason I include Dolphy’s tune as part of “The Future” is because of how new the free jazz movement still feels in relation to western classical music that had been dominant for centuries. The Black American avant-garde still feels fresh and powerful in a way that still heavily caters to the present and future of experimental music. One composer who very heavily proves this point is Joy Guidry, who utilizes improvisation, ambient electronics, and a wonderful sense of storytelling to provide a vivid image of their experiences. What comes from this combination is a signature sound unlike anything I have heard in music before, and is a wonderful representative for “The Future” of experimental music. Marie Carroll is a composer who is largely inspired by Japanese noise music and many different traditional and contemporary folk musics, which culminates into an otherworldly soundscape that informs her vocabulary and yet again defies what most thought was possible in music. The second exploration of “The Future” as a concept alludes to my continuous interest in open form improvised music. All of the group pieces on this second half of the recital are open form and/or notated on graphic scores. I’m not entirely sure what my Future holds for me, but I do know that I want to merge my two worlds between my classical background and my newfound and ever-growing love for improvised music; and I am hopeful that my efforts will inspire some to explore their expression in mediums they may not have considered before. The final piece on the program is entitled ZigZaggg, written by Du Yun. To me, this piece is the apex of new music for the double bass. Additionally, it caters to both my background as a classical musician, as well as my newfound interest in experimental bass playing. Much of the standard bass repertoire are the same four concertos and a wealth of Bottesini showpieces, with a few exceptions in between. Truthfully, all of these pieces are rightfully overshadowed by the massive catalog of colossal Romantic works written for violin, cello, piano, etc. It is my takeaway that the music that truly explores the possibilities of the bass as an instrument of sound art can be found within the last sixty years. To have a piece like ZigZaggg, lasting the duration of a typical bass concerto, in four movements, that paints a vivid story or presents gorgeous landscapes with which the player decides how to create a story; this piece is something that feels massive. To me, it feels like an important and masterful body of work that must be canonized as one of the all-time greatest in double bass writing. This piece represents The Future of the double bass as an instrument. ZigZaggg represents the aspirations of My Future as an artist.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to my bass teachers, Larry Wolfe and Todd Seeber.
Your endless wisdom that came with every lesson, as well as your profound care for my development, can never be overstated; and your unique ways of bringing out the best version of myself as a musician and artist is something that I will carry with me throughout my life and career.

I want to thank the countless other musical mentors I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with throughout my four years, including but not limited to: Donald Palma, Stratis Minakakis, Joe Morris, and DoYeon Kim.  You all have massively informed my musicianship and inspired me to explore my creativity in ways that I never thought was possible.

I want to express my lifelong love for the many friends I have made over my four years at NEC, as you are all such a tremendously special and beautiful part of my life here. You all have inspired me, encouraged me, and given me the love and space I need to express myself in the most unapologetically genuine way I can be, as a musician and as a person.

I want to express my deepest warmth and affection to the beautiful human beings in the double bass department, whom I have had the absolute honor and privilege of calling my peers and long-term friends. I could not express the love I hold for each and every one of you, as you are all consistently there for me when I need you most. Your beautiful personalities come through so gracefully in your musicianship as well, and it never fails to inspire me. I know you will all do amazing things.

I want to express my eternal love and devotion to my Pavement family.  I could not even begin to fathom a more loving, welcoming, and supportive group of co-workers and (more importantly) friends. Time spent with you all is time that I will cherish forever.  You have taught me so much about friendship, and you are all radiant lights in my life that enable me to let loose and love freely.

I want to express my extraordinary love and adoration for my mother, Sylvia; my father, Jesus; my older sibling, Felix; my younger brother, Daniel; and of course, my two dogs at home, Ruby and Luna.  Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to go home to a family like mine, who supports what I do and loves me unconditionally for who I am; and I could never be grateful enough for everything you have given me in this life.

I want to thank my brilliant and inspiring collaborators - Richard, Will, Lemmy, Sam, Kai, Noah, Marie, Olivia, Griffin, Nico, Izumi, Delfina, Felix, Jenna, and Julia - for providing their wealth of experience and hard work for this very special afternoon.  I am honored to have all of their amazing work be involved in my recital today, and the performance will be ten times more powerful with their incredible contributions.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank anyone who is present this afternoon, either in-person or in the livestream. Your involvement as an audience member means the entire world to me, and I am completely beholden to anyone and everyone who took time from their Sunday to be here with me this afternoon. I love all of you so deeply.