The Justice

Media Credit: David Brown Jazz artist Jon Damian used a variety of unusual instruments during his performance, including the RubberFly (above) and the RubberTellie, a guitar that was tuned in a manner very different from that of a typical guitar.

Jon Damian is not an ordinary guitarist, nor is he an ordinary musician. This fact quickly became evident as I took my seat at the Rose Art Museum and saw an assortment of instruments laid out in front of the seats: three guitars in various states of dilapidation, bits of bent-up metal surrounding the more unique guitars and an upright bass. This incongruous assortment was only the first hint that the concert would be an interesting one.

After passing out programs and greeting the audience, Damian began describing the nature of the concert, saying that it would include some jazz, some improvised music resembling jazz and some "strange stuff." Damian was accompanied by bassist Bob Nieske, the jazz artist-in-residence at Brandeis. When Damian spoke about his music, his enthusiasm was palpable. As he tuned his guitar, he said, "I get excited very easily, as you'll soon see."

The first song was called "Skee-dap-m-be-bap," which Damian explained was a reference to scat, the language of nonsense sounds used in vocal improvisation. As he played through the first song, which consisted of fairly traditional be-bop, Damian did indeed scat along as he played.

Damian's playing was rich and dynamic-exactly what one would expect from a Berklee faculty member-and Nieske's bassline lay subtly under Damian's soloing and chords. Throughout the evening, Nieske served as Damian's counterpart, with Nieske's bass aptly echoing Damian's guitar, even when Damian ventured way out into the avant-jazz stratosphere.

The second song, "Excerpts from the Film Imitasyon," was the first in which Damian attempted to play the audience. The song itself was written by Damian for a film produced by his son and was an adaptation of the gospel song "Take Me to the Water." The audience was prompted to sing along as monks would-in an elegiac drone.

Damian began the song on an instrument of his own invention: the RubberFly. This guitar (if it could even be classified as a guitar) was altered beyond immediate recognition. There was a bit of metal jammed under the strings, the fret board was covered in electrical tape, and it was tuned differently than a normal guitar. Damian explained that the "Rubber" in "RubberFly" indicated pliability in its purpose rather than any specific element of its construction. The RubberFly was designed to transcend the limitations of a typical guitar and encourage creative playing; indeed, when played, the RubberFly sounded rich and mellifluous and entirely foreign.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools