Timber

Michael Gordon - Timber ft. Slagwerk den HaagTimber box (designed by Denise Burt)Timber angled box (designed by Denise Burt)Timber album booklet (designed by Denise Burt)Timber alternate cover

...a meditation on sound and rhythm, bringing the physicality, endurance and technique of percussion performance to a new level.

Physical copies of Timber have been packaged in special wooden boxes. Cut to near standard CD size in length and width, but made out of medium-density fibreboard an inch thick, each weighs approximately one pound. View photos HERE

Timber is scored for six wooden 2x4s, each cut into different sizes, giving each one a slightly different pitch. Called a "simantra", this percussion instrument was first devised by composer Iannis Xenakis. Far from a gimmick, the instrumentation allows Gordon to create the impression that the sound is traveling around and through the room by subtly shifting the accent of sound from one player to another. The result is a meditation on sound and rhythm, bringing the physicality, endurance and technique of percussion performance to a new level.

Michael Gordon's subtle rhythmic investigations and fearless compositional inventions have led WNYC to note, "Gordon's music is an outgrowth of his underground New York rock band experience combined with formal music training from Yale, so it's no surprise that he's obsessed with the nature of rhythm. He has built his career on exploring rhythm and what happens when different rhythms are piled on top of each other, to mesmerizing effect." For his most recent composition, Gordon has ventured outside the realm of traditional instrumentation to achieve an evening-length transcendental experience.

Artists

CA21072
Formats: 
CD / Digital
Release Date: 
08/30/2011

Timber [live @ Noguchi Museum 9.8.13]