Moments by Michael Vincent Waller

In essence, the sound of the piano comes in two parts: its attack and its decay. The striking of a hammer is followed by the resonance of a string or strings. (Much the same might be said about the vibraphone, as it happens.) This dual quality of sound comes to mind when listening to Moments by New York-based composer Michael Vincent Waller. Performed by pianist R. Andrew Lee and vibraphonist William Winant, Moments − his third album, following Trajectories (Recital, 2017) and The South Shore (XI, 2015) − draws on Western classical music tradition in its most archetypal forms through its use of modal melodies, triadic harmonies and metered rhythms. Yet the emotional heart of the music is not in attack, but resonance. The afterlife of sounds. Those elements that can’t be grasped and placed into easy historical categories. Behind his surface attacks Waller finds hazy, edgeless zones that draw us downwards, into introspection – an “inward gaze.” Waller’s music is often compared to that of Erik Satie, and there is certainly something Satie-like in its concision, its subtle asymmetries and its lack of ornament. But where Satie’s Gnossiennes, Nocturnes and Gymnopédies were blank canvases, deliberately signifying nothing, Waller’s pieces are vessels to be filled. That is partly an effect of titles: Waller’s pieces on this disc are all ‘moments’ of autobiographical poignancy – memorials, birthdays, homecomings; friends, teachers, family members. We are clearly invited to invest certain emotional expectations into these sounds.

Liner notes by Tim Rutherford-Johnson and “Blue” Gene Tyranny. Mastered by Denis Blackham for digital and compact disc. Mastered and cut for vinyl by Rashad Becker.

Tracklist

1.	For Papa	2:26

2.	Return from L.A. - I	1:59

3.	Return from L.A. - II	1:32

4.	Return from L.A. - III	1:22

5.	Return from L.A. - IV	1:59

6.	Divertimento	3:43

7.	For Pauline	3:17

8.	Jennifer	3:30

9.	Nocturnes - No. 1	5:58

10.	Nocturnes - No. 4	4:56

11.	Love - I. Valentine	1:58

12.	Love - II. Baby's Return	2:46

13.	Love - III. Images	1:42

14.	Love - IV. Sizing	1:03

15.	Roman	5:21

16.	Stolen Moments	3:08

17.	Vibrafono Studio	4:53

18.	Bounding	5:12

Credits

released October 4, 2019

Composition: Michael Vincent Waller

Piano: R. Andrew Lee

Vibraphone: William Winant

Production: Tommy McCutchon, Michael Vincent Waller

Digital Master: Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering

Vinyl Master and Cut: Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin

Mixing: Charles Mueller, Ryan Streber, Tommy McCutchon at Oktaven Audio, Mt Vernon, NY

Editing: Charles Mueller, R. Andrew Lee, William Winant

Recording: Jon Robertson, at University of Missouri-Kansas City on the Richard Cass Memorial Steinway in White Hall, September 13-14/November 3, 2018 (Tracks 1-10, 15-16, 18);
Les Stuck, at Mills College in the Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Concert Hall, December 21, 2018 (Tracks 11-14, 17), with Studio Assistant, Jon Myers.

Cover Photography: Phill Niblock, © 2013

Design: Robert Beatty

Card Insert Drawing: Irene Kopelman

Bio Photography: Tim Saccenti at Setta Studio, artwork by Matthew Shlian

Artist Management: Mia Khan Waller

Special thanks to: Tommy McCutchon, Mia Waller, R. Andrew Lee, William Winant, Phill Niblock, Tim Rutherford-Johnson, “Blue” Gene Tyranny, Robert Beatty, Irene Kopelman, Tim Saccenti, Dina Chang, Michael Byron, Richard Garet, Jennifer Waller; in loving memory of Vincent A. Santoro, and Roman Khan.

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