Pacifica (album)
Encyclopedia
Pacifica is a studio album
by English
guitarist
, composer
and improvisor
Fred Frith
. It was composed by Frith in 1994 as "a meditation for 21 musicians with texts by Pablo Neruda" , and was performed, under the direction of Frith, by the Bolognese
Eva Kant ensemble in 1995 in Modena
, Italy
. Texts, taken from the Chile
an poet Pablo Neruda
's works, were recorded by Sergio Meza in September 1997 in Santiago, Chile
and were added to the music in 1998. The album was released on Tzadik Records
' Composer Series in 1998.
Frith does not perform on this album.
, California
in a cabin overlooking the Pacific Ocean
. It is "a slow meditation on life and death" and reflects a series of events that occurred in Frith's life at the time, namely the death of two close friends and the birth of his daughter.
Pacifica was composed for an ensemble that included prepared guitar
s, wind instruments, percussion, a vocalist and a performer on records, CDs and tapes. The 19 member Eva Kant ensemble (named after a 1960s comic strip
heroine, Eva Kant
) performed the piece, with fragments of recited text from the Death Song of the Cupeño
tribe of California and the tribal names of all the original inhabitants of California. The recording was supplemented later with texts from Pablo Neruda
's Soneto IX and Cien sonetos de amor
, read by Sergio Meza.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and improvisor
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
. It was composed by Frith in 1994 as "a meditation for 21 musicians with texts by Pablo Neruda" , and was performed, under the direction of Frith, by the Bolognese
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
Eva Kant ensemble in 1995 in Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Texts, taken from the Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an poet Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
's works, were recorded by Sergio Meza in September 1997 in Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
and were added to the music in 1998. The album was released on Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
' Composer Series in 1998.
Frith does not perform on this album.
Background
Pacifica was composed by Frith at Big SurBig Sur
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in a cabin overlooking the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. It is "a slow meditation on life and death" and reflects a series of events that occurred in Frith's life at the time, namely the death of two close friends and the birth of his daughter.
Pacifica was composed for an ensemble that included prepared guitar
Prepared guitar
A prepared guitar is a guitar that has had its timbre altered by placing various objects on or between the instrument's strings, including other extended techniques...
s, wind instruments, percussion, a vocalist and a performer on records, CDs and tapes. The 19 member Eva Kant ensemble (named after a 1960s comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
heroine, Eva Kant
Eva Kant
Eva Kant is a fictional character in the Italian comics series starring the anti-hero Diabolik. She first appeared in Diabolik #3 .-Fictional character biography:Eva is the girlfriend and sidekick of criminal mastermind Diabolik...
) performed the piece, with fragments of recited text from the Death Song of the Cupeño
Cupeño
The Cupeño are a Native American tribe from Southern California. Their name in their own language is Kuupangaxwichem.They traditionally lived about inland and north of the modern day U.S.-Mexico border in the Peninsular Range of Southern California...
tribe of California and the tribal names of all the original inhabitants of California. The recording was supplemented later with texts from Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
's Soneto IX and Cien sonetos de amor
Cien Sonetos de Amor
is a collection of sonnets written by the Chilean poet and Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda originally published in Argentina in 1959. Dedicated to his beloved wife , Matilde Urrutia, it is divided into the four stages of the day: morning, afternoon, evening, and night.The sonnets have been translated...
, read by Sergio Meza.
Track listing
- "Part 1" (FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
) – (46:22) - "Part 2" (FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
) – (2:46)
Personnel
- Eva Kant ensemble
- Margareth Kammerer – voice
- Stefano Zorzanello – flute, piccolo, soprano saxophone
- Daniella Cattivelli – alto saxophone
- Olivia Bignardi – clarinet, bass clarinet
- Silvia Fanti – accordion
- Salvatore Panu – trombone
- Giorgio Simbola – trombone
- Ferdinando d'Andria – trumpet, violin
- Pierangelo Galantino – violin, double bass
- Lelio Giannetto – double bass
- Claudio Lanteri – prepared guitar
- Paolo Angeli – prepared guitar
- Massimo Simonini – records, CDs, tapes
- Filomena Forleo – piano
- Nicola Zonca – marimba
- Tiziano Popoli – keyboards
- Andrea Martignoni – percussion
- Mario Martignoni – percussion
- Pino Urso – percussion
- Sergio Meza – reading texts by Pablo NerudaPablo NerudaPablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
Sound
- Eva Kant ensemble recorded by Davide Sandri at Centro Musica, ModenaModenaModena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, July 1995 - Sergio Meza recorded by Carlos Gabezas at Studio Constantinople, Santiago, ChileSantiago, ChileSantiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, September 1997 - Mixed by Peter Hardt at Studio Jankowski, StuttgartStuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, February 1998 - Mastered by Allan Tucker at Foothill Digital, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.