MUSIC FOR OBOE, DULCIMER, & DOUBLE BASS.
Mark Allender - double bass, etc.
Dave Badagnani - oboe, etc.
Scott Cole - electric dulcimer, etc.
Mark Allender - double bass, etc.
Dave Badagnani - oboe, etc.
Scott Cole - electric dulcimer, etc.
This group changed my life. I met Dave when I was playing with the Kent State University Orchestra in January 1995 (we were doing Carmina Burana. Dave just came up to me and invited me to go hear Tom Cora and The EX. I had never talked to the guy before in my life. I figured what the hell why not and I went. Later that year, Scott Cole and I felt the itch to have a temporary side project while our regular group North River Company was on hiatus for the summer. I approached Dave about the idea and the group was born.
We adverstised our performances as being "music for oboe, dulcimer, and double bass," but this was in fact far short of the truth. Dave, an ethnomusicology student at Kent State University, would ransack the instrument room at the Center For the Study Of World Musics, bringing a virtual arsenal of instruments from all over the world. Each performance consisted of seven pieces with tonal improvisation in between. Often we would invite audience members to join us on stage for our improvisations.
For each performance we assmbled a table setting complete with lace tablecloth, three water candles, and a noise-sensitive dancing Coke can which was placed directly in front of us. Concert position left to right: Mark, Scott, Dave.
THE PIECES:
Arc Of the Government - Mark: Thai wife drum. Scott: dulcimer. Dave: English horn. This was my tune. Very driving and repetitive percussion. Very agitated electric dulcimer. Very slow and hypnotic horn. An existential piece.
Behind the Lines - Mark: double bass. Scott: dulcimer. Dave: oboe. This was Dave's tune. It also was the first tune we wrote together. Vaguely middle eastern sounding.
Celeste - Mark: Thai wife drum. Scott: mbira. Dave: Thai husband drum. This was a transcription of the North River Company piece of the same name.
Gula Gula -- Mark: Thai drums. Scott: pien. Dave: bass recorder, vocals. This is a traditional Norwegian folk tune in 5/4 time. We kind of thrashed it.
The Underwater Thing - Mark: double bass. Scott: dulcimer. Dave: sheng. This piece was, as the name implies, about being underwater. Scott used a heavy, syruppy chorus on his dulcimer and I slowly "glissandoed" downward on every pitch I played. It sounded eerie. Whenever the listener felt a sense of tonal center, it would drop. Yet the piece sounded very pleasant -- just uncomfortable enough to make you notice. One of the group faves.
Verna - Mark: double bass. Scott: dulcimer. Dave: oboe. This was Scott's piece. It had the most pleasant melody of all of our pieces. The bridge included Dave screeching on the oboe and Mark whacking his bass with his hands
Wake City - Mark: double bass. Scott: dulcimer. Dave: sakhbut. This was an showpiece highlighting tonal tension. Dave and I would each hit a single note and hold it for as long as the bow/lungs would allow. Scott would hit little stoccato notes on the dulcimer to add depth to the piece. The piece was very pleasing and often startling to those who paid attention
THE PERFORMANCES:
6/22/94 - Brady's Cafe - Kent
7/16/94 - The Zephyr - Kent
7/29/94 - Border's Books and Music - Fairlawn
7/30/94 - Brady's Cafe - Kent
8/6/94 - Arabica/University Circle, Cleveland
8/19/94 - Brady's Cafe - Kent
I tried a few times to get the group back together for a reunion, but all in all, this was a group that worked best with the full knowledge that it had an expiration date. Scott and i went back to North River Company and I began to work with Dave along with Mike Hovancsek and Mike Foster in Pointless Orchestra. I must say, though, that I really dig the name "PUNT" and would like to use it again someday...
so long
Mark
coming soon... sound clips of our demo and final performance...