2011 Composer-in-Residence Demetrius Spaneas

We chatted over email with 2011 Composer-in-Residence Demetrius Spaneas. Demetrius talks about his inspirations for cultural diplomacy, memorable travel adventures, and upcoming projects.

You’ve traveled the world as a cultural diplomat. When did your interest in musical diplomacy begin? And how did you come to work with the US Department of State?

Coming of age and beginning to mature artistically at the end of the Cold War made me passionately interested in Eastern European and Central Asian cultures. The possibility of contact with countries and cultures that had been off-limits for so long had a huge impact on the direction of my creative work. Studying the traditional music of these cultures while in my 20s – beginning in the Balkans and moving eastward – I sought out teachers and traditional musicians to learn from and perform with. In my own work as composer and improviser, I began to adapt this traditional music and combine it with Western European and American forms. This blending and adaptation continues to be my main creative focus. I continually seek traditional musicians to improvise with, and together we create a dialogue using our own musical languages, finding common ground and understanding within melodies and phrases. In my work, musical dialogue leads directly to cultural understanding.

Cultural diplomacy is really an outgrowth of this process. Becoming interested in the cultures and music naturally led to an interest in the individual artists. People want to communicate. They want someone to listen to what they have to say. Cultural diplomacy, for lack of a better word, gives people an opportunity to create dialogue. Diplomacy is really dialogue. Stimulating conversation is the key to any type of collaborative process, be it political or artistic. I want to help people be heard and give their ideas a voice. This is what any individual really wants.

I started making cultural diplomacy the focus of my career in the mid-2000s, mostly due to connections with musicians/artists through social media sites, especially MySpace. It was through this networking that led to many opportunities overseas, including a 15-country Eurasian tour while living in St. Petersburg, Russia for one year. It was at this time that I started working with the US Embassies – first as a lecturer and performer on American music and culture in Russia, then at other locations in the former Soviet Union, where they helped support my collaborations with local cultural organizations.

As an active concert performer and lecturer abroad, what do you choose to highlight?

All of it. My career has evolved me into a composite musician: composer, performer, and educator.  I can’t do one without the other. And now I am expected to do all, usually at the same time!  Leonard Bernstein said that when he was with composers he was a conductor, and when he was with conductors he was a composer. My situation is similar (of course, I still actually want to grow up and BE Leonard Bernstein…).

What have been your most memorable moments in your travels?

Well, there are two parts to this. The first has been the uneasy and somewhat dangerous situations I have been in – political settings and natural disasters. In Uzbekistan, I was trailed all over the country by the NSS (former KGB) and barred from lecturing and performing at many locations. They also threatened teachers, students, and journalists with arrest if they were to work with me. The official line was fear of me starting a “democracy riot.” I’m glad they think that an American jazz musician can have such a societal impact! They even threatened The Samarqand College of Music with arrest of the entire faculty and school shut down if I stepped foot on the campus. In terms of natural disasters – ice storms at 12,000 feet in the Pamir Mountains, no water or electricity, flash flooding, my plane crashing on the runway (yes, that happened).

But…the other side of this has been seeing not only the great impact my presence has had on locals, but their immense kindness and hospitality toward a foreigner. People are people. And many in the former Soviet Union – most especially the Islamic countries – are kind, courteous, and treat strangers as guests. They want to talk to you and know everything about you. They know what you’ve accomplished by going to the opposite side of the world to visit them, and they are incredibly grateful. This kindness and willingness to share and communicate is what keeps me going.

How does being a composer in NYC differ from the other cities and countries you’ve worked in?

New York is magnificent. Simple. The resources of music and musicians are better here than anywhere else in the world. This is especially true as a composer. There are many, many musicians and ensembles who are interested in exploring new music. And these are wonderful musicians who could play anything they wanted, but they choose what’s new and relevant.  No other city has this, anywhere.

One of your upcoming projects is “Roots Music,” which incorporates Irish, Chinese, European classical and jazz musical traditions. Please explain how you conceived of this amazing mix.

I didn’t! The piece is a commission from the Beijing-based TIMI Modern Music Ensemble and their director Benoit Granier. I have collaborated with this ensemble in recent years as both performer and composer here in NYC, Boston, and Beijing. The ensemble one of the few new music ensembles in China. And as far as I know, they are the only ensemble dedicated to both new classical music and traditional Chinese music. For that purpose, the ensemble mixes western classical and traditional Chinese instruments. In “Roots Music,” I will combine these two styles with American jazz – meaning me as “jazz” saxophone soloist – along with traditional Irish musicians who will be in Beijing collaborating with TIMI for the Beijing Irish Modern Music Festival in March 2012 (yes, it exists…).  My idea for the piece is to take traditional/folk music from each culture (such as Blues and Spirituals from America) and blend them into a large concert piece.  The work will not be a pastiche of styles, but a true blend in which they complement each other. The term “roots music” means music indigenous to a specific group or culture. Much of our roots music is very similar in the deepest layer. It is another way in which we are all connected.

For your Con Edison Musicians’ Residency at Flushing Town Hall, what do you hope to accomplish?

The main goal of my residency is to research and explore the music and traditions that I will incorporate into “Roots Music.” Needless to say, Chinese culture is very important to the makeup of Flushing, which makes it a perfect place to immerse myself into Chinese music and culture. I have been researching Chinese music and poetry styles, as well as mastering the Chinese dizi flute (I have a large collection of world music flutes). I have begun to meet with and play with local traditional musicians and educators, and will be exploring collaborations with them as well.

I am also composing another work for classical instruments (clarinet, viola, and piano) entitled “Autumn Yearning” that is based on the traditional Chinese music that I have researched. This piece, along with other works, including a possible collaboration with Chinese musicians, will be performed at my Con Edison Residency concert on February 18, 2012.

Any more travel plans?

Well, I will be in China for the premiere of “Roots Music” in March. I also have a premiere in Italy of my work “Love Letters in the Ether.”  It’s being scheduled for the spring by the Rome-based new music ensemble Piccola Accademia degli Specchi.  A concert or two in Russia is also in the works for 2012.

What’s next?

In November, I will appear as soloist and will also have a premiere in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall.  My work for solo saxophone - played by me – is called “Around Monk-night” and is an improvised-sounding toccata based on Thelonius Monk’s famous “‘Round Midnight.”  This event will be a benefit concert created by pianist Elaine Kwon for the charity Best Buddies. In December, I will be performing a solo/duo concert of my music for Composers Collaborative’s Serial Underground concert series at the Cornelia Street Cafe. I will be joined by CCi’s Artistic Director, the great pianist Jed Distler, for the premiere of two works that evening, ”The Love We Made” and “Giuffre Sketches,” the latter a tribute to my former teacher, the late Jimmy Giuffre.

To keep up with Demetrius, check out his website and blog.

Please visit Exploring the Metropolis

Greetings,

I have just posted a video from my performance t the 2nd Dushanbe International Jazz Festival, May 3. 2010, Dushanbe, Tajikistan. This is my collaboration with the Tajik traditional band Mizrob, performing my composition Open Letter to Dushanbe, which is based loosely on Mingus’ Open Letter to Duke, and was dedicated to the people of Dushanbe for their kindness and hospitality. This piece combines jazz with traditional Tajik music.

The words in the 2nd section, sung in Tajik, basically mean, ‘I look at you with undying love, but even though you turn away, I know your heart calls me, too’

Demetrius Spaneas, alto saxophone, composer
Mizrob, traditional Tajik ensemble
Sponsored by the Bactria Cultural Centre, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Enjoy!!!

Dear All,

Since my last post was about 2010 and all of the surprises it held (especially since, as I mentioned, I assumed it would be a ‘quiet’ year), I’ve decided to write a little about the major projects that I have cooking for 2011. Most of these are for the spring, as the summer and fall are only now beginning to take shape. Again, I never know what will actually happen, but in many ways, that’s a lot of the excitement of it all…stressful at times, but exciting overall.

Strangely enough, one of the major upcoming events in 2011 was signed on December 30th. This would be the reissue of my first two solo CDs–When Wind Comes to Sparse Bamboo (2003) and From a Far-off World (2006)–which were originally released on Capstone Records. The Capstone catalog, which is now facilitated by Parma Recordings and under the profound stewardship of Bob Lord, will release the CDs through the Naxos Online Library, as well as Amazon and iTunes, as part of their new ‘Capstone Collection’. I am very pleased that these recordings will have a new life, and perhaps a new audience. This will happen in the first part of 2011.

This past weekend ushered in another stage of a major multi-year project. Many years ago, I had the idea to create a multimedia monodramatic opera entitled Cassandra, based on the enigmatic character from Greek mythology (Iliad, Orestia, and others). After some failed attempts at finding grant funding, I put together a very strong artistic team (Jacquelyn Familant, soprano; Adam Blanshay, director; Kate Light, librettist; Sylviane Jacobsen, set designer; others) and we have decided to make this happen for 2013. This weekend, we filmed a scene from the opera (a recitative and aria, titled The Cup of Agony, which, by the way, we created, rehearsed, and staged starting two weeks ago) to use for both grant applications and other methods of fundraising and publicity. The film of this scene will go up on my youtube channel by week’s end.

Speaking of my youtube channel, I will be posting new live performance videos from my festival performances in Tajikistan and Poland very soon. Stay tuned!

Many of you know about my work promoting American women composers abroad, especially to women composition students in the former Soviet Union that have no proper role models. On March 10, I have the honor of presenting a solo concert for the Women’s Work 2011 series, featuring many of the composers whose works I have promoted, and many new ones, as well. This series has been undergoing a difficult time due to having their funding and support cut last-minute with no warning, and past any deadlines to apply for other funding. Below is a link with series director Beth Anderson-Harold talking about this year’s plight and concerts. The project is now fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, and any support or donation is considered a charitable donation.

Women’s Work 2011

I am truly delighted with my collaboration with sculptor Laura Evans. Laura and I have created a project entitled Corpus Apparatus. This work is a visual/sonic installation that will be presented as both a featured work in Laura’s show at the Boston Sculptors Gallery from March 15 to April 17, 2011, and as a featured work for the TransCultural Exchange 2011 Conference on International Opportunities in the Arts: The Interconnected World, April 7-10, 2011. My music is an acousmatic (electronic music, created in the studio and using as source material recordings of me created specifically for this) piece which will emanate from within the sculpture. My electronic score to Corpus Apparatus won the CAP award from the American Music Center this fall. This award is to fund the final production and presentation of the work.

2011 will also start off with a bang compositionally. The wonderful German pianist Suzanne Kessel has engaged me to write a new work for her that also utilizes her playing ‘percussion’ as well as piano. I have decided to use Tibetan singing bowls as the ‘percussion’ instrument. The new piece, with a working title of Breathe, will be premiered this year in Germany and other European locations.

I will also be collaborating as both composer and performer with the wonderful Boston-based choreographer Rebecca Rice in a performance to be held at New York City’s Merce Cunningham Studio. Details of this June 13 performance soon to follow.

Amidst all of the major projects, the numerous other smaller concerts scattered throughout the year, some intense recording sessions, and a very heavy teaching schedule, I am in fact planning on composing and recording a new CD that combines new compositions, improvisation, world music, and electronics. All I am saying at this point is that it will happen…you’ll have to wait for details…:)

As always, i am humbled and honored by your continued interest and support. I wish you all a wonderful, successful, and peaceful New Year.

Warmly,

Demetrius

"Cassandra", stage for filming, Jan 02, 2011

2010 was quite a year for me, mostly due to all of its surprises. It’s very funny…in retrospect, I smile at the way that I looked at 2010 at this point in 2009: a period of consolidation and documenting past works and recordings and figuring out the next move(s). I wasn’t sure what was going to happen professionally with the world financial crisis, and I didn’t know where I may be living come fall.

At this point in 2009, I hadn’t decided to release Sfumato (or anything else) and I didn’t have any international traveling planed. Needless to say, this changed rapidly and drastically.

Since I brought up Sfumato by name first, I may as well start with that. The idea to finally move forward with this project hit me in 2009 around, oh, now. It had been sitting on my desk (and desktop) for almost two years–I couldn’t think about what to do with it. Initial explorations found record companies interested in producing it, but for far more money than I wanted to spend on it. The issue was that I didn’t know what to do with it: it was a one-time recording, my collaborator was in Russia, so I couldn’t tour with it or use it for festivals; also, I really wasn’t sure what category it fit in…classical? not really; jazz? not at all; new age? maybe…I didn’t know what the audience would be.

So, I did what I considered to be the most reasonable thing: I created my own record label (DSM) and produced it myself. This was a lot of work, let me tell you…and even though it cost me literally 1/10 of what it would have to go through a record company, I paid for it in administrative work and publicity.

And, I had the release concert at the All Gallery in my home town of Lowell, MA. I wanted to do that for the city and for the arts scene there. I could have easily done it in NYC, but this felt right. Plus, I paired it with a talk to arts student at my Alma mater, Lowell High School.

But I’m glad I did it. It has been successful, and it is still selling–there will even be another publicity push early in the New Year, but that’s news for later. And, I now have a vehicle to produce other recordings, such as my single Spoken Origins that I released in October. More are coming in 2011.

Travel was a surprise, too. It was really around this time last year that I connected with the Bactria Cultural Centre in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. I was invited to be Artist-in-Residence for the 2nd Dushanbe Jazz Festival. This opportunity also coincided with my desire to promote cultural diplomacy in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which I have been working on for the past few years.

As it turned out, the we did not get the funding needed to make this happen, so I started a Kickstarter project to help fund this. Many people seemed to think that cultural diplomacy and bringing jazz and American culture to the far reaches of the globe was a worthy cause, so we were successful.

The U.S. Embassies, who have been my collaborators in my outreach projects, were able to support me somewhat for this project. They brought me down into the countryside and up into the Pamiri mountains and along the Afghanistan border, meeting villagers and musicians and working with children. The Embassy in Baku was so interested in what I was doing that I immediately got an invitation to go directly to Azerbaijan from Tajikistan to do the same work there. A final stop and concert in Riga, Latvia by invitation and support by the Embassy there rounded out an amazing month of travel, concerts, and life experiences.

Amazingly, in Baku, I met a Polish pianist named Stanislaw Deja. We ended up playing an improvisation together–very off the cuff–of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, and he immediately invited me to Poland to perform a ‘Jazz Mozart’ concert with him at the Mozartiana Festival in Gdansk, Poland in August. I went. It was a great success!

Throughout the year, I had some great domestic solo performances, as well. I had two fantastic performances as Resident Artist for the Composers Collaborative Inc. Serial Underground Series: one for the 2009-10 Season, and one for the 2010-11 season, although both happened within the 2010 calender.

Probably the most fun concert I gave was half as a jazz soloist, and half as a classical conductor. I participated in the Best Buddies Carnegie Hall Fundraiser Concert. The first half had me playing an improvisation on–yes again–Somewhere Over The Rainbow (I like this song…), while the second half gave me the great opportunity to conduct my great friend and colleague and brilliant pianist  Elaine Kwon in the Rubinstein Piano Concerto No. 4, leading the New York Chamber Virtuosi. The fundraiser was a great success!

This was a great year for achievement in composing. For the second year in a row, I was recognized with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers ASCAPlus Award, and I was a recipient of the American Music Center’s CAP Award. I had a number of pieces performed and recorded, and commissions for new works that came into being for upcoming seasons.

I also finally figured out youtube and twitter and all of their myriad possibilities. Come join me there!

Amongst the biggest news was my appointment as Assistant Professor of Music at Five Towns College, and my move back to NYC from Boston. My career has been centered in NYC for years–it was only a matter of time until I would return here. I feel at home.

So, all in all, 2010 was a pleasant surprise–heck, it was an amazing year! I don’t know what 2011 will bring. In a few days, I will write about what I have planed, and what I am setting into motion.

Only time will tell…

Yours always,

Demetrius

Dear Friends,

I have uploaded a new video to youtube. The music is The Old City from my 2010 release Sfumato, and features Galina Parfenova, voice, and yours truly on alto flute.

The video consists of still images from my 2009 tour to Bukhara and Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Photos were taken in the ‘old city’ areas of both cities.

You can purchase The Old City and Sfumato at CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes, or at most digital retailers.

Thank you again for all your support!

Demetrius

An Affirmation

There are periods in one’s life when uncertainty and doubt about one’s paths and actions seem to take center stage of everything one does. You may work towards a goal–in career, in life–and wonder whether all of your dedication and work has been for nothing.

But, when one receives an answer, a positive answer, to some of those questions, one can not but be filled with not only joy, but with relief.

Let me tell you a story.

In 2007, I was invited to be a guest composer and performer at the Omnibus Composers Laboratory in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This was my first (of many since) journeys to Central Asia. I didn’t know what to expect. Living in Russia at the time and speaking to Russians about their former Soviet comrades, I heard nothing but arrogance and dismissal, “why would you want to go there?”, they asked, “there is nothing there but uneducated masses and dust!”

How wrong they were.

I was a guest of the Omnibus Ensemble–the only contemporary music ensemble in all Central Asia–and the Ilkhom Theater, which was the only venue for free speech (supported, and protected, heavily by Western powers, mind you). Both were fantastic, professional, and top-notch.

The Theater’s founder, an American named Mark Weill, had just been murdered days before my arrival. The word on the street was that it was a ‘government job’, trying to force the Theater’s closure, thereby ending any venue for free speech. One has to realize that Uzbekistan is considered one of the most, if not the most, oppressive country in the world. If you have read the post on my visit there in February 2009, you would’ve gotten a glimpse into some of the extents this government will go to keep control.

But that isn’t this story.

This story is about a wonderfully talented young composer, Lily Ugay.

Lily was one of the composers–and at 17, by far the youngest–in attendance at the Omnibus Composers Laboratory. She was given by the Laboratory’s director a very honorable–and frightening–distinction for a young composer: she had to write a piece for me to premier.

You have to understand the situation here. This is a young female composer in a male-dominated Islamic society in a horribly oppressive regime that has to not only write a new piece for an internationally known American soloist, but to also have it torn apart in master class after master class by her peers, her teachers, and yes, by me…on top of that, her father had just passed away.

Well, guess what? She did just fine.

So much so in fact that I really wanted to help her. Her career choices were, needless to say, limited in Uzbekistan. In these countries, they are in a vacuum: they have so little interaction with the outside world. Their writing and playing levels, although decent and even excellent for the region, were generations behind the standards in the West…she eventually got this, and through our interaction and my continued mentoring (via email, mostly) she became determined to study in the West.

So…I connected her with my friends and colleagues here in the US, including my former teacher Chinary Ung at UCSD. Scholarship money is very hard to come by for composers in undergraduate school, and money is practically impossible to find for an international student–grad school is different, but undergrad…very unlikely. Chinary and the composition faculties at Oberlin, New England Conservatory (my alma mater), Curtis, and the Manhattan School of Music were all very impressed, but money couldn’t be found.

She did, however, get many invitations to come as a grad student. Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but what happens in the four years between? She decided to stay in Uzbekistan and attend the State Conservatory, even though she had been taking courses there for years–it was free.

But she was determined to keep trying–she continued to study both composition and piano beyond expectations, and even became the pianist for the Omnibus Ensemble–which leads me to today.

I received an email from Lily on my Blackberry this morning. She just received notice that she was given a Woodruff Award (full scholarship plus stipend) to study piano at Columbus State University in Georgia (ours, not the one in the Caucuses) to study with a Van Cliburn winning Russian pianist. She was coming to the U.S., and thanked me for making her believe that everything was possible.

My reaction was a bit surprising…I was standing in the middle of Starbucks, weeping, and muttering “I saved one, I saved one…”

But I didn’t, really. Once the hysteria subsided–I believe much to the pleasure of my fellow Starbucks customers–and I started breathing somewhat normally again, I changed my thoughts. No, I didn’t save her; she saved herself, by herself, with her own power and determination. I merely opened her to the possibilities, but that is more than enough for my affirmation.

Is this what a proud parent fells like? Considering the fact that my lineage will most likely be carried on–Platonically, mind you–through my house plants, I will probably never find out. But, it’s more like the warmth you feel when you know that someone who had no choices, now has a future of their own creation. Moving from the worst possible situation to the country that is ripe with endless possibilities. She saved herself…

…I’m still weeping as I write this; mostly uncontrollably…

Thank you,
Demetrius

Me and Lily, 2007

Azerbaijan

To continue my latest travel adventure:

So, I leave Dushanbe on May 14 on one of the most round-about flight-paths anyone is bound to embark on. Dushanbe to Baku is not very far; there is only one country (Turkmenistan) and the Caspian Sea between them (just about 1000 miles). One would think that there would be direct flights between capitol cities in the region…nope…not unlike when I traveled from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Belgrade (Serbia), when I had to go through Milan (and I calculated later that I could’ve taken the train directly in less time), the trek from Dushanbe to Baku took me basically in the shape of a giant cursive ‘e’ across Eurasia. Dushanbe to Riga to Moscow to Baku…four times the distance…in one day, mind you…

Needless to say, I was tired when I arrived in Baku…more tiring was passport control–actually, let me take a step or two back here. I knew, yes knew, that I was going to have issues with both luggage and visa/passport control in each stop…and I was right! Leaving Dushanbe, I was informed that there was a luggage fee for checked baggage (neither I nor the U.S. Embassy in Baku knew this when the tickets were purchased, so I had to go out of line to pay at a different window; luckily, they took dollars; when I did this leaving Baku, they made me exchange dollars back to Azeri manat, and go through security all over again), and proceeded to my gate–oh, I also have to say that luckily, LUCKILY, I hired a specialist through the Embassy to expedite me through passport and security in Dushanbe, otherwise I never would’ve have made my plane since I had to battle hundreds of angry migrant workers…

Riga: “Where are you going?”; “Moscow”; “Moscow? Where is your Russian visa?” “I’m transferring in Moscow to go to Baku”; “You need a Russian visa! This is a big problem!”; “No, I don’t…I am going through the International terminal, so I don‘t step on Russian soil…there is no problem”; “Are you sure?” “Yes. There is no problem”; “Where is your Azerbaijan visa?”; I don’t have one yet, I’ll get it at the Baku Airport”; “You need an Azeri visa! This is a big problem!”; “No, I can get one at the airport, this is how it works for U.S. and most European countries’ citizens”; “Are you sure?” “Yes. There is no problem.”; “You’re sure about all of this?”; “Yes…if they deport me back here, I come right to you and apologize”…then through security again because they don’t trust you coming from Central Asia…

Moscow: “Where are you going?”; “Baku”; “Baku? Where is your Azeri visa? This is a big problem!” (you see where this is going, yes?)…actually, at this point, I showed a copy of my invitation from the US Embassy in Baku (which they took; luckily, I made like 12 copies because of this probability). And it being Russia, you have to go though security a couple more times, because they believe that they do a much better job than Riga or any other country in the West.

Baku: In the airport, you see a sign that says “Do Not Purchase Visa Until You Go To Passport Control”. Long line at Passport Control. At Passport control, they told me that I needed to purchase a visa…no kidding…go back to that line, pay for the visa in American dollars, and wait for them to write it out…by hand! Then…back in line for Passport Control, again…and they stamp my passport on the very last page, where no stamps or visas are supposed to go…almost, but not quite, a problem when I left.

The main question I got from security when leaving the airport was “where are you from?”; “The United States”; “No…where are you from?”; “Um…Boston?”; “No…where are your people from?”; “Ah! My family is from Greece”; “Greece. That’s OK. You can go”. It is very important to Azeris to know your ancestry for two reasons: the first, they define you and how they react to you by your ethnicity; secondly, they want to see if there is any chance that you may have blood relations to their enemies…most notably Armenia. More on this later.

Azerbaijan. There are two things that I will remember forever about Azerbaijan. The first, and foremost, is that these are probably, en masse, the kindest, friendliest, most hospitable people I have ever met. Considering that I tend to travel in countries where hospitality is of utmost importance, this is saying a lot. The other thing that I will always remember is that these people are, without any shadow of a doubt, en masse, the worst drivers I have ever had the utmost fear in encountering…Italy, Greece, Russia, China, even other Central Asian countries…none of them compare to the absolute chaos I experienced on the roads of Baku and the regions…people crossing each other at high speeds, stopping randomly on high-speed roads, going the opposite way down highways…absolutely amazing…I was told by my host Brent Maier of the US Embassy that you have to think like a school of fish: go where the vast majority go, and you’ll be fine, even if it goes against every driving instinct that you may have…otherwise, you’ll crash into someone…Also, cars have the right of way; most of the accidents involve pedestrians in the wrong place at the wrong time…

Baku is a modern city, built with oil money. It’s the only former Soviet city that I have seen where all of the ‘Sovietness’ has been completely bled out of it. You really have no idea that this was part of the Soviet Union 20 years ago–high-rise offices and exclusive hotels surround revitalized Old City charm…and it’s more expensive than NYC, if you can imagine. Outside Baku center is a different, well hidden, story, but the main city itself is a Mecca of wealth.

My work in Azerbaijan was completely supported and organized by the U.S. Embassy in Baku, and the Cultural Affairs Officer Brent Maier. There were no ‘major’ (for lack of a better term) performances here, only lecture/performances, master classes, and outreach. I would’ve liked a big performance, but considering all of the logistics involved and also the time of year, this would’ve been very difficult to properly organize…that’s fine, I was happy to do what I did, but they owe me a big one for next time

Although I say this every time after a project like this, I will repeat myself: I am always taken by the absolute joy and happiness these audiences have for performers, most especially those (like me) who made the effort to cross half the Globe to perform for them. They most especially love American music and culture. I was honored with the fact that I was the first American musician to ever travel and perform in the Azerbaijan regions. The audiences and hosts were so incredibly giving and appreciative. It’s funny, I don’t think it mattered what I played, as long as I played. My concerts here, by the way, were very conservative–I basically played jazz standards and popular tunes (by myself) and improvised on them. Let me rephrase this: it was conservative in the fact that I was playing recognizable tunes, at least for an American (Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Amazing Grace, Paper Moon, Sophisticated Lady, etc.; you get the idea) not in the fact that I was playing these by myself and producing melody, harmony, improvisation, rhythm, and percussion, mostly at the same time. I had only the alto sax with me. Alto is the smallest, most flexible instrument that I can travel with, especially for jazz and improvisation concerts. I was going to bring a flute, as well, but decided against it literally the night before I left for Central Asia. I find tenor sax much more flexible for such things, but it can be difficult to travel with (most especially on small, domestic flights in these regions where there is a weight and space issue), and soprano, although small (but a longer case) is not very flexible in this regard, so alto it is.

Note: there will be a blog in the very near future about my instruments and what roles I use them for–this is because I have had numerous questions to this topic from both students and professionals throughout my travels.

Now, as I mentioned, my concerts here centered around outreach and education. Because of this, basically everything I did took place in an educational center or institution; the only event that wasn’t was when I was an invited guest at the Baku Jazz Center and played with the top local jazz musicians (which was fun–it’s basically a big club). I used an interpreter on many occasions, but I also had the pleasure of presenting in schools/centers with strong English language programs.

Because of the nature of what I was doing, I had both the support and distrust of the Azeri Government. This may seem like a contradiction, but it’s not really–allow me to explain: Azerbaijan has had a very interesting history this last century. Once it gained independence from the Ottoman Empire, it created the short-lived Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which was the first democracy in the Muslim world, and even had universal suffrage a year BEFORE the U.S. did (them 1919, us 1920). It was a very progressive nation, until it was swallowed up by the Soviet Union. Now, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the country made an attempt at going back to its democratic status–again, this was short-lived due to a number of reasons (including conflicts with certain neighbors), and power went to a man named Heydar Aliyev, who was a high-ranking official in the now defunct Soviet Army. To make a long story short, Azerbaijan followed the path of other Central Asian states (although it is technically Europe) and created a presidency that is for all intent and purpose, a king. The difference here is that the Azeri loved (and still love) Aliyev. There are monuments, posters, plaques, streets, statues, buildings, everything…you name it…named after Aliyev. He was in the Azeri’s eyes the man who brought strength and pride back to them. His son (whom, I gather, is but a shade of his father) is now president. To establish his power and legitimacy, he continues to build monuments to his father. Other kings…er…I mean ‘presidents’…of the other countries post their own faces everywhere. Now, a few months back there was a Washington Post article that criticized the current Azeri president’s family for their spending habits; since then, U.S./Azeri relations have been worsening. Now, understand that the Azeris far prefer the U.S. to Russia, but they do try and keep a balance since Georgia is so pro-U.S. and Armenia so pro-Russia. And also remember that their biggest ally, Turkey, is directly to the West, and their other great threat, Iran, is directly to the South. Their other interest for keeping this balance has to do with the Nagorno-Karabakh War, of which I am not going to get into here, except to say that this is an area of armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan due to territorial disputes that began in the late 1980’s (and accounts for the Azeri’s interest in backgrounds). The international community, including the U.S. as an important force for diplomacy, has been working towards a peaceful solution. Some of our outreach programs happened near this region.

Because of this strained government relationship, and given the fact that I was an American (supported by the U.S. Embassy) giving presentations in educational institutions–many of which have teachers and programs with pro-democracy tendencies, you can see the potential here for an explosive situation. This is not Uzbekistan. People were not threatened with prison (or worse) for interacting with me and I was not harassed throughout the country–but the Azeri Government did make some things difficult, including canceling my events at certain music schools, in one case 10 minutes before I was to go on.

What bothers me the most is that the students are the ones who suffer. It’s really ridiculous…when the government actually allows an event to happen (which they closely watch), it occurs to them “oh, it’s only music…they are not criticizing us…no threat”. They seem to forget this from event to event and handle every one on a case-by-case basis. I am not here to start a riot and overthrow your presidency; I am here, as a guest of the U.S. Embassy, to promote American culture and music and to show your students that we care about them and that Americans are in fact kind and friendly people. Period.

Anyways, the events that were successful, were very successful. I have been invited back for an extended stay sometime in the near future. There are many music students who are in dire need of advanced instruction, especially in jazz concepts. I will be returning. And I will work with the students who were denied to me this last time–believe me…

After Azerbaijan, I had the honor of once again being a guest of the Latvian Academy of Music, and was supported by the U.S. Embassy in Riga. I gave a master class to the newly organized Jazz Program at the Academy which was organized by the U.S. Embassy–this was a great experience for me to see the level of jazz musicians here in a former Soviet Country. That evening, I gave a solo concert at the Academy–a concert of ‘me’ this time: I played my composition …no longer to his father…, as well as some jazz improvisations. This was organized by friend and colleague at the Academy, Rolands Kronlaks. I also received an invitation to come back there for an extended visit in the near future. This also appeals to me greatly, especially seeing how I can help positively influence the pedagogy of jazz study in Latvia…very, very appealing…

Until next time,
Demetrius

Baku

Playing for students, Agjabedi

Master class, Baku Music Academy

At Baku Jazz Center

The Caucasus Mountains, Quba

With English teachers and students, Quba

My Blog on the Dushanbe International Jazz Festival was published in the Bactria Cultural Center’s Newsletter.

http://www.bactria.net/newsletter2010pdf/03-0510en-h.pdf

BCC Newsletter

Northeastern University Article on my recent concert/outreach tour of Central Asia, entitled An Ambassador with a Cultural Portfolio.

http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2010/06/spaneas.html

Tajikistan II: Outreach and Cultural Diplomacy

I care deeply about creating connections. The artistic aspect of my career is wonderful and very satisfying, but for me, I need to make the art ‘count’. It is one thing to secure one’s immortality through one’s creation: it is the goal of the Humanistic artist (and I am a Humanist) and it is very self-oriented (how could it not be?). It is another thing to establish bridges to not only stimulate dialogue between disparate cultures, but to create paths of communication for the benefit of humanity; to bring the potential of peace through artistic dialogue.

I create these projects either in collaboration with local arts organizations, the US Embassies abroad, or a combination of both. It always works best when there are numerous international partners involved. This way, more people have an interest in the outcome.

The outreach part of my Tajikistan project, which was supported by the US Embassy in Dushanbe, actually started during the Dushanbe Jazz Festival. The idea was to connect with local schools, English language programs, American Corners (programs that promote American culture established through the US Embassies), and play concerts in both the main cities and in the regions.

The students are always very, very accepting and thankful for this kind of attention. It is really wonderful to see their excitement and joy at the fact that someone from as far away as the United States cares enough to make the effort to come all of this way and talk to their classroom or play a concert for them. I think that this is something that the US Embassies have been successful at; although, I think it would be far more successful if more attention and funding was allotted to this by the US Government. It’s this type of diplomacy that really matters. You go out, you say hello, you tell them why they matter, and then you prove it to them. This last part is essential–these people have dealt with much lies and corruption in their lifetimes. We have to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. You want friends for the US? Go out and make them. It’s amazing, the power of a handshake…

…and, they love America. Or, at least they love the IDEA of America. I guess that’s where I am at, too. I am not political at all–I support whomever is president and hope to God that he (or eventually, she) doesn’t screw-up horribly, because any mistake is bad for the country–when our government fails, we all fail, because we have to live with the consequences. I never talk about US policy or politics; I do talk about American Idealism, and why it is so important. The idea of Individuality and personal freedom is of most importance, and this is what I focus on.

That, and of course, the music. The music is the means, the way to communicate. This is first and foremost.

I also talk about my heritage. I’m Greek-American; I discuss the importance of my heritage and how it has shaped me as an individual. This is very important in countries that have ethnic tensions. I talk about how everyone from the US is from somewhere else, that our heritage and ancestral culture influences us, but our ‘Americanism’ defines us.

The lion’s share of the outreach took place in the regions. The people throughout the country were just wonderful. Very kind, very hospitable. This is a theme that I have touched upon before: hospitality in Oriental cultures. Now, when I say ‘Oriental’, or ‘The Orient’, I am referring to the area that encompasses the Eastern Mediterranean (yes, Greece too) through the Middle East, Persia, India, through Central Asia. These cultures are connected in numerous ways. One main way is that they all have a tradition of wonderful hospitality. It’s important; it speaks to, and of, the soul of the people.

So…after Dushanbe, our first stop was the town of Khurog, way up in the Pamirs Mountains. Now, the Pamirs are one of the highest and grandest of the world’s mountain ranges. Travel is difficult–this is a grand understatement. Most especially, travel is difficult in a country that is 95% mountains, with no real working infrastructure to create and maintain safe methods of transportation…

So…we were booked to fly out of Dushanbe: first on a plane, then a helicopter. Both days’ flights were cancelled. The issue is that the flight path goes through a mountain corridor–meaning that you are surrounded by mountains. Any sort of variable weather condition–even clouds–cause the flights to be cancelled due to safety reasons: they have to be able to see the mountains. The helicopter is a modern European machine that is operated by an NGO that brings supplies to different regions everyday–if they have space, they take people for free. It’s nice, modern, clean, and relatively (VERY relatively) safe…the plane is not…not any of these things…but more on that later.

So…we (me and the Embassy delegation, lead by McKenzie Millanowski, the Cultural Affairs Officer) pilled into two US Embassy vehicles and unto the hazardous mountain trails. Now, I have to tell you about my ‘Sweet Ride‘. I was in an armored vehicle–it looked like an SUV, but it was really a posh tank. I felt pretty safe in it (well, other then on the treacherous roads…), but I also felt very distant from the people and villages I saw. The windows don’t open. I felt it was a little excessive, but I was happy for the fact that it could muscle through the washed-out and collapsed roads.

Tajikistan has to be the most beautiful country I have ever seen. The valleys, the mountains, the rivers…breathtaking. It was also the most disturbing road trip I have ever been on. The roads (if we can call them that) were practically non-existent. Mostly, they seemed to be overrun paths, many of which were full of unstable rocks or washed-out. The trip to Khurog was two days on of ‘white-knuckle’ travel. The paths went well up into the mountains–the roads became 7-foot wide mud paths winding up and down the mountain (going two ways, mind you; truck–in some cases–coming from the other direction) with no barrier between you and a thousands of feet drop–the higher we went, the more snow and less road. It got the point where you would just see another mountain in the distance and your stomach would drop when you realize you have to go over that one next…

…my only thought was that I was where Heaven and Hell met, and I wasn’t sure of which side I was on…

The first night, we stayed in Davos. This is important purely for the fact that Davos is directly across the Ponj River from Afghanistan. Coming around the bend and seeing that…it was awesome…we actually spent the entire next day of travel going along the Ponj River and the border. Tajikistan is to Afghanistan as New York City is to Tajikistan…there was nothing there…shacks, mud homes, no roads, nothing mechanical…

You have to wonder why the Soviet Union wanted to go into Afghanistan…I mean, the Ponj is practically impossible to cross, and even then, you come up against a wall of mountains. There’s no way to get there–plus, it’s an amazing natural barrier. Why go, there’s nothing there: no resources, industry, agriculture, nothing…bringing armored tanks and artillery through Tajikistan was bad enough. In fact, between that failed attempt and the Tajik Civil War, the landscape is littered with broken Soviet war equipment–most of it is being used now for living quarters…

But I digress…

Khurog is part of the Pamirs. The Pamiri are not ethnic Tajiks, and they speak a different language. Actually, every village has its own dialogue, and people from different villages can’t really communicate–during the Soviet times, Russian was the connecting language, but no one learns it really anymore. Legend has it that the Pamiri are descendants from Alexander the Great’s army. This area was the northeastern extent of the Hellenic world. The Pamiris are fair skinned and many are redheaded and have blue or green eyes–very European looking. In fact, the few times I heard Pamiri being spoken, I did a double-take…I thought it was Greek…wild, huh?

The most powerful experience on this trip was the day after we arrived in Khurog and traveled to Murghab. Murghab is a small town that is practically walking distance from Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. The town is a mix of cultures, and mainly populated by ethnic Kyrgyz. It is very poor, and in the bazaar, many people both worked and lived in shipping containers. Electricity and running water was at a minimum, and understand that this town is over 12,000 feet up. The air is thin and very, very cold.

We received a wonderful welcome. Local musicians, dressed in traditional garb, performed for us. It was wonderful–there were a couple dozen performers and probably six or seven groups, both Pamiri and Kyrgyz. In response, I had to play for them…solo saxophone…at 12,000 feet. Now, I spent the hour before the event practicing tai chi and yoga breathing to acclimate the best I could. So, after they finished, I went up, thanked them for sharing their traditional music with me, put on my traditional garb (a Boston Red Sox hat…it’s all I had…), and told them that I will play traditional American music: I played an improv on “Amazing Grace”. To be honest, it went over really nicely–to be completely honest, I thought that I would pass out after about 30 seconds, but I managed to figure out how to play and breathe and lasted for a good 25 minutes.

As an aside, on the ride back to Khurog, we stopped at these healing hot springs (they called it a Sanatorium)–I think I was in the water maybe 10 minutes tops, and man, did that save me…

After our few days in the Pamirs, we (half of us, anyways) were able to secure a flight back to Dushanbe–I really wanted to drive one way and fly the other. I also did not want to deal with another gut-wrenching two-day drive, which I think would’ve been much, much worse because in this direction, I knew what to expect…

So…the plane was…well…interesting. It was old…real old…and small, seats 16. Propellers, not pressurized. The pilot was this big, hefty Russian looking guy with a white moustache…I named him Boris…I could just picture Boris in the cockpit, gnawing on a yak leg, chugging a bottle of vodka, and being perfectly competent for the task at hand. They ended up loading a patient on the plane; his stretcher took up the first six seats, and his head was practically in my lap. I guess they figured that the plane flight was preferable to leaving him to be cared for in Khurog…

This flight path is considered one of the most hazardous in the world–the runway goes right into in the mountains, and then through them. We were able to fly because they could see the tops of the mountains–the later flight was cancelled because the clouds moved in while we were flying…it was amazing though…the mountains were a few dozen feet away, and the plane was struggling to maintain a straight path. All of the stress of the 20-hour car ride was compacted into that one hour flight.

But…we made it.

I wished that I could’ve done more–I always do. I am happy for the people that I connect with, but am always saddened by the numerous people who didn’t benefit from my visit. Bringing music as dialogue does work for large numbers because music can effect people en masse, as well as in an individual, personal way. But, seeing the effect on someone’s face is by far the most satisfying. Just bringing that moment of Joy is worth every hardship I may encounter–and I hope that never changes.

Next blog, Azerbaijan. Coming soon.

Peace,
Demetrius

With students at an English class

With students at an English class 2

Talking at American Corner

On the road to Khurog

On the road to Khurog 2

Me, on the way to Murghab

Murghab bazaar

Murghab musicians

Photo from the flight back to Khurog