The album is split into two components. The first accommodates a set of songs for accordion within the seven Greek scales. Each one is supposed to evoke totally different features of nature, and so they all invite us to hearken to and admire the accordion in a brand new and thrilling approach. In the second half, Conlee switches to piano and works with ostinatos (repeated melodic phrases) for 5 magical items, meant to hypnotize and encourage.
During our dialog, Conlee defined that as a result of Covid restrictions made working with a band practically unimaginable, the inventive course of for the accordion items was fairly distinctive. “I utilized for an artist’s residency. There’s this actually funky classic trailer park referred to as the “Sou’Wester” on the coast right here in Washington. And it is like thirty classic trailers… very arty. They have a bit music venue…a bit artwork gallery. So about thirty artists get collectively for per week and so they put you up and you then do a proposal and on the finish of the week you do a efficiency” she instructed me. The piano items, then again, had been written over the previous three years. Conlee described her behavior of gathering little “track seeds” in her on a regular basis life. “With the piano ones, I simply form of acquire. I’m all the time simply form of writing little piano issues.”
Part of what makes these twelve songs so particular is how a lot inventive freedom and management Conlee had with the venture. Unlike her work with bands or her final solo album French Kayaking Music (the soundtrack to the movie Voyagers Without Trace), the tales Conlee instructed had been utterly as much as her. “Because of the character of the timing once I wrote these with Covid, I needed to do one thing by myself, and that was the time to do it. It was unclear whether or not we had been going to have the ability to get again collectively once more and make music. So I feel the most important distinction is that it is all me and I’ll be performing it and recording it… the one information is me. There’s no movie I’ve to comply with… it is like simply take a look at the hawk, what would the hawk say? And then how would you interpret that?”
Conlee additionally spoke a bit on sure challenges that arose via being so unbiased. “It was all only one take so I needed to get via the entire track, and that… that is onerous. And additionally the music is technically more durable on this report in order that’s one thing you must take into consideration typically. Like watch out what you do to your self.” In addition, she stated that these items “had been extra nebulous. I feel it is more durable to simply seize concepts out of the universe, thus why I give myself constraints similar to modes or material.”
Within these self-imposed confinements, nonetheless, Conlee discovered the chance to discover her musical inclinations and discover a deeper sense of self. “I feel there’s extra me [in the album]. I let my tendencies fly. I used to be identical to ‘this is my thought! Let’s maintain it!’ ” For instance, when writing the piano songs, she seen that she’s drawn in the direction of ostinatos within the bass. “I spotted how a lot I’m doing that and that is why I ended up calling them Five Ostinatos.” The impact of it is a very cohesive report. “The songs all reside in a single home. They all have related power and melodic content material.”
This is to not say in any approach, nonetheless, that the items do not stand on their very own. Conlee is a masterful storyteller, even with out phrases. “Looking Glass”, the fourth piano piece on the album, particularly stood out to me. In the start, her melodies are dreamy, legato, and light-weight, sweeping you into a peaceful earlier than crashing into harsh dissonance and eerie remnants of the preliminary sounds. We finally return to the unique phrase, nevertheless it has modified barely. It clashes extra steadily, and is now not paying homage to a dream.
When I requested her in regards to the track, her clarification matched precisely with the story the music instructed. “I used to be employed to compose that piece by a bunch referred to as “Twist Out Cancer” which pairs musicians with folks coping with most cancers and you then attempt to inform their story. I used to be the primary musician they used for that course of as a result of I’ve had most cancers in my previous so that they introduced me in.” Conlee was paired with a younger lady who detailed her journey with most cancers to Conlee. “[This woman’s] life was form of cruising alongside till the announcement of her most cancers which is the form of crunching sound. It’s like this sort of dreamy form of ‘oh right here I’m in life’, and you then hear the darkness of the analysis… And then she realizes (as a result of [she and her husband] had been attempting to have a toddler) that, oh, she can have a toddler; that is the large vast open space that will get again to the primary theme once more which is again to life. But it is a bit bit darker now, form of like there’s this new edge to it. So I attempt to form of comply with these life occasions of hers in that piece.”
Her storytelling talents are additionally discovered within the accordion items. “Hawk (Dorian)” soars and dives, evoking pictures of the highly effective hen on the hunt, “Sunset (Ionian)” builds and expands with superb shade, and “Ocean (Mixolydian)” strikes in waves, climbing and receding, and mimicking the seas unpredictable temperament.
When I requested Conlee if she went into the residency understanding which features of nature she would pair with which modes, she stated that she simply let herself be impressed by the world round her, besides for 2 songs; “Sand (Aeolian) and “Wind (Phrygian).” “The one that actually made me really feel like I have to do that was “Sand”, with the tremendous excessive notes, on aeolian. That mode appears so otherworldly to me, in order that appeared like the correct factor.”
In order to elucidate her inspiration for “Wind”, phrases had been inadequate. Instead, in a magical second, Conlee’s accordion appeared out of nowhere. Lifting the huge instrument onto her lap with relative ease, she started to play me the phrygian mode that impressed the creation of her wind track. “The phrygian mode is simply so unique to me due to this half”, she explains as she performs. “I used to be like I have to make that [mode] the wind track as a result of it has that like… [she plays the scale]… I imply I assume what I’m doing is imagining it has a whirling dervish one thing, or some form of a desert genie or one thing.”
The accordion made a number of different appearances as she spoke about her songwriting course of. “To be trustworthy I typically begin my accordion music on piano as a result of it is a bit simpler to see what is going on on. Then the hazard of that’s that possibly it will likely be too onerous for the accordion. [Piano and accordion] each do their very own issues nicely, however a c to a c sharp is very easy on the piano whereas a c to a c sharp on the accordion is the furthest bounce you may make due to the best way it is arrange. So yeah you could watch out of these issues.”
We completed our dialog by discussing what’s subsequent for Conlee. First, she is trying ahead to her upcoming exhibits, particularly her March twenty sixth present in Portland, Oregon, at The Old Church and her present at The Royal Room in Seattle, Washington, on April thirtieth as a result of they each have lovely grand pianos. “Like I simply performed these items in Eugene at a performing arts heart, however they did not have a piano so I used my keyboard and it is simply not the identical”, she defined. “I’m trying ahead to these exhibits, and the opposite ones too, however I look ahead to these as a result of [they’re] tremendous professional rooms with nice sound engineers. It’s actually necessary to have the sound be good as a result of it is not a rock present, it is a listening present, so it is good to have an surroundings the place it is a sit-down quiet kind of house.”
Once her solo stuff is over, Conlee hopes to jot down for her band The Jenny Conlee Quartet. The group consists of piano, clarinet, accordion, drums and bass, however has but to launch a report. “I need to do a report for the band subsequent time as a result of I need to do extra band exhibits, and so I feel I would like to jot down music for the band to ensure that the band to love have a track to play, you recognize? … Because I actually get pleasure from performing with a band as a result of solo efficiency is so tense” she stated with fun. “I prefer to share the strain with everybody on stage.”
And in excellent news for The Decemberists followers (like myself), Conlee confirms new music is coming quickly. “We [The Decemberists] did a tour final summer season, only a quickie august tour, and we simply began recording within the studio final month for per week and we’re simply beginning our new report. So I’m unsure when that can get executed, we’re positively not near being executed, however there’s positively new songs within the works, in order that’s thrilling.”
In the meantime, do not be scared to work some accordion music into your rotation! Jenny Conlee is a singular expertise who approaches accordion music in an highly effective, unique, and modern approach. You can stream “Hawk (Dorian)” now, and remember to look out for the whole Tides: Pieces for Accordion and Piano on March twenty fourth. You may catch Conlee touring on:
March twenty sixth – The Old Church, Portland, OR
April twentieth – Charlene Larson Center for the Performing Arts, Astoria, OR (w/ Casey Neill)
April twenty second – Brewvana, Prosser, WA (w/ Casey Neill)
April thirtieth – The Royal Room, Seattle, WA (w/ Casey Neill)
Aug. 19-20 – The Cotati Accordion Festival, Cotati, CA