Conversations Evolution
Conversations in Music: Evolution
Pianist and Composer David Vincent Mills continued his concert series “Conversations” with special guest wind instrumentalist William Hoshal, who joined the stage with him at Studio Live, home of the Sedona Performers Guild, on Friday June 18th, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. This concert, third in the series, featured Mills improvising on keyboards along with Hoshal’s improvised use of varied wind instruments such as indigenous world flutes, saxophone, and Akai's EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument).
The beauty of a great conversation is that one does not know where it is going to lead. A sense of thrill and excitement develops as anticipation mounts as the conversation deepens and evolves into something unexpected yet highly rewarding. New territory has been discovered and a bond is forged between those conversing, if only for the moment. The participants become so immersed in the state of being truly in the moment that time stops and the outside world evaporates and the only thing that exists is the conversation and those creating it.
As a musician, in particular, one that improvises, one strives to capture that moment, but a paradox exists; music is about movement, at the very least, through time. To transcend time and capture the moment through music, the musician has to be super conscious of his or her environment. The instruments, the physical surroundings, the fellow musicians, the audience, and the communing with oneself are all influences to the outcome of a performance. This connection to one's environment and to oneself must be made and the musician must surrender to the moment in order to capture it.
Both were inspired by what Mills calls ‘musical haiku’, which are short musical phrases that are composed through improvisation during a performance. These phrases become themes for the performance and provide a vehicle for deeper exploration through further improvisation of the dialog created in the moment between Mills and Hoshal. This concert is to feature music that not only includes but extends beyond Mills' and Hoshal's extensive knowledge of Western music, in particular, Jazz and Classical. In addition, they will tap into alternative musical styles from around the world to intertwine all of these influences into pieces that are inspired from being in the moment and connecting with the audience.
The overall theme of this concert will be evolution, which is not only symbolic to the unfolding of a conversation but also represents a musical evolution of styles and instrumentation. The structure of the music will be presented in three parts, each having three completely improvised songs. As the evening progresses, the music will develop in complexity and the instrumentation will change to reflect that development. As this conversation evolves, a musical story of transformation will be weaved right before your very ears.
Both Mills and Hoshal moved to Sedona several years ago, independent of one another, to redefine themselves as musicians. After meeting, they have been playing together for over a year in various projects including the MRH Trio and 4 Squares, a progressive jazz quartet.
Originally trained on saxophone and woodwinds, Hoshal's award-winning music has been featured in jazz festivals and on the concert stage both here and abroad.
He relocated to the Southwest where a lifelong fascination with indigenous music of all kinds led him to add the Native American flute and various world flutes to his musical lexicon. He has performed with artists like Pat Metheny, The Brecker Brothers and Clark Terry to name a few.
Testimonials from the 2010 Concert
"Just wanted to let you know that Linda and I really enjoyed the music last night at Studio Live. You are a real talent and so is William. Every song was fantastic. The finale' had us both hypnotized. We didn't want it to end, and we didn't want to leave. Thanks for sharing your gift. You are truly big league. Sedona is so lucky to have you and so are we." - Randy Fridley (Marine Pilot - Retired)
CD release is slated for the future.
2008, May 15 - Conversations in Music: Solo Piano
2009, May 15 - Conversations in Music: Dance