Make Music New York - 12/21/11

This year will be Make Music New York's first Winter celebration! Make Music Winter will be on December 21st, the first night of winter. There are 12 outdoor and free performances scheduled to be played in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.

I'm very partial to guitars and would suggest "Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Guitars" and walk along the marching electric guitarists at play. Or maybe go to the "Notation Parade," where the brass musicians will go from building to building to find parts of a piece that will be imaged onto the façades. Or if you're feeling old school and hip, go to Park Slope for "Peregrine," a boombox galore. Check out the schedule and enjoy!

Nick Franglen underneath our Bridge!

I first heard about Nick Franglen when I was browsing through the Make Music NY 2011 site. His piece is called, "Hymn to Manhattan Bridge." What attracted me to his performance was his schedule. 12 AM to 12 AM. It was no typo. I had no excuse to miss this. I had 24 hours to make a visit. Nick is a British musician who's career spans from the early 90s to today. Nick has collaborated and written music for films, movies and other artists such as Bjork and Hole. His first album came out in 1997 when he was part of a duo, Lemon Jelly. Today, Nick is part of the electronic duo, Blacksand. They have performed in places that are seriously off the beaten path, like the inside of a submarine and abandoned facilities.

I guess it's no surprise that Nick chose to perform underneath the Manhattan Bridge for Make Music NY! Nick had a similar technique in creating a piece for the London Bridge during Fall of 2010 called, "Hymn to London Bridge." These pieces are also reliant on the footsteps of passing pedestrians and cyclists.

I found Nick talking to curious passerbys underneath the Archway of Manhattan Bridge. I photographed one of the pop-up pianos as I waited my turn. I also followed him out to see him pointing at the wires that were dangling up to the Bridge's walkway. Whoa.

Finally, it was my turn to speak with Nick! He is a lovely person. Very welcoming to everyone who wanted to speak with him about why he was there. He was running on the excitement of the day's event! Nick told me that there is a huge difference between the Hymns of London and Manhattan Bridge. Ours is much more abrasive and loud (why am I not surprised, haha). London's Hymn is more cuddly, soft and relaxing. After chatting about his music and how he liked his trip to New York, we finally bid adieu. And so the Summer of 2011 begins.