The Rock Concert

Composed by Roy Nathanson and performed by the Jazz Passengers

Note: The Rock Concert was performed Saturday, April 9, 2005 at 8 PM in the Great Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Stony Muse has commissioned acclaimed saxophonist and composer Roy Nathanson to create the "Rock Concert", a visionary project celebrating the oldest known terrestrial object, a zircon from Australia. Performed by the internationally renowned Jazz Passengers, this concert will explore the idea of Deep Time through words and music, providing one person's musical answer to the question, "what is 4.4 billion years?"

The Zircon

Zircons are nearly indestructible. They preserve, in chemical form, information about the environments in which they formed. Dr. John Valley of the UW Geology Department currently is studying extremely ancient zircons from Australia. This research, which was featured on the front page of The New York Times, provides a unique glimpse of the earth shortly after it formed. One of the zircons has been dated at 4.404 billion years, making it the oldest known terrestrial object.

These zircons eventually will be repatriated to Australia. Before that happens, the Geology Museum plans to have a special one-day exhibition where the public will be able to see, for the first and perhaps only time, "the oldest thing in the world". The Rock Concert will follow this exhibition.

The Music

Of the Rock Concert, Mr. Nathanson writes: "I am writing a piece of text/music that lives in a world of time and materials informed by the zircon and its history. Since I can only experience time subjectively, the narrative moves back and forth from my own history to geological history through the mythical character of Fromkin, my 8th grade science teacher. Similarly, the music plays with meter and relationship to pulse in an evolving way with a rhythm section comprised mostly of pitched rocks. The rocks will be played live as well as triggered by a midi device and manipulated by desktop computer. The Jazz Passengers will be playing their normal instrumentation of trombone, vibes, violin, bass, and this odd percussion set up. The test will be orchestrated throughout the piece and augmented by Greek choral parts sung by this distinctly un-Greek band."

The Jazz Passengers

The Jazz Passengers are not your average jazz band. They continue to expand the forefront of jazz through musical innovation, combining unique and often fantastic instrumentation with a strong visual and theatrical sense. The band grew out of a partnership between saxophonist Roy Nathanson and Trombonist Curtis Fowlkes in 1997, after the two had played with John Lurie's band the Lounge Lizards. Subsequent members include Bill Ware on vibes, E.J. Rodriguez on percussion, Sam Bardfeld on violin, and Brad Jones on bass. The band was also joined by Deborah Harry for several successful collaborations. Throughout their career, the Jazz Passengers have toured Europe and North America, recorded eight albums, and have worked with a wide range of artists, including Elvis Costello, Jeff Buckley, Mavis Staples, Darius De Haas, and Ilene Weiss. The Passengers have also arranged and performed orchestral versions of their work with the BBC Concert and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras.