So Percussion : Part One

In February of last year, I was asked to shoot photos for a percussionist group called So Percussion at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. They play elaborate/intricate pieces of music with teacups, pieces of wood, flowerpots, toys, etc.

Review from Billboard Magazine:

On their debut CD, the four members of So Percussion prove that they can really play. Not just play their instruments--which they do with expertise--but play with the genuine freshness and wonder of kids with their favorite toys. Here, their playthings are dizzyingly virtuosic pieces by two restlessly inventive American composers, David Lang and Evan Ziporyn. Lang's "The So-Called Laws of Nature" is a complex matrix of ever-unfolding rhythmic patterns, articulated by instruments that include giant metal pipes and flowerpots. Ziporyn's "Melody Competition" takes its structural cue and sonority from his specialty, Balinese gamelan, resulting in a piece that extends from hypnotic delicacy to potent muscularity. The range of colors and voices that So Percussion coaxes from its menagerie is astonishing and entrancing. This is a must-hear not just for new music fans but for trance music and world music aficionados as well.--AT