Ron Lawrence, Michael Suchorsky (drums), Dave Soldier, Laura Seaton, Mary Wooten
We
were called, and then called ourselves, as "The Ramones of classical
music". Active 1985 - 1995, and we now very occasionally reconvene for
recording sessions and shows with rock groups (over the past few years
for Van Dyke Parks, Jessie Harris, Guided by Voices, and Lambchop).
A
compilation is in the works, including a quartet written for Ken
Butler's instruments, called "Bambatta Variations" (1991) and Quartet
#3, "The Essential: Fourier Transformations" with brainwaves.
Soldier String Quartet, 1989
Mary Wooten, Ron Lawrence, Laura Seaton, Dave Soldier, photo Tom Caravaglia
Soldier String Quartet, 1993
Dawn Avery, Dave Soldier, Regina Carter, Ron Lawrence, with Ken Butler's string quartet instruments. photo Ken Collins
Inspired by the Concord Quartet and the Beastie Boys, we performed at
rock clubs like CBGBs and experimental festivals in Europe using a
drummer and electricity. We stood to play and memorized the music, and
would stamp around like punk rock and hiphop groups ; we occasionally
played at Lincoln Center and normal places for chamber groups.
My works for quartet are highly syncopated and contrapuntal with ideas
from rock, R&B, and blues as well as the European tradition. We
performed my arrangements of originally unnotated music, like Delta
Blues and Sly Stone, and presented new composed music by a broad range
of composers, premiering over 100 compositions.
Soldier String Quartet, 1993
"touring version" with Jason White,
Tiye' Griaud (singers) and Dawn Avery, Dave Soldier, Regina Carter, Ron
Lawrence, photo Ken Collins. After Jason's sudden death at age 23,
Jimmy Justice and Sam Butler (5 Blind Boys of Alabama) sang with use.
We toured as John Cale's "band" from 1992-1998 playing my arrangements of his songs, often with BJ Cole on steel guitar.
We
also worked with Teo Macero, Amina Claudine Myers, Leroy Jenkins, Tony
Williams, Van Dyke Parks, Guided by Voices, Ric Ocasek (the Cars), Bob
Neuwirth, Robert Dick, Jessie Harris, Lee Renaldo (Sonic Youth),
Shelley Hirsch, Joanne Brackeen, Elliot Sharp, Zeena Parkins, Fred
Frith, Myra Melford, Lenny Pickett, Jonas Hellborg. For a couple of
seasons we were the quartet for the American Festival for Microtonal
Music and premiered works in the "chamber " vein by Iannis Xenakis and
Ivan Wyshnedgradsky.
1.Preachin' Blues (Robert Johnson, arranged Soldier)
2.Bo Diddley (Ellis McDaniel, arranged Soldier) 3.Here Comes the King (Raymond Scott, arranged Soldier)
4. Michael Callen(Soldier) 5. Sontag in Sarajevo (Soldier)
part I Fluor Phosphor Lumen and Candle
part II Dance for the Tetragrammaton 6. In Time (Sly Stone, arranged Soldier) 7. Ugly (Robert Pete Williams, arranged Soldier) 8. N'Orleans (Soldier) 9. Boogie on party people(Soldier), a story of an incarnation of God in Rhippdur, India 10.Marsh Fugue (Soldier: manipulated natural sounds - unlisted on jacket)
Players:
1st violin: Regina Carter on 2, 3,5,6,7,8,9; Todd Reynolds on 1 &
4, 2nd violin, Dave Soldier and guitar on 5, Judith Insell (Viola),
Dawn Buckholtz Avery (cello), Tiye' Giraud (vocals & percussion on
2,6,7,8,9), Jimmy Justice (vocals on 4,8,9), Richard Bona (bass on 9),
Laura Cantrell (vocals on 4), Rebecca Cherry (violin solo on 7),
Jonathan Kane (drums on 9), Anne DeMaranis (accordion on 5), Valarie
Naranjo (balophone on 9)
Arrangements by Soldier of "classic jazz" pieces that are not typically performed. 1. India (John Coltrane)
2. Gazzelloni (Eric Dolphy)
3. Water Babies (Wayne Shorter)
4. Machine Gun (Jim Hendrix)
5. Something Sweet, Something Tender (Eric Dolphy)
6. Sometimes, Perpetually (Robert Dick)
7. Three Wishes (Ornette Coleman)
Robert
Dick, flutes; Regina Carter, violin; Soldier, violin, metal violin,
banjo;, Judith Insell, viola; Dawn Avery cello; Mark Dresser, Kermit
Driscoll, Richard Bona, bass; Steve Arguelles, Ben Perowsky, drums,
Valerie Naranjo, percussion, vibes
She's Lightning When She Smiles
1994 NewTone Records out of print, a few copies available from Mulatta Records
Dave's blues transcriptions by Soldier for small big band recorded live at a concert at Art at St. Ann's in Brooklyn
Players:
Vocals: Tiye'Giraud, Jason White, Napua Davoy, Bobby Radcliff, violins:
Laura Seaton, Dave Soldier; Ron Lawrence, viola, Mary Wooten, cello,
Brad Jones, bass, Myra Melford, piano, Leroy Clouden, drums, Lenny
Pickett, saxophone and clarinet
Tunes: 1. Another Man Done Gone (Vera Hall)
2. Future Blues (Willie Brown)
3. Clouds in My Heart (Muddy Waters)
4. Black Snake Moan (Blind Lemon Jefferson)
5. Prelude (George Gershwin)
6. Bobby Radcliff Intro
7. Moanin' at Midnight (Howlin' Wolf)
8. Uncloudy Day (Staples Singers)
9. Moon and Stars (Louise Johnson)
10. Sugar Momma (John Lee Hooker)
11. Somebody Help Poor Me (Robert Pete Williams)
12. Cypress Grove (Skip James)
Laura Seaton, Dave Soldier (violins), Ron Lawrence (viola), Mary Wooten (cello), Michael Suchorsky (drums);
on 4,
with Amina Claudine Myers, vocals and piano, Luis Bautista conga, Napua
Davoy vocals, Americo Mendez bass, Steve Napoleoni chanting; on 5, Kevin Norton congas, Soldier guitar
Soldier String Quartet Sequence Girls
1988
Rift Records, LP only, a few copies available through Mulatta
Laura Seaton, Dave Soldier (violins), Ron Lawrence (viola), Mary Wooten (cello), Ratso Harris (bass) Michael Suchorsky (drums)
Other recordings with the Soldier String Quartet
John Cale and Strings(1992, Risc Disc) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet John Cale and Bob Neuwirth, Last Day on Earth (1994, MCA) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet John Cale Walking on Locusts (1996, Rykodisc) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet John Cale Eat and Kiss (1997, Rykodisc) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet Nicolas Collins A Dark & Stormy Night (1992, Trace Elements) violin with Soldier String Quartet Robert Dick 3rd Stone from the Sun (1993, New World) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet Grupo Wara Malombo (1990 South American release) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet Guided by Voices Do the Collapse (1999, TVT) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet Guided by Voices Hold on Hope(2000, EP, TVT) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet Guided by Voices Isolation Drills (2001, TVT) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet Jessie Harris While the Music Lasts, (2004, Virgin) arrangements by Van Dyke Parks, with Soldier String Quartet Jonas Hellborg and Tony Williams The Word (1992, Island/Axiom) violin with Soldier String Quartet Leroy Jenkins Themes & Variations on the Blues (1994, CRI) violin with Soldier String Quartet Bob Neuwirth and John Cale, Last Day on Earth (1994, MCA) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet Phill Niblock / Soldier String Quartet Early Winter (1994, XI Records) violin with Soldier String Quartet Christina Rosenvinge Foreign Land (2002, Lcd) arranger, violin with Soldier String Quartet Elliott Sharp / Soldier String Quartet Tessalation Row (1987, SST) violin with Soldier String Quartet Elliott Sharp / Soldier String Quartet Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup (1989, SST ) violin with Soldier String Quartet Elliott Sharp / Soldier String Quartet Twistmap (1991, EarRational) violin with Soldier String Quartet Elliott Sharp / Soldier String Quartet Cryptoid Fragments (1993, Extreme Records) violin with Soldier String Quartet Elliott Sharp / Soldier String Quartet Xeno-Codex (1996, Tzadik) violin with Soldier String Quartet Elliott Sharp / Soldier String Quartet Rheo/Umbra (1998, Zoar) violin with Soldier String Quartet Elliott Sharp / Soldier String Quartet String Quartets 1986-1996 (2003, Tzadik) violin with Soldier String Quartet
compilations Soldier String Quartet Real Estate (1990, EarRational) Soldier String Quartet / Elliott Sharp No Wave (1990, SST) Jonas Hellborg Illuminations violin with Soldier String Quartet (1991, Axiom) Soldier String Quartet State of the Union (1992, Arrest)
film scores Special Friends (Music by Teo Macero for ABC-TV) violin with Soldier String Quartet (1988)
Piece from the Word, Tony Williams (!) drums, Jonas Hellborg bass and arrangement, Soldier String Quartet
History
I
always loved syncopation and counterpoint, as a child from funk and
rhythm and blues, later in medieval and baroque music, salsa and
flamenco. I've tried various ways to design overlapping rhythms,
influenced by theorists Bernard Ziehn Josef Schillinger, Heinrich
Schenker, and by figuring out how syncopations arise in R&B, salsa,
and flamenco. I was really moved by Conlon Nancarrow and Gyorgi
Ligeti's piano pieces, and tried to find a different path than what
they explored. Nancarrow was particularly inspiring.
The
Soldier String Quartet let me explore new rhythm juxtapositions, and I
started it in 1985 because string players could read harder rhythms
that guitarists, because I was going through a Haydn worship phase,
because I played the violin, and because the string quartet seemed so
quaint that the idea was funny.
We
introduced/experimented with amplification, moving around on stage
(inspited by the Beastie Boys and gospel music), memorizing the parts,
and playing American rhythms. I put in a lot I learned from playing in
rock and R&B bands, using a drum kit to help rhythmic polyphony,
and I wrote the drum parts: fortunately Michael Suchorsky, long-time
drummer for Lou Reed and Everyman Band, is the rare drummer who can
play written parts and make them sound natural.
The original group was Laura Seaton and me on violins, Drew Tretick on
viola, Jane Scarpantoni on cello, Bruce Ditmas on drums. We soon added
Ratso Harris on bass, and Ron Lawrence joined on viola, Mary Wooten on
cello, and Michael Suchorsky on drums. Around 1992 Regina Carter joined
on violin followed in 1996 Todd Reynolds, and Martha Mooke and Judith
Insell on viola, and Dawn Avery on cello. Around 1992 we added two
singers, especially on tours, Tiye' Giraud and Jason White, and after
Jason suddenly and shockingly passed at the age of 23, Sam Butler from
the Five Blind Boys of Alabama and later Jimmy Justice would sing.
Jimmy also passed away in 2008.
In
the early 90's we would often tour Europe with the two singers and four
strings, as the groupor on a package with John Cale. At various times
and projects other players included Lisa Terry, Mark Feldman, and
Marlene Rice on violin, Mark Dresser, Kermit Driscoll, and Richard Bona
on bass, Kevin Norton and Samm Bennett on drums. We collaborated a lot
with Elliott Sharp, Robert Dick, Nicolas Collins and John Cale, and
occassionally with Teo Macero, Amina Claudine Myers, the American
Festival of Microtonal Music, and many others.
One project I plan to finish is a cycle of full "string quartets" I began with Quartet #1, The Impossible, which is recorded on Sojourner Truth. I wrote a Quartet #2, Bambatta Variations,
especially for a surreal quartet built by Ken Butler out of found
object but that can be played using normal techniques; we premiered it
at Merkin Hall but never recorded it. I've also written in part Quartet
#3, The Essential, based on the idea that you boil down a
regular quartet and display it as a Wester blot, a way biologists
indicate protein makeup of a cell and get at it's "essence" - the music
is highly syncopated and an odd twist to Schoeberg's second quartet; it
has very hard but was premiered in 2009 at the Issue Project Room in
Brooklyn, with the players wearing EEGs.
Beyond
my own compositions for the quartet, I always asked composers who
presumably would never otherwise write music for a string quartet to do
so. We premiered many works by Elliott Sharp, and pieces by Leroy
Jenkins, Fred Frith, Phill Niblock, David Linton, Zeena Parkins,
Nicolas Collins, Jonas Hellborg (with Tony Williams on drums!), Van
Dyke Parks, and many others that I will add when I go through my notes.
The
other goal is to arrange polyrhythmic music that had not been notated.
I figure it out as well as I can, and force the players listen to the
originals for phrasing - that's hard with classical freelancers! We
started with Delta Blues on our first LP by Muddy Waters, Skip James,
and Robert Johnson. Trying to listen very carefully helped me develop a
style, and helped the group phrase in American music. We released a
live album of blues arrangements from Art at St. Ann's. I expanded
arrangements to pieces by Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix, Earth Wind &
Fire, Tito Puente, and lots of others. We made two CDs of my
arrangements for quartet with the trailblazing flutist Robert Dick, one
of Jimi Hendrix pieces, and the other of lesser known jazz pieces by
Eric Dolphy, Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman.
I arranged Paris 1919
by John Cale, whose music I identified with in high school as someone
else who didn't differentiate "classical" and "pop" styles; John heard
it and the Quartet became his backup group from 1992-96. This led to
the quartet playing and/or arranging for a lot of great pop groups and
producers, including Guided by Voices, David Byrne, Ric Ocasek,
Lambchop, Van Dyke Parks, Jessie Harris, Bill Laswell, Lee Renaldo and
not least, Teo Macero.
One highlight
in this direction was with Cale in 1993 at NYU where Lou Reed and
Sterling Morrison showed as a first surprise reunion of the Velvet
Underground - John asked me to arrange some old tunes and some from his
recent duo with Reed, but wouldn't tell me why - though Mo Tucker
missed her train and didn't get to the concert in time, which prevented
it from being the "complete" reunion concert.
REVIEWS
these are all from the New York Times: with time I'll try to add more from them and other sources
Jason
White, gospel and avant garde vocalist, passed away on Thursday night,
September 8, 1994 from complications of AIDS. He was twenty-three years
old.
Equally at home in the classical avant garde
and gospel styles, Jason toured Japan and Europe with the
classical/rock musician John Cale, jazz singer Diane Reeves, and as a
member of the Soldier String Quartet. In gospel music, Jason sang with
Rejoicensemble, Ashford and Simpson, Reverend Ike's Choir, and Lavender
Light. He was a featured tenor soloist with the Manhattan Chamber
Orchestra as the soloist in Mark Twain's War Prayer, a cantata written for him by Dave Soldier, on the The Apotheosis of John Brown, and with the Soldier String Quartet on She's Lightning When She Smiles.
Jason
attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington DC, and
was awarded a full scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music. His
teachers were Allen McBride, Edward Jackson, and Dorothy Dash. On a
concert last August at Lincoln Center Out-of Doors, Times critic Alex
Ross praised Jason's "rich delivery".
Jason's
Going Home ceremony will be on Saturday, September 17, at the Guiding
Light Greater Refuge Church in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his
mother, Virginia Tyson, of Silver Springs, Maryland.