The Ant Colony

Item details

• Description +

  • Duration: 8 min.
    
    The Ant Colony takes his inspiration from certain graphic ideas and visual illusions, in the way they are introduced in the book "Godel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter. The main theme, that is repeated in different forms throughout the song, is a pattern that rhythmically interlocks with itself if played in a canon with itself. You might say it is it's own negative. The result is a flow of eight notes that seems to suggest even more melodies to come come out. This ideas travels through a whole range of different modes and moods. Different styles, like minimalist music, trip-hop, post-rock, reggae and gamelan music come to mind. 
    
    This arrangement is for a 10-piece percussion ensemble, which can be narrowed down to 8 players. The main role is for the drummer, who moves between styles, creates the dynamics and is granted space to improvise.

• Instrumentation +

  • Glockenspiel
    Vibraphone
    Xylophone
    2 Marimbas (marimba 2 is played by two players) 
    
    Piano 
    
    Acoustic Bass **
    Electric bass
    Percussion **
    Drum Set 
    
    *) Can also be reduced to 8 performers, please see program notes
    **) Optional

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• About the composer +

  • Martijn Vanbuel is a jazz double bass player, pianist and composer from Belgium. After musical studies in Belgium (Lemmensinstituut, Leuven) and France (Conservatoire Superieur de Paris) Martijn moved to Asia, first living in Shanghai and eventually settling in Taipei, Taiwan. He became one of the most influential musicians in the area, working with musician as diverse as folk singer Matthew Lien, world fusion groups Sizhukong and Orbit Folks, avant garde trio I Have A New Band Now and jazz musicians from all over the world (Ari Hoenig, Tony Lakatos, Tyler Blanton, etc...). In 2011 Martijn and Orbit Folks won 2 Golden Melody Awards for their debut album The Missing Link. He was also featured on more award winning albums by Sizhukong and Ming Tseng's Symbiosis Trio. 
    
    Martijn composed music for his own band Orbit Folks, for Sizhukong, for contemporary Chinese music ensemble Tsai Feng and for percussion ensemble. Besides a player he is also a wanted jazz educator, teaching in National Tainan University of the Arts and capable of teaching jazz music and jazz theory in Mandarin.

• Credits +

  • Front Cover layout: Gaia Gomes
    Engraving: Martijn Vanbuel
    Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
    Copyright © Edition SVITZER
    www.editionsvitzer.com

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