Bagel on the Malecon (2005)
take a listen - hear an audio preview:
 My favorite paradox of Cuban music is that the bass is never "on the beat", while everything else feels groovy and relaxed. In "Bagel on the Malecon", I tried to lift the Cuban "son" grooves from their solid grounding, beyond dancing steps, to a place where the melody and the bass take flight - and memorably, at that. The title is a flight in itself - a utopian fantasy that one day soon, I will be able to enjoy a Bagel - a favorite New York bread creation - on the Malecon, the main boardwalk in Havana, Cuba. |
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| CATEGORY | Chamber music, multi-track viola music | ||||||
| INSTRUMENTATION | Original instrumentation: multitrack violas. Arrangements available: -- string quartet (plus bass) -- string trio -- three violas and bass -- four cellos. Also available as a jazz "lead sheet", which includes a separate sheet for the bass line. Arrangements for other combinations may be commissioned upon request. |
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| DURATION | 2 minutes 25 seconds | ||||||
| WORLD PREMIERE | Om Factory Yoga, New York; June 16 2006 | ||||||
| WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMERS | Ljova & the Kontraband: Ljova, viola; Patrick Farrell, accordion; Mike Savino, bass; Mathias Kunzli, percussion | ||||||
| OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES | Enso String Quartet, at the Library of Congress, and at venues throughout the US. [see video]; Ljova and the Kontraband at Joe's Pub [see video] | ||||||
| RECORDING | Recorded on Ljova's debut CD - Vjola: World on Four Strings[album details], forthcoming release on the debut CD by Ljova and the Kontraband [sign up for updates] | ||||||
| SCORE AVAILABILITY | All arrangements are available for sale via PDF or mail delivery; lead sheet & bass part available; arrangements for combinations not listed above may be commissioned on request. [contact for more info]
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hear Ljova's very first demo sketch of what later became Bagel on the Malecon, with a less developed middle section: |
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