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. Also available as part of the Vjola Suite set. |
| DURATION | 2.5 minutes |
| WORLD PREMIERE | Om Factory Yoga, New York; June 16 2006 |
| WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMERS | Ljova and 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]Recorded on the debut CD by Ljova and the Kontraband, “Mnemosyne” – [album details] |
| SCORE AVAILABILITY | All arrangements are available for sale via PDF or mail delivery; arrangements for combinations not listed above may be commissioned on request. [contact for more info] |