 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Martin Simon is featured on Outbound Radio |
 |
 Martin Simon, a Slovak composer and guitarist, has broken new ground melding East European roots with jazz, classical music and a rich palette of world sounds (from Latin American to Spanish, African, Indian and Gypsy) presenting captivating, original instrumental music that transcends the boundaries of genre and geography. The newest project "Tangram" (whose name was borrowed from an ancient Chinese puzzle from which a countless variety of shapes can be built) brings to life Simon's vision for the unbridled fusion of diverse musical influences to create musical language accessible to all types of audiences; a unique alchemy of world music. It brings together outstanding musicians who have been on the world music scene working with artists like Warszaw Village Band, Stilo, Rei Ceballo y Calle sol, Mohammad Rasooli, Meira Asher, Krzysztof Scieranski and others. The performances feature Simon's self-taught expressive and virtuosic guitar playing; an experience that brings delight to the senses and provides for constant innovation. Born in Roznava, a former Czechoslovakia, Martin Simon was raised in Bratislava where he began playing guitar at 10. Learning to play both classical and jazz guitar, he studied with Slovak guitarists Matus Jakabcic, Stanislav Pocaji, and a Brazilian guitarist Fernando Correa. Interested in combining musical styles and encouraged by his older brother who played saxophone, he formed an electric fusion band "Jazzva" in 1995 (a word game meaning "scar" in Slovakian). Writing new music for the ensemble has helped develop his voice as a composer. Following the national contest in 1996, he received the New Faces of Slovak Jazz top award for original work. In 1998 he left to the United States to study music at Brooklyn College/CUNY. He studied composition under the direction of renowned Cuban-American composer and conductor Tania Leon, who encouraged him to blend East European elements in his music. Later, he came back to complete advanced studies in performance and interactive media arts. Living in New York City, Simon exposed himself to a mix of musical art forms including Flamenco, Indian, Latin, African, avant-garde, electronic, experimental, music for animation, film, installation/sound art. He has formed a long-lasting writing duo with Hondurasian flamenco/latin guitarist Astor Escoto and the ensemble "Escoto & Simon". He has performed with top-line musicians including David Watson (John Zorn), Paul Steven Ray (Vernon Reid, Cyro Baptista), Salim Washington (Kenny Garret, Anthony Braxton), Chris Bacas (Buddy Rich), Jorge Amorim (Baden Powell, Al Foster), Michal Urbaniak, Arturo Martinez (Jose Greco), Alfonso Cid (Pilar Rioja) and collaborated with award winning artists in other media including Miroslaw Rogala (interactive public art), John J.A. Jannone (collective art/interactive performance), Ronaldo Kiel (video art/installation), Elizabeth Whalley (painting), Anat Inbar, SangHee Ann (film). Interested in the art of improvisation, and after several years of research he introduced the concept of "Conversational Music", which was premiered in 2007 at the ISIM/ international conference on improvised music in Chicago, among the world-renowned improvisers like Oliver Lake, Art Lande, Mazen Kerbaj, Stephen Nachmanovitch, Pauline Oliveros, Anto Pett, Mark Dresser, Jane Ira Bloom, Thomas Buckner, Association for Advancement of Creative Musicians and others. Martin Simon has participated in the academic field and as a music educator. He has worked at Brooklyn College and at Pratt Institute in New York as an assistant professor of electronic music and sound design. His work has been published by the University Press of America. |
|
