Trumpeteer/composer Miguel Gorodi performs at NQ Jazz at the Whiskey Jar next week following the recent release of his debut album Apophenia.
The series of compositions was written for his nonet which features leading British musicians Gareth Lockrane (flutes), Michael Chillingworth (alto sax / clarinet), George Crowley (tenor sax / bass clarinet), Kieran McLeod (trombone), Ray Hearne (tuba), Ralph Wyld (vibraphone), Conor Chaplin (double bass) and Dave Hamblett (drums).
Apophenia marked the culmination of years of writing for Miguel Gorodi, taking inspiration from jazz musicians Steve Coleman, Steve Lehman, Tyshawn Sorey, Thelonius Monk and Sayne Shorter as well as classical composers Louis Andriessen, Gérard Grisey, Per Nørgård and Stravinsky.
Speaking about the album, he explains, “I have become fascinated by how apophenia, a process of meaning making, fits into the existentialist idea that life has no objective meaning, purpose or intrinsic value, and that we must create our own. I believe engaging with art is a means to practice meaning making and is therefore helpful in fostering a fulfilling life.”
The first hints of the nine track album came in the form of two tracks to be released, La Nausee and Time Sigmund. The former is inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre’s novel of the same name. “This piece grew out of a very simple idea that is manipulated over and over, resulting in the kind disorientation Sartre’s protagonist experiences when he suffers attacks of ‘nausea’,” he explains. “I interpreted these as maddening panic attacks brought on by depressing ruminations of meaningless.” The overall structure (micro and macro) of ‘Time Sigmund’ is informed by Per Norgard’s ‘infinity series’ – a never-ending, self-perpetuating sequence of numbers that creates a fractal pattern, which balances familiarity with novelty. Gorodi again draws parallels with Jean-Paul Sartre’s work l’Âge de Raison (The Age of Reason) in his efforts to communicate the anxiety and regret one may feel if life is not lived to the full.
“Through my music I’ve tried to communicate my experiences with OCD and depression, my thoughts on how to create meaning and purpose in life, and my concerns about the limitations our psychology and biology may have on determining what is meaningful to us,” concludes Gorodi.
When does Miguel Gorodi perform at Manchester’s The Whiskey Jar?
Miguel Gorodi performs at NQ Jazz at The Whiskey Jar, Manchester, on 17 June 2019.
