“Music, for me, is a lot about intention and being present in the moment — how people deal with the moment together.”
By Liquid Music blog contributor Amy Chatelaine
Photo courtesy of the artist
The sounds emitted from Northrop’s historic Aeolian-Skinner Opus 892 often and readily cluster into constellations familiar to the pipe organ; in the hands of master-keyboardist Kit Downes, they are more likely to venture into the infinite unknown, beckoning the imagination up, out, and beyond. When the house lights go down, the stops are pulled, and wind rushes through the grove of pipes, a listening audience will find themselves swept up in the “boundless musical curiosity” so defining of the man recognized as a premiere British talent throughout the United Kingdom.
Kit’s upcoming performance at Minneapolis’s Northrop Auditorium is the world premiere of his latest endeavor, Southern Bodies. For such an occasion, the luminary jazz guitarist Bill Frisell will share the stage. We, along with Kit, couldn’t be more elated — and it continues. In the interweaving of their distinct timbres, Kit and Bill will be joined by members of the prestigious Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra: Eunice Kim (violin), Daniel Orsen (viola), and Richard Belcher (cello).
Southern Bodies is copresented by Liquid Music and Northrop. You can secure your tickets for what is sure to be an unforgettable evening right here.
We are grateful to Kit for the reflections offered below, a small window into the upcoming performance for a curious audience.
A Q&A with Kit Downes
The world premiere of Southern Bodies is coming right on the tails of another release, Breaking the Shell, another exciting collaboration with Bill Frisell. How did your musical relationship with Bill begin?
Reflections from Kit Downes, Bill Frisell, and Andrew Cyrille at the release of Breaking the Shell (September 26, 2024)
Kit Downes: Breaking the Shell came about through the producer Sun Chung, whom Bill, Andrew [Cyrille], and I had all worked with separately for ECM. He set it up, and I was lucky to be involved! Like millions of other fans, I have been listening to Bill’s playing and composing since I was very young. He is a huge part of how I think about music; it’s hard to understate what an impact his music had on me. So getting to play with him on that recording, and for this concert, makes my head spin. It’s like hearing my own childhood memories coming from the stage in real-time — it’s unbelievable. I feel so lucky to be able to share some music with him.
Liquid Music is recognized as a laboratory for artists across genres, with an interest in nurturing bold ideas from composers and performing artists. Certainly the pipe organ and guitar are less conventional conversation partners! What would you say has been nurtured by taking the imaginative risk of that collaboration?
Left: Kit Downes, photo courtesy of the artist | Right: Bill Frisell, photo by Monica Frisell
Downes: Instrumentation is an important factor for sure when making new music, but not the only one, or even the biggest one, I think. Music for me is a lot about intention and being present in the moment — how people deal with the moment together. This can happen on any combination of instruments and still be interesting. Of course the instrument choices add detail to the puzzle, and a strong context, but for me it’s about the people involved, and what they want to say and how they communicate as a group.
Of the many distinctive qualities of the pipe organ, one is that it’s site-specific — requiring a process of acquaintance for you, both of the instrument and the space. What are you anticipating with Northrop’s Aeolian-Skinner organ, and the space that holds it?
Downes: I’m familiar with the make of organ, having played one in the US before. I remember the balance and style of the instrument in general, although this instrument will have its own specifities and nuances, I’m sure. The space is the big unknown factor for me, and also the music itself — as much of it is brand new, as is the ensemble itself!
You’ve shared that Southern Bodies is, at least in part, a reference to the stars of the Southern Hemisphere. The celestial is also present in some of your past work — Light from Old Stars, as an early example. Is there an affinity, or curiosity for you there? What has it offered to your musicianship, if anything?
Downes: I tend to pick titles that touch on a few different things simultaneously that are going on — chance encounters and recurrent themes, both. They often are quite arbitrary anyway! One thing I would say about the night sky is that it’s this huge constant cosmic companion, wherever you are in the world — especially if you befriend it, learn some of its constellations. The familiarity of it helps me feel less alone when I am far away.
Your sound has been described as at once “ethereal” and “earthy” — polarities that hold in common an elemental quality as a reference point. I’ve enjoyed reading reflections on the role of landscape throughout your work — with Obsidian, for example, and “Kasei Valles” on Breaking the Shell. Would you say that’s a particular access point for you as you explore the sounds and textures of your work?
Downes: That’s such a nice observation, I never thought of it. I guess I was always drawn to old traditional music because of this connection with nature, somehow. Something folk-ish, that anyone can appreciate, or that can be reinterpreted and relived a thousands different ways over a very long period — also like natural processes. It can be a mutual point that people with different ways of seeing things can take off from.
What is something outside of music that is animating you right now, that is life-giving?
Downes: Raising my daughter, definitely — I see everything differently now.
Follow Kit Downes:
Website: www.kitdownesmusic.com
Instagram: @kitdownesmusic (instagram.com/kitdownesmusic)
Follow Bill Frisell:
Website: www.billfrisell.com
Instagram: @bill.frisell (instagram.com/bill.frisell)
Follow The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra:
Website: www.thespco.org
Instagram: @thespco (instagram.com/thespco)
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