Ronan Guilfoyle: News

Hi everyone,

Just a few things I’ll be doing over the coming months in case there might be something there oft interest to you

Métier CD Launch

On Sunday 29th of June next Métier will launch their new CD ‘Cascade’ at the Pavilion theatre in Dunlaoghaire. Métier featuring Paul Williamson (trumpet), Michael Buckley (saxophone), Justin Carroll (piano) and Sean Carpio (drums) is Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council’s Jazz Ensemble in Resdience – the first of its kind in Ireland. The CD features new compositions by all the members of the group and was mastered at the renowned Tonstudio Bauer in Germany. We’re very excited by this recording and what it represents in the development of the music of this group. We’ll be playing all of these new pieces at the concert, please come along if you’re free. You can get a taste of the recording from some film clips of the group in the studio here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkJI_fsTPAk

Métier Cabinteely House Concert Series 2008

And speaking of Métier, the band will do its second concert series at Cabinteely House in August and September next. This series, which was very successful last year, will feature the group and guests over a four week period, performing in the intimate surroundings of the beautiful Cabinteely House. The series takes place on Thursdays beginning on August 14th and finishing on September 4th. Métier will perform on the first and last concert of the series, on August 21st Paul Williamson will present an exciting programme of new music specially written for the occasion with guests Joe O Callaghan on guitar, Andrew Csibi on Bass and Sean Carpio on drums, and on September 28th the great Swedish pianist Lars Jansson will perform with Ronan and Conor Guilfoyle on drums in a programme of Lars’ beautiful compositions – a perfect way to hear intimate piano trio music. And the series will finish on September 4th with a final performance by the full Métier group, featuring some new pieces especially written for this concert by Ronan.

Recording of ‘Renaissance Man’ and performances with John Abercrombie and Joey Baron

In September the great guitarist John Abercrombie will come to Ireland to record ‘Renaissance Man’ and to play four concerts with Ronan, Michael Buckley and the renowned Joey Baron on drums. ‘Renaissance Man’ is Ronan’s large scale piece for guitar trio and string quartet which was performed by John in 2005 with Ronan and his brother Conor on drums, and the Callino Quartet. It was co-commissioned by the Mermaid Arts Centre and Lyric FM, and will now be recorded in the studio for later release with John, Ronan, Conor and a string quartet.

After the recording John and Ronan will be joined by Michael Buckley and Joey Baron for a 4 date tour of Ireland – the dates are - Limerick on Thursday September 11th, Cork 12th, Belfast 13th, and Dublin on the 14th.

Classical performances

Ronan will have two new pieces premiered during the Autumn. On Friday 31st of October next, at lunchtime in the NCH, the wonderful contemporary pianist Izumi Kimura will premiere Ronan’s new ‘Dance Suite No. I’ for solo piano. And on November 28th the highly acclaimed Ensemble Avalon will premiere Ronan’s new piece for violin, cello and piano, which was commissioned by them and which will be part of their inaugural Ensemble Avalon Winter Chamber Festival in Wexford, which takes place over the weekend of 28-30 November.

Other News

Ronan will be doing some guest teaching at Berklee College of Music as part of Berklees ‘Guitar sessions’ from August 17-21st next............ Also in August Ronan will be appearing at the Electric Picnic in Stradbally (Ireland) with MSG and the ‘Electric Miles’ group over the weekend of August 29-31st next.............Ronan will be performing at the Kopasetic Festival as part of the Scott Stroman/Cennet Jonsson group in Malmo in Sweden next October.........the renowned French saxophonist Stéphane Payen will perform with Ronan’s Microclimate group at the Pendulum in JJ Smyth’s on November 2nd next............ And finally Ronan will be making a return to one of his favourite places in the world – India – to play at a festival with a group that he’s had a long association with – the amazing Karnataka College of Percussion in Bangalore.

Hi Everyone,


I've posted a new essay on the subject of rhythm - dealing with soloing issues. Have a look and please feel free to tell me what you think!

You can see it here

all the best

Ronan

Hi Everyone,

I've uploaded a couple of videos of performances of my compositions on to Youtube - there a performance of my solo piano piece 'Toccata and Feud' played by the wonderful Izumi Kimura here:

Toccata and Feud

and a performance by the also wonderful violinist Ioana Petcu-Colan of two movements of my 'Sonata for Solo Violin' here:

Solo Sonata 1

and here:

Solo Sonata 2

Hope you enjoy them!


Ronan

Ronan has just posted a major new essay on the nature and study of rhythm - see 'The Art and Science of Time II' in the 'Essays' section

Premiere of 'Hand Head Heart'

On September 25th next, as part of a week of celebrations in Dublin of the great Dave Liebman's 60th Year, Ronan will perform the premiere of 'Hand Head Heart', an extended suite featuring Lieb, John Ruocco (clarinet), Nils Wogram (trombone), Joe O Callaghan (guitar), and Tom Rainey(drums).

Debut of 'Métier' - new ensemble in residence

Ronan has been appointed Artistic Director of 'Métier', Ireland's first Jazz Ensemble in Residence. Funded by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Métier features Paul Williamson (trumpet), Michael Buckley (saxophones), Justin Carroll (piano), and Sean Carpio (drums). In October (see dates) they will perform a series of concerts featuring both the ensemble alone and with special guests Vincent Courtois (cello), Joe O Callghan (guitar), Mike Nielsen (guitar), and Dave Redmond (bass). The series will include the premiere of Ronan's 'Haikus' - a series of short pieces based on the Japanese poetic form.(See 'Dates" for full details)

MSG Tour

In November/December Ronan will tour with the MSG trio, featuring features Rudresh Mahanthappa (alto) and Chander Sardjoe (drums). A power saxophone trio that specializes in complex rhythmic music, they will be debut their first CD in the near future. Exact dates will be posted here soon.

Commissions and Premieres

In November/December the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet will premiere and tour Ronan's 'Music for String Quartet' - a piece commissioned by the Vanbrughs to celebrate their 25th anniversary (see 'dates' for details)

On February 8th 2008, at the National Concert Hall, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland will premiere Ronan's "Synapsis" - a concerto for orchestra commissioned by the orchestra for their 2007/2008 season.
February 24th, will see the world premiere of Ronan's 'Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2' at the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, performed by Michael D'arcy (violin) and Izumi Kimura (piano). The concert will also see the Dublin premiere of Ronan's 'Sonata for Solo Violin' performed by Ioana Petcu-Colan, who commissioned the piece and gave the world premiere in Cork earlier this year.

Other news

Ronan will be doing some guest teaching at the Luzern Jazz School in December (10/11) and at Skurups Folkhogskola in Sweden in Spring '08………… Ronan is scheduled to travel to Brazil in February 2008 to discuss the latest developments in rhythmic techniques in jazz and to play with like-minded musicians in Sao Paolo…………Ronan will begin work on his latest book 'The Art and Science of Time', a companion volume to the seminal work on extended rhythmic techniques in jazz 'Creative Concepts for Jazz Improvisation'. This new book and DVD will focus on how to develop one's time. ………… Other plans for 2008 include a tour with the Arguelles/Guilfoyle/Black trio, a tour with 'Beginning to End', a project based on the works of Samuel Beckett featuring Christy Doran (guitar) and Isa Wiss (voice), and releases of the MSG and Microclimate CDS…………Finally in 2008 Ronan will complete a Masters Degree in Composition from WIT in Waterford.

Ronan has recorded a couple of infomal vidoes of two improvised pieces for solo acoustic bass guitar on Youtube - you can view them at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6ImABXDwsU

and at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMmwTrWjbM0

These are the first in a series of what will be an exploration of the possibilities of improvised solo acoustic bass guitar

A new recording of a live trio performance with Julian Arguelles and Jim Black has just been released on the Italian Auand label. Recorded during a trio tour in 2002 the recorded captures the excitement and invention of the music of three of the finest contemporary jazz musicians of their respective countries. You can hear sound clips from the recording in my 'music' section.

Review:

Argüelles/Guilfoyle/Black ‘Live in Dublin’ *****

When this trio played in Dublin the night after their wonderful concert in Cork a few years ago, the question was, would the chemistry still be there? On the evidence of this recording, it was. Inside or outside the loop, their dialogue, mutually supportive and challenging, maintained a gripping level of creative responsiveness, full of wit and lyricism. With Argüelles at times recalling Rollins in his imaginative and successful risk taking, drummer Black astonishingly and quirkily inventive, and bassist Guilfoyle the infinitely flexible friend at the core, freedom was never allowed to degenerate into incoherence. Their subtlety and sustained creativity over a programme of originals by Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Argüelles, and Guilfoyle, a spontaneously created piece by the trio and a superbly deconstructed 'I Wish I Knew' make it potentially one of the albums of the year.

The Irish Times, 2006

Ronan will go into the studio twice over the coming months to record with two different trios - MSG, with Rudresh Mahanthappa and Chander Sardjoe (you can hear samples from a live performance in my Music section), and with his own Microclimate group with Joe O Callaghan and Sean Carpio. Expect both albums to appear in the first half of 2007.