Jean-Francois Charles

Back to work after a week off in New Hampshire! I find on my desk a very special transcription task... Indeed, for a new quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano, I devised a three-part composition process involving several interests of mine. Bleu 1 : improvisation and clarinets. I recorded three miniatures on bass clarinet, basset-horn, and contrabass clarinet, improvised on each of the paintings " Les trois bleu " by Juan Miró . The recording took place in the Huseac studios on June 3rd and 4th. Bleu 2 : Max/MSP/Jitter spectral sound processing and Apple Logic Pro editing. June 6th to July 6th, I used the recorded solos (Bleu 1) as a basic material, to process it with custom software programmed within Max/MSP/Jitter . I called the result Bleu 2, and you can listen to it on www.myspace.com/jfcharles . Bleu 3 : transcription, imagination, composition. I use Bleu 2 as an outline for the piece for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano. I go back to work!

In 2004, I had a great time touring with the Ensemble New Flore our show " Spirales ", in Strasbourg, Bouxwiller and Geneva. With the dancer and choreograph Alice Gervais-Ragu , we performed my composition " Rêver " for dancing clarinetist and singing dancer. Working on that piece has been a terrific experience. I look forward to working again with Alice on a new project of hers: a show featuring four artists who have all an appetite for both movement and sound. I say appetite, for the show will be centered around the topic "cook." Jean-François.