“Rise“ by Annika Socolofsky // Jonathan Hulting-Cohen & Nicholas Shaneyfelt

Copyright (C) Annika K. Socolofsky 2018. ASCAP. All rights reserved. Jonathan Hulting-Cohen, alto saxophone Nicholas Shaneyfelt, piano “Rise” explores the numerous resonances and timbres of the alto saxophone in the way that a vocalist explores the nuanced vocal qualities and expressive micro-variations in sound color at the far reaches of their own voice. While it may not sound like it, this piece is entirely acoustic. The piano is sometimes treated in a conventional manner as a keyed percussion instrument, and sometimes treated as a resonating body for the saxophone. The unique and sometimes electronic-sounding resonances of the piano are activated inside the piano using an electronic bow (ebow) and rosined bow hair strung & pulled through the piano’s strings. Much like the sympathetic strings on a Norwegian hardanger fiddle create a reverberant sound bed for the fiddle’s melody lines, the piano serves to timbrally support, resonate and conflict with the saxophone’s vocal lines. The bowed piano tutorial for this piece can be found here: Recorded October 3, 2018 at Princeton University Andres Villalta, audio engineer Alex Dowling, producer Video by Four/Ten Media