|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Circus Boy by Donald Rubinstein For composer, musician and artist Donald Rubinstein, imagining the persona of a 1940s' pianist named Jeremy Bonafide, the hero of Rubinstein's latest CD, Circus Boy, was to come to grips with his own sympathy with the outsiders in society, the discarded and misfits. Loosely based on the real life of turn-of-the-century jazz innovator and trumpeter Billy Bolden, who was never recorded yet widely admired, Jeremy Bonafide could have been real. Rubinstein says, “Circus Boy is about someone who was brilliant yet fell through the cracks. He could have been a Stravinsky character within the 1920s classical movement, or he could exist today in some as-yet-unknown avant-garde circle. The traveling circus of the 1940s was a place where misfits fit in.” The 20-track CD, a mix of electronica, jazz and classical, begins and ends with a hauntingly melodic piano solo, “Soul of a Circus Boy,” which acts as an invitation into the mind of Rubinstein's creation. Then begin the highs and lows of circus life, the tension of backstage elation followed by plunging depression, all evocative of loneliness and yet redeemed by elements of hope in Rubinstein's hands. The collection is also punctuated by contemplative interludes, possibly Bonafide's personal late-night piano reflections. In addition to piano, Rubinstein uses a synthesizer and digitally manipulated vocals in order to heighten the teetering sensations of the unstable world of the circus. All selections were written and performed by Rubinstein, with additional vocals by Katie Partridge on five tracks and, on “More Lies,” by Kiki Smith. Jeremy Bonafide, Rubinstein says, arrived fully formed in his imagination. “There are elements of me in Jeremy, but he is not me,” he says from his studio in Santa Fe, where he recorded Circus Boy. Standing six feet, nine inches tall, a, poet and pianist, Bonafide's heroes are Buddy Bolden and Satchel Paige, the Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher originally from the Negro Leagues. Having grown up traveling with the “Circus of Revelation” around the Southwest, Bonafide is also persecuted for his religion but admired by “little animals” and “bearded ladies.” According to Rubinstein's notes, Bonafide reads poetry in between acts, but there's no spoken word here. There is, however, Rubinstein's own CD cover art to illustrate Bonafide's inner torment. Rubinstein respects the courage of circus people and others on the fringe, but he also wants Circus Boy to stand on its own, without the context of the circus specifically. “Much as I admire circus music, I was not aiming for a vaudevillian sound here. For me it moves between Bonafide's inner and outer voice. I want people to just listen and enjoy, let the music live between the cracks of their own imagination, pointing whichever way they want to go.” Circus Boy (Black Starlight Records) will be officially released on August 15, 2007 and will be available for $17.95 at www.donaldrubinstein.com Rubinstein made his musical debut by scoring George A. Romero's cult classic film Martin (1977), which Mojo in 2002 named “One of the Top 100 Coolest Soundtracks of All Time.” Since then he has released 18 CDs, which range from jazz to folk to pop-rock to country; scored several feature films and main titles for two television series; and been commissioned by dance companies and musicians from the Boston Symphony and New York Philharmonic orchestras for individual works. Rubinstein currently resides in Santa Fe, NM. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |