EclectEcon

I'm sure many of you have heard of and heard the music of Steve Reich, but I had not until I chanced upon a performance of some of his music at the Jazz Festival in Copenhagen last summer. I had no idea what was being performed, but I loved it. The atmosphere was relaxed and, I am reluctant to use this term, "mellow" at the outdoor venue, with people coming and going, drinking beer, eating ice cream, and enjoying themselves. People's heads were bobbing in unison to the rhythm; and then there would be a chaotic interlude to the head-bobbing as the music developed a different cadence.

The music, I have come to learn, was typical Steve Reich: lots of percussion, including xylophones, marimbas, and other mallet instruments. Good examples of his music also appear on the CD, Sextet; Six Marimbas, which I just received from Amazon earlier this week. After the performance, I made my way through the crowd to talk with one of the musicians to ask if they had a CD out. He chuckled a bit and told me that this was the first time they had performed together. I then asked him about the music they had been playing, and he told me it was by Steve Reich.

Reich's music seems very repetitive, but as you listen to it, you begin to notice changes in the nuances, with a slight difference in nearly every bar (or whatever Reich uses for his music). Sometimes there's a slight change in the harmony, sometimes in the melody, but the music slowly progresses or evolves throughout the entire piece or movement.

I don't quite know how to classify Reich's music. Some might call it jazz, but there is little, if any, improvisation in it. Others might call it classical. But maybe "new age" is the best category for it.

Finally, if you have any idea what piece was being performed in Copenhagen, or if you know someone who performed in that group, please let me know.

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For more on Steve Reich, see this by Ted Frank. Also, Tyler Cowen recently mentioned the early looped tape music of Steve Reich.