Obsidian, White Tea & Ginger, by Louis Raymond-Kolker

Obsidian, White Tea & Ginger

by Louis Raymond-Kolker

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	1.	Obsidian, White Tea & Ginger – I. 03:04
	2.	Obsidian, White Tea & Ginger – II. 01:49
	3.	Obsidian, White Tea & Ginger – III. 03:11

about

If I didn’t know any better, I’d describe so many things in my life as magic. Seeing sunlight reflecting off of the water at Crab Orchard Falls, hearing impossible sounds come out of steelpans, and watching a pair of candles that I brought from Nebraska (like orchids) burn at my desk all have rational – even scientific – explanations. But for all of the stock that we place in science, there’s a temptation to devalue that which we don’t fully understand, even if it’s something that we could otherwise intuit.

“Obsidian, White Tea & Ginger”, named for my candles, and magical reagents in themselves, is a transfiguration of a string quartet into a steelpan quartet. The music draws from the language of other string quartets, with circular contours, forms, and instruments. Instead of telling a straightforward narrative, the aim of this piece is to create an experience that one can understand by intuition. This work is a love letter to – if not an argument for – not knowing better.

“Obsidian, White Tea & Ginger” was commissioned by Dr. Diana Loomer for members of the Appalachian State University Steely Pan Steel Band. This EP was recorded with friends at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in July 2022.

credits

released June 30, 2023

Louis Raymond-Kolker, tenor pan
Lauren Molloy, tenor pan
Dave Hall, double seconds
Alex Richard, guitar pans

audio by Ian Whillock
video by Jack Kloecker

recorded at Avaloch Farm Music Institute, Boscawen, NH by Blank House Media

composed by Louis Raymond-Kolker

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about

Louis Raymond-Kolker Winston Salem, North Carolina

Hi y'all. My name is Louis. I'm a composer, percussionist, and teacher from Austin, TX living in Winston-Salem, NC.

The music I write blends a sense of sentimentality, vivid imagery, and treating silly things seriously (and vice versa). As a performer, I specialize on steelpan, the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, and playing new classical music. ... more

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