Stephen Haynes -

"…strange and sweet and, above all, skilled…" "Haynes and his work pioneer rich new territory in the arts of composition and improvisation." -The Hartford Advocate

STEPHEN HAYNES
Composer-in-Residence

Real Art Ways is pleased to announce the commissioning of Stephen Haynes as the organization's Composer-in-Residence beginning in the fall of 2004. Haynes, an improvising composer and trumpeter from Hartford, has worked with a wide range of composers including George Russell, La Monte Young, Leroy Jenkins and Rhys Chatham and is currently a member of Cecil Taylor's Orchestra Humane (Ubuntu).

Read what the Hartford Advocate had to say about Stephen's 1/17 performance!

Notes in an Autumn Diary
Two evenings of new music for improvising chamber ensembles

Admission to both concerts is free.

Stephen Haynes & Bugaboo Friday, September 16, 8PM
Convened last year during Stephen’s residency at Real Art Ways, Bugaboo is a quartet with Mario Pavone/bass, Alan Jaffe/guitar, Satoshi Takeishi/drums and percussion and Stephen Haynes/trumpet. This group performs original compositions and reinterpretations of the American Songbook (e.g, Ornette Coleman, Johnny Cash).

Stephen Haynes & Salt Saturday, September 17, 8PM
Salt is a re-imagining of the string quartet and features virtuosic collective improvisation woven through original composition. Salt consists of Stephen Haynes/cornet, JD Parran/alto flute, Rick Rozie/bass, Mario Pavone/bass along with cello and percussion.

Pre-concert talks by the composer at 7:15 PM
Funded by the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund and Meet the Composer New England

.: Read the Hartford Advocate's review of Stephen 6/11/05 perfomance

Haynes will host six open work sessions which will bring audiences together with participating artists for intimate views into the creative process. Audiences will be able to observe this process, participating as witnesses and through dialogue with the composer and ensemble members.

An additional part of the process will involve Haynes conducting master classes at local schools. The project fits into a long line of Real Art Ways' commitment to fostering the creation of new work, such as Bob Ostertag's "Yugoslavia Suite" which premiered at Real Art Ways in 1999 and later traveled to the former Yugoslavia. Haynes' residency will be a collaborative encounter that will engage some of the oustanding musical artists in the area. The community will have its ears opened to some of the talent that is living among us.

Using techniques learned from his mentor Bill Dixon, and culled from years of experience as a sideman with some of jazz's most intriguing leaders, Haynes composes first on trumpet, setting down lines and voicings using standard western notational technique. Haynes "hears" the work being played by specific musicians as he is composing and arranging. The composer lives with the material over a period of time, revising, editing and extending. With regular (and often open) rehearsals, the work will take shape over time for the audience to see.

Haynes' residency is funded in part by a Creation of New Work grant from the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation. The Roberts Foundation launched the Creation of New Work initiative in January 2003 to help foster an environment of creativity in Greater Hartford through support for artists in the creation of new work. Haynes was awarded one of the first two grants under the initiative. Also Funded in part by a grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts and Meet the Composer, Inc., with additional support from ASCAP, The Virgil Thomson Fund, and with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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