Words by David C. Obenour
The experience of music is well served by curiosity and grounded understanding. As a listener, Payton MacDonald’s Transient explores the marimba player’s ability to balance song and sonic structure with the contributions of his companions, Billy Martin, Susie Ibarra, and Nava Dunkelman – all performing as duets. Curiosity is easy to come by here and understanding has grounding through solid playing – but the compounding studied and practiced backgrounds of each player is staggering to consider. Thankfully, these pairings hold their footing through a shared deeper understanding of each other and how to work together in song.
Off Shelf: What do you like about the duo format? How does it provide and challenge its players?
Payton MacDonald: I love the intimacy of it, the ways in which we really get to know each other as musicians and can build a kind of telepathy and mind-meld for intense musical expression.
OS: On Transients you duo with three artists, Susie Ibarra, Nava Dunkelman, and Billy Martin. Why these players right now and for this album?
PM: I have admired these players for many years. Each of them has a distinct voice as a musician, but they are each incredibly broad in their range of expression. All three of them have wide-open ears and minds and have explored and studied a variety of musical cultures, traditions, and approaches, and this keeps the improvising palette open and free, yet grounded in tradition and incredible technical execution.
OS: How was playing with each of them different? What different approaches or considerations did you have?
PM: Of course, they each have a different touch and sense of time and phrasing, and there were differences in each musical moment, but what was more interesting to me was actually how unifying it was to make music with improvisers who have so much confidence and are such deep listeners and creative collaborators. It never felt about any one of us, but always about making something that transcends the individuals, where the sum is greater than the parts.
OS: What did the balance of improvisation, preparation, or composition you had for these songs?
PM: About half the tracks are freely improvised. The other half are interpretations of graphic scores. There was no discussion or preparation for the purely improvised tracks. For the graphic scores there was some discussion, but not much rehearsal. One of the things that I see as a point of success for these recordings is that I find it difficult to tell which tracks are completely improvised, and which ones are interpretations of graphic scores. To me that speaks of the high degree of compositional awareness and integrity these remarkable musicians bring to every musical moment.
OS: Did you record live and in person with each of them? Were they separate recording sessions? What were they like?
PM: Yes, all were done live, in person. There were no remote sessions or overdubs. All single takes. Sometimes we did multiple takes of the graphic scores and then I simply picked the best one, but there was no splicing of sections.
OS: Recording so many percussive instruments for Transients, was there any particularly interested, inspired, or improvised mic setup used? Any sounds you listen back to and are really pleased in how they were captured?
PM: So sorry, but I can’t comment on that. I was too busy playing!
OS: Listening to percussive tones – and particularly from keyboard instruments like the marimba – I’ve been struck by the “space” that sounds exist in. As if you could see their shape, hanging in the air. Does that make any sort of sense or resonate with you at all? Do you think about a tone’s physical presence?
PM: Yes, I very much think about a tone’s physical presence, and it definitely takes the form of shapes and colors, but not so much hanging in space as resonating throughout my body in different ways. I have a very physical connection with my instruments, and I am interested in pushing the extremes of physical and musical expression, perhaps connected to my interest in ultra-endurance cycling and hiking.
OS: Can you talk about the sequencing you did for the CD and the download? Was it mainly a play length consideration?
PM: The sequencing was mainly concerned with striking a balance between the tracks that are a bit more “accessible” with an identifiable groove and/or melodic profile and those that are more abstract and more focused on textures and noise palettes.
OS: Have you or do you plan on performing any of these songs live? Could they be performed by anyone other than who you recorded them with?
PM: I have performed some of the graphic scores with other people, including much larger ensembles, and they can certainly be performed without me, provided the musicians have a genuine interest in this kind of music making. Nava and I perform somewhat frequently as a duo. I perform less frequently with Susie and Billy because of geographic differences and schedule complications, but I’m hoping we can do more in the future.
OS: Some of your previous works have included an experiential element – explored in performance and film. Do you have anything like that with Transients?
PM: These were not conceived as interdisciplinary projects. This is pure music, perhaps best enjoyed with a great set of headphones or speakers, a focused environment, and your favorite drink!