Cover Philip Glass arr. Third Coast Percussion* Philip Glass, arr. Third Coast Percussion* 1 Madeira River (5:43) 15 Xingu River (4:59) Third Coast Percussion Jacob Druckman Paddle to the Sea** (33:57) Reflections on the Nature of Water 2 The Lighthouse and 16 III. Tranquil (2:45) the Cabin (4:23) Robert Dillon 3 Flow (2:34) 17 IV. Gently Swelling (2:09) 4 Open Water (4:19) David Skidmore 5 Thaw (3:36) Philip Glass arr. Third Coast Percussion* 6 The Stewards (2:44) 18 Japurá River (2:57) 7 Niagara (3:20) 8 Sanctuary (5:07) Jacob Druckman 9 The Locks (3:08) Reflections on the Nature of Water 10 Release (1:52) 19 V. Profound (4:35) 11 The Lighthouse (2:54) Robert Dillon Traditional, arr. Musekiwa Chingodza 20 VI. Relentless (2:15) 12 Chigwaya (2:57) Sean Connors Jacob Druckman Philip Glass arr. Third Coast Percussion* Reflections on the Nature of Water 21 Amazon River (9:35) 13 I. Crystalline (2:56) David Skidmore TT: (78:52) 14 II. Fleet (1:52) Peter Martin * from Aguas da Amazonia **World Premiere Recording In building a performance project around this story, the four members of Third Coast Percussion composed music together as a team to perform The protagonist of Holling C. live with the 1966 film adaptation Holling’s 1941 children’s book of Paddle to the Sea — music Paddle to the Sea is a small inspired by, and interspersed wooden figure in a canoe, with, other music that bears lovingly carved by a Native thematic connections to water. Canadian boy. From the Nipigon This other music represents Country north of Lake Superior, different aspects of our own the figure travels for years musical journeys and places us through the Great Lakes and in the role of musical stewards, St. Lawrence Seaway out to adding what we can to each work the Atlantic Ocean and beyond, and sending it out again into the encountering a variety of people, world for others to experience. creatures, and environments As a whole, this album is a along the way. Indeed, these story told by many voices, with encounters make the long journey music that we have composed possible—rather than keeping interwoven with music by others Paddle for themselves, those who who have shaped our art. find the figurine choose to send him further along the waterways, perhaps with a fresh coat of paint or a new rudder. Paddle to the Sea in Flow is soaring, Philip Glass- (Third Coast Percussion) inspired music for almglocken As we set out to score the film (tuned cowbells), drum set, and Paddle to the Sea, we drew keyboards; our “placid” theme inspiration from the musical at the beginning of Open Water material and atmosphere of each is a simple heartbeat in the low of the water-related works on register of the marimba; and the this album. Finding connections sections we dubbed “turmoil” between the disparate aesthetics are marked by driving drum of these works fueled our figures in rhythms borrowed compositional process, and from the last movement of gave us the opportunity to pay Druckman’s Reflections on the homage to some great artists Nature of Water. We developed that we admire while creating and combined these themes in something entirely new. different ways to form a musical narrative that parallels the The score’s musical content exuberance, danger, loneliness, corresponds to many of the and infinite possibility of Paddle’s main themes in the film: the “boy voyage. theme,” first heard two minutes into The Lighthouse and the Chigwaya (Traditional, Cabin, puts a simple melody arr. Musekiwa Chingodza) on pitched desk bells over In recent years, the four of us playful skittering wood blocks, have been fortunate to be able to ceramic tiles, and other quirky expand our artistic practice and sounds; the music first heard musical knowledge with a study of Shona music from Zimbabwe, and learn more about this great and the mbira, a thumb piano artist through the Kutsinhira that plays a leading role in this Cultural Arts Center, the music. In preparation for this Oregon-based nonprofit that project, our mentor, Musekiwa hosts his biennial visits to the Chingodza, taught us Chigwaya, United States. a song used to call water spirits Reflections on the Nature in the Shona religion. Chigwaya of Water (Jacob Druckman) — literally “the bream fish” — is This project allowed us to revisit a symbol for the water spirits or an established piece of solo mermaid spirits, who can impart repertoire that each of the four of wealth or healing powers but can us, like many classically-trained also be dangerous or demanding. percussionists, studied in our As in many traditional Shona university days. Written in 1986, songs, each musician develops Jacob Druckman’s six-movement their own version of Chigwaya. marimba opus is one of the few Musekiwa taught us the ways he works to have maintained a place might perform the piece on the over many decades in the relatively mbira or our marimbas, as well young canon of marimba solo as drum, hosho (shaker), and music. Each movement explores a voice parts. The rendition on this different character that water can album is our own mbira-focused embody, intricately and evocatively interpretation of what we learned mapping those characters on the from Musekiwa. We encourage marimba. The movements are listeners to explore Musekiwa concise but unhurried, gentle but Chingodza’s own discography uncompromising, inviting the and the original piano music, we listener to discover the rippling arranged four of the twelve pieces, flow of an asymmetrical groove, exploiting our vast instrument an abundance of musical content arsenal and experimenting with in a single flickering gesture, color blends across the spectrum or the powerful calm of stillness from “non-pitched” to “pitched” between notes. percussion. Arranging Glass’s music pushed us to reimagine Aguas da Amazonia (Philip Glass, familiar material with a different arr. Third Coast Percussion) sound palette and offered a While Druckman’s solo revels chance to live inside the music in textures and timbres unique of one of the most recognized to the marimba, this music by voices in the contemporary Philip Glass has experienced classical music world. multiple lives on different musical instruments. Glass’s 12 Pieces for Ballet, originally composed for piano, was arranged by Brazilian musical group Uakti for their own gamut of instruments, many of which were custom- made and built by the performers. This new version of the piece was renamed after the Amazon river and its tributaries. Drawing on both the Uakti arrangement THIRD COAST PERCUSSION is a GRAMMY Award-winning, The four members of Third Coast artist-run quartet of classically are also accomplished teachers, trained percussionists hailing and since 2013, have served from the great city of Chicago. as ensemble-in-residence at For over ten years, the ensemble the University of Notre Dame’s has forged a unique path in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. musical landscape with virtuosic, Third Coast Percussion has energetic performances that commissioned and premiered celebrate the extraordinary over 40 new works, including depth and breadth of musical music by Augusta Read Thomas, possibilities in the world of Donnacha Dennehy, Glenn Kotche, percussion. The ensemble has Lei Liang, Chris Cerrone, and been praised for “commandingly Gavin Bryars. elegant” (New York Times) Third Coast Percussion is: performances, the “rare power” Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, (Washington Post) of its Peter Martin, David Skidmore recordings, and “an inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” www.thirdcoastpercussion.com (Minnesota Star-Tribune). Musekiwa Chingodza touring to include Japan and (b. 1970) was born into a family of France. He says, “Our music is great mbira players in Mwangara both medicine and food, as mbira village, Murewa, Zimbabwe. He has the power to heal and to began playing mbira at the age provide for people. Mbira pleases of five and is self-taught. both the living and the dead.” Through listening to other One of the most prominent gwenyambira, or great mbira contemporary American players, he developed a strong composers, Jacob Druckman attachment to and love for (1928–1996) was born in mbira music. He has recorded Philadelphia in 1928. Druckman solo albums and albums produced a substantial list of in collaboration with Tute works embracing orchestral, Chigamba, Herbert Matema, chamber, and vocal media, Chris Berry, Jennifer Kyker, Bud and did considerable work Cohen, and Sumi Madzitateguru. with electronic music. In 1972, He formerly taught mbira at he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize Prince Edward School in Harare, for Windows, his first work for and continues to be in demand to play mbira at ceremonies in large orchestra. Mr. Druckman Zimbabwe. Since 1999, he has taught at the Juilliard School, been a regular visitor to the U.S., Bard College, and Tanglewood. sponsored biennially by the He also served as director of Kutsinhira Cultural Arts Center the Electronic Music Studio and in Eugene, Oregon, and has Professor of Composition at recently extended his musical Brooklyn College. In April 1982, he was appointed composer- dubbed “minimalism.” Glass in-residence with the New York himself never liked the term and Philharmonic. In the last years preferred to speak of himself of his life, Mr. Druckman was as a composer of “music with Professor of Composition at the repetitive structures.” School of Music at Yale University. In the past 25 years, Glass has Philip Glass was born in 1937 composed more than twenty-five and grew up in Baltimore. operas, large and small; eleven He studied at the University of symphonies; piano concertos Chicago and the Juilliard School.