Major Blues by Black Warrior Lures

This album is the culmination of a 1.5 year journey of both learning modular synthesis and generative music. While most synthesists try to make the machine create an entire song by itself, I sought to restrict the generative aspects to a single voice: the solo voice.

Given my background as a performance saxophone major, improvisation is most important to me, both classical and jazz. Sadly western-classical music has largely abandoned improvisation in favor of written music. The beauty of synthesis is that is can't be written. It's purely aural.

Although I have jazz experience, I was not interested in improvising in a jazz context. However, Miles Davis' and John Coltrane's pioneering works in modal jazz was highly influential.

Secondly, in music school I loved listening to minimalist music. The music of Philip Glass was of great interest to me there. However, upon graduation and after a 15 year hiatus from music, the works of both Terry Riley and Steve Reich have been of much greater influence. Primarily because they were influenced by modal jazz and various folk, traditional forms of music such as Indian classical music and African polyrythmic drums.

As a result these influences, Davis, Coltrane, Riley and Reich, culminate in this album. This is not a reproduction of their methods. This is simply a brief history in major influences on the music heard here.

Yes, the machine plays everything in real time. I'm nothing more than a composer.

Happy listening,

Damon Toney

P.S., For those who want patch notes on each piece, return to the album in the coming days and weeks. I'll write patch notes as the spirit moves me.

Hey, I'm Damon. I make and test fishing tackle designs along the Black Warrior River in west-central Alabama..

There are many sights to see on the river. The musician in me wanted to record the beauty and simplicity of the river.