16 April 13–19, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Sound of Silence A music label in Denton is the new future of classical music. BY JONATHAN PATRICK E ver get lost in the sound of bird- song or the gentle whistle of the wind as it moves through leaves? Do you enjoy the tranquil escape of meditation? What about the transportive effects of the finest abstract art? If so, there’s a local music label you should check out. Operated out of Denton by composer, per- former and University of North Texas teach- ing fellow Kory Reeder, Sawyer Editions is filled with sounds that seem to suspend time. Marked by hushed, laconic structures and unhurried experimentalism, the label spe- cializes in contemporary and improvised mu- sic, mostly from relatively unknown composers. While the releases are primarily debuts characterized by sparse, delicate mu- sic, Sawyer Editions’ catalog spans an array of styles, performers and voices from all over the globe: from achingly quiet to dissonant, from newcomers to celebrated veterans such as Pulitzer Prize finalist James Romig. A look at the album names on some of the 15 discs released so far hints at the type of mu- sic you can expect: empty spaces, sounds which grow rich as they decay, Designs and Medita- tions. It’s no coincidence the word “space” ap- pears in one fifth of the label’s titles. If there’s one identifiable thread through all the label’s output, it’s spaciousness: the idea that silence is music’s most important organizing princi- ple. The effect is profound and moving, a mu- sic that’s sometimes barely there. Drawing inspiration from the fragility of nature, the vast expanses of astronomy and visionary composers like John Cage, Mor- ton Feldman and La Monte Young, the la- bel’s entries live in the liminal stretches between the avant garde, ambient music and field recordings. Showcasing everything from academic vibraphone studies to impro- visations recorded outdoors, Sawyer Edi- tions embraces incidental sounds and emphasizes dreamy pacing. The average track on the label runs nearly 10 mins. Sawyer Editions is a one-man operation. Reeder does everything — public relations, editing, bookkeeping, final mastering, you name it. He also hand makes and packages every CD in his apartment, mailing them himself at a post office just minutes away. “It’s all completely me,” he says with a laugh over the phone. Reeder grew up on DIY punk and toured heavily with a hard- core band as a young musician in Nebraska. He’s since become one of the most captivat- ing composers in modern classical music, releasing hypnotic long-form works on some of the genre’s most respected labels. Like many of the pieces he’s released on Sawyer Editions, his music is defined by deep, resonant tones and an exacting focus on timbre and texture, threaded together by slow, minute progressions and drifting at- mospheres. Reeder’s compositions function to strip the ego and pretense from contemporary classical music, transforming a traditionally cloistered and imposing art form into some- thing approachable and nakedly beautiful. The joy found in patiently giving yourself up to these intimate soundscapes is like that of watching sun rays play through stained glass. The process is languid and gradual, but the payoff is immense, a bit dissociating but oddly rejuvenating. Reeder balances a demanding schedule that includes writing new compositions, per- forming, and completing an ever-expanding list of commissioned works. From Europe to Asia to Australia and the Americas, his music is now frequently performed worldwide. At least a small part of Reeder’s growing exposure comes from his economically radi- cal decision not to charge for his scores. “When I put on my website that I don’t charge for my scores, the amount of people from all over the world playing my music went up significantly,” he says. A few weeks after he put his composi- tions out for the world to take, his music ap- peared on the BBC. This reimagining of the economics of creating and releasing music in 2023 is also foundational to Sawyer Editions. “If you can find ways that you don’t have to be that concerned about the money, then you can do bigger, newer things; that’s where everything started,” Reeder says. “All we have is each other, mutual aid. That can come in the form of something as simple as sharing a link, tweeting out someone else’s project, attending or playing in their con- cert. That’s what this whole thing is about.” The idea to launch a label for emerging sounds and composers first came to Reeder in 2019, but it wasn’t until January 2022 that the first pack of releases landed on Band- camp streaming and on CD. This five-record drop included a collection of piano preludes from Reeder and a compilation of works from one of his previous professors at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Anthony Donofrio, with Designs and Meditations. “What’s so exciting is that Kory has cre- ated a place where younger, unknown com- posers can pitch new ideas,” Donofrio says. “There’s no hierarchy or favoritism. He re- ally cares that each composer is heard, and the focus is on the music and the people that make it, giving artists in underrepresented spaces a great opportunity.” Since that first group, two more batches of five discs have been released. Each Saw- yer Edition release is more than worth your time, and the highlights are numerous. Donofrio’s Designs and Meditations of- fers a heady spectrum of percussive pieces, including the mesmerizing “Camus” with its rippling marimba, and “Meditation on the Eve of John Cage’s 100th Birthday,” which bridges muted gongs with chasms of silence like jewels strung together with invisible string. Romig’s offering for solo vibraphone, Spaces, is luminous and beguiling, master- fully manipulating pitch, harmony and rhythm until time seems to fold in on itself. Artist and TikTok-famous mushroom for- ager Gabrielle Cerberville has arguably the most unnerving work on the label with her prickly [reckless invention], performed en- tirely by Denton musicians. The other- worldly Vessels, from UNT grad Christopher Poovey, comes in a close second. This collec- tion of songs from his virtual reality micro op- era weaves together acoustic and synthetic elements for a disorienting experience. “Piece for three tuned cowbells“ from Sylvia Lim’s contribution is crystalline and clattery, an empty canvas on which the tin- kling and mewling of cowbells are painted, an instrument in conversation with itself. Discussing the future of Sawyer Editions, Reeder is uncertain but enthusiastic. “I just want to be part of huge, crazy, radi- cal ideas and projects,” he says. ▼ Music Anton Lukoszevieze There’s a sparse beauty to the music from Denton label Sawyer Editions, founded by Kory Reeder (pictured here). Hand built not bougHt. Franklins TaTToo and supply TWo loCaTions: 469-904-2665 • 4910 Columbia ave, dallas, TX 75214 682-499-5755 • 8323 Camp Bowie w Blvd • Fort worth, tX 76116 proFessional TaTToo supply For pros only Call for your appointment or design commissions today!
