This article appeared in the Feb. 12, 2003 Cambridge Chronicle

Zeitgeist Guitar Night Showcases

Father of Local Experimental Guitar

By Susie Davidson

CORRESPONDENT

The admirable axe, that hourglass-shaped symbol of musical virtuosity and just plain perenially cool credential, will be given full throttle this Friday evening at the Zeitgeist. Curated by Michael Bierylo and the avant-electronic ensemble Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, the show will be the second of a new bi-monthly Birdsong Festival series. In this performance, prominent experimental guitarists will branch out into varied tangents of their craft, in solo and duo performances.

Bierylo, a Music Synthesis professor at Berklee College of Music, has integrated technology and music since his two 1980s releases, Lifeline and Cloud Chorus. Before joining Birdsongs in 1991, he played in Ibrahima’s World Beat and the electronic ensemble Packing for Egypt. He runs the project studio Virtual Planet, whose film, video and multimedia clients have included Hasbro Interactive, Nintendo, Nickelodeon and Universal Studios Island Of Adventure.  

“Now, I know a piece on experimental guitar for Valentine’s Day might be a bit

of a stretch,” he acknowledged. “However, it will feature the presence of Jon Damian, an absolutely fascinating individual who, although very low-key about his work, is a major figure in modern guitar music.”

Cambridge resident Damian, Berklee professor of over 30 years and longtime member of the Boston Pops, is commonly referred to as the father of local experimental guitar. Many jazz and new music guitarists, such as Bill Frisell, are among his former students. “His appearance will mark the 30th anniversary of a signature performance piece called Rubber Tellie,” said Bierylo.

A Brooklyn, New York native, Damian, an international performer, composer, lecturer and clinician, has appeared with Jaki Byard, Howard McGee, Jimmy Giuffre, Sheila Jordan, Joanne Brackeen, Don Byron, Johnny Cash, Leonard Bernstein, The Bolshoi Ballet, Luciano Pavarotti, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa. Recently, he has collaborated with Collage New Music and Vince Gill and Amy Grant.

His compositions and performance art works have been staged at the Berklee Performance Center, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Mobius and other venues. He has performed, lectured and taught in Asia, South and Central America, Europe and Israel.

A founder of the Rubbertellie String Quartet and member of The Boston New Music Ensemble. Damian has also created his own instruments. “Having played the standard guitar for some years as an improviser, I wanted to explore another instrumental medium,” he explained. “My ‘rubbertellie’ is a totally standard guitar, with absolutely no additives, but approached in a totally non-standard way. It is held differently, played differently, tuned quite differently, hence the conceptual prefix ‘rubber’ to indicate that it has stretched the traditional boundaries of the instrument.” Heavy Rubber: The Movie, a documentary film about the rubbertellie, is in the works.

“The rubbertellie is Jon’s long-standing vehicle for combining improvisation with theater,” said Bierylo. “Freed from the shackles of standard six-string tuning, Jon’s vintage Fender Telecaster becomes the medium for an exploration of pure sound.”

Another invention, the “il mandolino meccanico,” allows for maximum sustain for the guitarist, through tremelando, according to Damien.

Recent Damian product includes the original CD Dedications: Faces and Places, which was recorded with his trio and Bill Frisell, and his book, The Guitarists Guide To Composing and Improvising.

Bassist and Berklee College, Boston Arts Academy and Massachusetts College of Art instructor Jon Voigt will assist in the performance; Bierylo and guitarist, composer and Berklee Assistant Professor of Music Synthesis Steve MacLean will, according to Bierylo, “present a series of short improvisation etudes that fuse their diverse musical perspectives with laptop mayhem.”

Perhaps it is not so unique a way to celebrate the holiday, according to Bierylo. “Guitars are love with strings attached.”

The Zeitgeist Gallery is located at 1353 Cambridge St. in Inman Square, Cambridge. For ticket information, visit www.zeitgeist-gallery.org or call 617-876-6060. Performers’ CDs are sold at the shows. For more information on Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, visit http://www.birdsongsofthemesozoic.org/birdsongs/home/news.htm#shows