I’ve been doing more conducting these days - literally a dream come true - please enjoy Julius Eastman’s JOY BOY as performed by Ithaca College Contemporary Ensemble conducted by Chris Coletti on April 14th, 2022 in Hockett Family Recital Hall in Whalen Center for Music in Ithaca, NY.

Notes (from PitchFork Magazine):

“The welcome revival of interest in the late American composer Julius Eastman is also marked by a sense of grief. The reason is obvious: Eastman died too young, and documentation of his work is limited. As a result, every scrap of recorded material that comes into circulation is news. “Joy Boy,” described by the composer and musicologist Luciano Chessa as one of Eastman’s “queer-themed” pieces, is one of these essential scraps, and well worth savoring.

Released by the Frozen Reeds label, as part of Bandcamp’s fundraiser for the Transgender Law Center, this 1974 performance of the previously unissued composition lasts nearly nine minutes. At the outset, a reed and vocal quartet follows the score’s loosely minimalist structure. In the first section, a stuttering, solitary note alternates with an equally chattering chord. Subsequent chords take us further away from the piece’s opening. Yet the players’ jittery-but-charming rhythmic energy keeps the piece feeling rooted; the manic air of this performance suggests the excitable, nervy state of mind inspired by a new romantic attraction. There’s a bit of improvisation built into the score, though the work’s finale offers a clear resolution. In the final seconds, the frazzled energy of “Joy Boy” dissolves into a soothing drone, as the piece’s opening note finds stable companionship with another nearby tone.”

Performers:

Claire Park “Parky”, flute

Eden Treado, bassoon

Sarah Flynn, trumpet

Patrick Roche, percussion

Ethan Cowburn, percussion

Colin Kelly, percussion

Laura Grube, violin

Comfort Smith, violin

Nadav Berkman, violin

Laura Avila, viola

Aaron Irish-Donini, cello