Bassoonist Dana Jessen and saxophonist Michael Straus will present five contemporary works including "Triptiek" (2009) by Peter VZ Lane, "Backbeat Etude" (2009) by Alex Kotch, "SXueAk" (2007) by Matthew Burtner, "Grito del Corazon" (2001) by Judith Shatin and "In Flux" (2009), an original piece for the saxophone and Tibetan singing bowl composed by Jessen. Rare degree will also play one older piece, "Dorian Reeds" (1964) by Terry Riley.
Improvised music features heavily into many of rare degree's performances both in Europe and in the U.S. The duo adds variety to their show by experimenting with everyday objects as musical instruments and through the exploration of other art forms, most typically film. According to Straus, such creativity adds a fun, humorous dimension to their performances.
"Come in and have fun," Straus said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "There's Tibetan singing bowls and squeaky toys we're seeing how much we can do with [these items]."
Although rare degree often collaborates with other innovative musicians (including "self-proclaimed knife virtuoso" Hyaena Reich, according to Straus' web site), Straus and Jessen constitute the core of the group. The pair met at Louisiana State University where they both received bachelor's degrees in music. They both also hold master's degrees in the field, from the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University and the New England Conservatory of Music respectively.
In addition to rare degree, Straus and Jessen work independently on solo projects and also collaborate with other bands. Straus is in another chamber music ensemble, "quux," which focuses on saxophonists. Last November, in his home state of Louisiana, Straus premiered "The Ant's Elbow Duo Project," a collection of short pieces, each under 100 seconds, that incorporated saxophones and electronic music.
Jessen, who played her original composition titled "Storm Scenes" as part of the project, has also teamed up with an array of groups and artists in hopes of exploring and expanding the bounds of her music, according to her web site. These collaborators include the Kristiansand Symphony of Norway and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.
The duo's Vaughan concert, among other works, seven new pieces that they wrote for saxophone, electronics and bassoon. Whereas rare degree used to tour as a trio, the pieces for this performance have been formatted for performance by the duo. Turntablist Erik Spangler, also known as DJ Dubble8, can no longer travel for performances outside of the Baltimore area for family reasons, Straus said. Spangler continues to collaborate with the group while not on tour.
As part of the Vaughan Recital Series, the rare degree recital aims to serve Dartmouth students and the greater Dartmouth community as players and listeners of music, according to the music department's web site. Although the shows are open to the public, department members have not seen as much of a variety of attendees as they would like.
Jessen said she would like to see students not only from the music department but from across the arts at the performance, since rare degree often experiments with other art forms. Jessen also said that rare degree's style of music will give students exposure to a genre of music that does not often occur in a school setting.
"A lot of stuff goes on outside of school, and when you're a student you don't normally go to obscure venues," Jessen said. "It's really great to bring this sort of music to the institutions so students know this sort of thing exists."
In the past, the varied roster of artists in the Vaughan Recital Series has helped further this sentiment of exposing students to different types of music. Previous performances include chamber music, the United States Army Field Band and traditional Indonesian Gamelan music.
The Vaughan Recital Series is free and open to the public. Upcoming performances in the series this term include guitarist David Newsam and singer Jenni Cook, the Dartmouth Wind Studio and soprano Felicia Plunkett '05.
