Michael Vincent Waller - Trajectories (2017)

Trajectories is the second full-length album by Michael Vincent Waller, featuring pianist R. Andrew Lee and cellist Seth Parker Woods. The album will be released on September 8th, 2017, on Sean McCann’s Los Angeles based label, Recital. The CD/LP editions include photography by Phill Niblock, liner notes by "Blue" Gene Tyranny, and mastering by Denis Blackham.

"In these evocative works, Michael Vincent Waller details his responses to mostly situations of introspection, in which the composer reveals his most private emotions. The compositions themselves could be described as “minimalist” in their means of expression, but they are not simply repetitions of patterns without narrative invocations. We feel and we see and we realize meditations on very personal or very quiet situations that express to the listener some of the very sincere and insightful revelations about the composer’s responses to the world, and to his own creative generation of imagery. In other words, his “minimalism” is not a mere repetition of patterns but a choice of sounds that evoke distinct images and feelings that help us experience the psychic background and artistic motivations embodied within the art-work. This truly beautiful and direct music reveals deep emotion of a very fine sensibility, exacting in its subtlety of form."
– “Blue” Gene Tyranny

Michael Vincent Waller is an American composer based in New York City. His music has been described as lyrical and introspective, drawing inspiration from impressionism, post-minimalism and world music. The work situates these familiar elements within decidedly unconventional and individual frameworks.

Waller's practice has been cultivated through private study with La Monte Young, Bunita Marcus, and with Elizabeth Hoffman as an undergrad at NYU. He has since collaborated with a number of noted soloists and ensembles including S.E.M. Ensemble, Ensemble Dedalus, String Noise, and members of the FLUX Quartet. In 2015, Phill Niblock's XI Records launched Waller's acclaimed 2-disc recorded debut, The South Shore, which compiles a number of solo and chamber works spanning 2011-2014.

Compared to Waller's debut, which offered a panorama of different instrumentation and approaches, Trajectories is more introspective and focused, working only with piano and cello through a personal language that is often intricate and spacious.

Pianist R. Andrew Lee is renowned for his performances of minimalist work. He has released twelve albums, including many long-form piano recordings on his label Irritable Hedgehog, including November by Dennis Johnson, which was selected by Time Out New York as the best classical recording of 2013.

Cellist Seth Parker Woods has established a diverse career that straddles the worlds of classical, contemporary, electronics and performance art. He worked with artists ranging from Heinz Holliger, G.F. Haas, and Klaus Lang to Peter Gabriel, Sting, and Aldo Tambellini.