Patricia Brennan: Vibraphone Visions of the Universe

Today we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Patricia Brennan, a vibraphonist and composer who grew up in Veracruz, Mexico, playing salsa with her dad while listening to Hendrix and Zeppelin with her mom. She studied classical percussion at the Curtis Institute, performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Philadelphia Orchestra, then found her voice and career in jazz and improvisation.

Patricia’s latest album, Of The Near And Far, takes constellations from the summer sky and turns them into music. She superimposes the circle of fifths over star patterns to generate pitches, then turns them into compositions that reflect a voice as unique as the compositional approach. 

Patricia’s ten-piece ensemble features a jazz quintet, a string quartet, and an electronic musician, all conducted by Eli Greenhoe. 

Hot on the heels of her 2024 release, Breaking Stretch, which won Album of the Year and Vibraphonist of the Year in the DownBeat Critics Poll, Patricia's here to talk about finding symmetry between the cosmos and composition, why she carries a telescope wherever she goes, and how ancient myths and modern astronomy shape her work.

(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Patricia Brennan's album Of The Near And Far)

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Dig Deeper

Artist and Album

• Visit Patricia Brennan at patriciabrennanvibes.com and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
• Purchase Patricia Brennan's Of The Near And Far from Pyroclastic Records, Bandcamp, or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice
• Patricia Brennan's acclaimed 2024 album Breaking Stretch on Pyroclastic Records

Educational Institutions

• Curtis Institute of Music – Philadelphia conservatory where Patricia studied classical percussion
• Youth Orchestra of the Americas – Continental ensemble Patricia joined at age seventeen

Collaborators and Ensemble Members

• Sylvie Courvoisier, pianist
• Miles Okazaki, guitarist
• Kim Cass, bassist
• John Hollenbeck, drummer and composer
• Kyle Armbrust, violist
• Arktureye (Noel Brennan) – Electronic musician and Patricia's duo partner in MOCH
• Eli Greenhoe, conductor

Musical Influences and References

• Keiko Abe – Japanese marimbist who transformed the instrument
• Radiohead – In Rainbows
• Erik Satie – "Gnossienne No. 1"
• Glenn Gould performing Bach
• Philip Glass – String Quartets
• György Ligeti – Atmosphères
• Grachan Moncur III – Evolution featuring Bobby Hutcherson
• Kid Koala – Canadian turntablist
• Eighth Blackbird – Contemporary chamber music ensemble
• Fania All-Stars – Legendary salsa supergroup

Composers Mentioned

• Tōru Takemitsu – Japanese composer
• Iannis Xenakis – Greek-French composer
• Karlheinz Stockhausen – German composer
• Edgard Varèse – French-American composer
• John Cage – American experimental composer
• Steve Reich – American minimalist composer
• David Lang – Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Bang on a Can co-founder

Astronomical References

• Andromeda Galaxy (M31) – Nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way
• Circle of fifths – Music theory concept used in Patricia's compositional system
• Constellation guide – Reference for the star patterns inspiring the album
• NASA's Sounds of Space – Astronomical recordings translated into audio

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