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The Youthful Sound of Ethel
Quartet releases new album, has upcoming Lincoln Center show
Photo: Flickr
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Contemporary string quartet Ethel is back with a new album featuring some very unique compositions. The band has recorded Oshtali: Music for String Quartet Ethel, a CD that features contemporary classical sounds created entirely by American Indian student-composers with ages ranging from 13 to 21. The result of the compilation is a musical outpouring that is being recognized as a first of its kind, and anything but kid stuff.
Ethel’s roots are set firmly in New York City, but the Julliard-trained quartet—made up of Cornelius Dufallo (violin), Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello) and Mary Rowell (violin)—does not limit its influences to the isle of Manhattan. Musical collaboration is the heart of Ethel and they have an impressive repertoire to prove it. The band has performed compositions by Julia Wolfe, Phil Kline and John Zorn. They have also jammed alongside the likes of Joe Jackson, Jill Sobule and Polygraph Lounge (just to name a few), so it would make perfect sense that a project this distinctively synergetic would be executed by Ethel.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Dufallo, who expanded upon the band’s mission and their pride in being a part of this historic project. “Ethel is a new music group,” Dufallo begins, “and we certainly feel that exploring new music of other cultures is of vital importance.” It is this exploratory nature that Dufallo speaks of that has led the band to record this 16-work collection that showcases the raw talent of the students of the Chickasaw Summer Arts Academy. It has also led them to work with the man who serves as the artistic director/creator of the project, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. Under Tate’s mentorship, the students composed the entire body of work that makes up Oshtali. Every single string that Ethel plucks on the album is credited to these young composers.
It was Tate, an established composer of concert hall music, who invited Ethel to record the album and, without hesitation, they agreed. To be a part of a project that contained compositions not created by more seasoned professionals may have worried other bands, but Ethel thrives on challenging musical boundaries and opening doors of musical expression. “We approached the music with as much energy and focus as we would any other serious recording project,” Dufallo recounts, “and so, it became a very serious recording project.”
The proof of course of how serious Ethel took it is lies in each track on Oshtali, which reflects a maturity in structure and professionalism in tempo that any veteran contemporary composer would strive for as a marquee achievement.
You can catch Ethel live on July 28 as they open this year’s Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival with a new program entitled ETHEL Fair: The Songwriters. For more information, check out: Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival.