Stephen Haynes

I am an improvising composer and teaching artist, a product of the historic and fertile Black Music Division at Bennington College, directed by Bill Dixon.  I currently lead several ensembles: Parrhesia, a trio, and Pomegranate, the new quintet that is the center of this proposal.  

With Joe Morris, I curate the long-running music series, Improvisations, at Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT.  I am very concerned with the plight of the local artist in his/her hometown and region, and with the importance of well-developed support for those of us who enjoy working close to home and being treated properly.

Over the years I have worked with a range of musicians, with a primary interest in large ensembles and composition: Bill Dixon, George Russell, LaMonte Young, Butch Morris, Rhys Chatham, Adam Rudolph, Leroy Jenkins, JD Parran, Gunter Hampel, Cecil Taylor and the Dells.

Pomegranate: New Music for Bill Dixon

I am raising funds to support the recording and release of new work for quintet dedicated to my teacher/mentor Bill Dixon.  The ensemble consists for Stephen Haynes, Joe Morris, Ben Stapp, William Parker and Warren Smith.

http://stephenhaynes.blogspot.com/2013/02/pomegranate-chapter-two.html

I first met Bill Dixon during the fall of 1973.    A few years later, I moved to Vermont to study with him in the Black Music Division at Bennington College.   Bill died in 2010, three weeks after a concert of his work for orchestra we mounted with him in Canada.  My hope is that, through the creation and sharing this new work, more listeners will become curious about the work of Bill Dixon.      

Working at a high level close to home is important to me.  Much of my work has centered on the development of my own work in a local/regional context.  The work is created close to home, with the steady support of local audiences and moves out into the world from there.

This project was initially conceived as a work for a small independent record label.  For a range of reasons, I have chosen to take over all of the production work myself.  Your donations to this project will fund a day of intensive recording in a state-of-the-art studio close to home: Firehouse 12 in New Haven, CT.  The resulting recording will be placed with one of several small labels and shared with the world.

What We Need & What You Get

My target fundraising goal is $4000.  All money be spent to pay the musicians, the studio time (recording, mixing and mastering). There are a number of suggested levels of giving listed (see perks) that have benefits tied to them.

If we secure less total funding than our target goal, this project will still proceed through budget adjustment.  The more money we raise with your help, the less compromise there will be in the finances of the recording project.

Other Ways You Can Help

Help us to get the word out and make some noise about this campaign.  Post the link to the Pomegranate project on your Facebook page or on Twitter.  Check out the Indiegogo tools attached to this campaign.

Image of Stephen Haynes by John Rogers

Image of Bill Dixon in Italy by Elena Carminati