Baljinder Sekhon at The Stone, NYC

Recently I journeyed to New York from Richmond to support a good friend, Edward Messerschmidt, whose commissioned piece for solo glockenspiel appeared on the program of Baljinder Sekhon's recital at The Stone on Sunday November 9. Sehkon's talent shone through in the presentation titled "A Collection of Solo Works," which actually incorporated a gathering of equally talented musical colleagues. Housed at the corner of Avenue C and 2nd Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, John Zorn's club is undoubtedly one of the centers for avant garde expression in New York's vibrant experimental music culture. Sehkon's music fit comfortably there, and the recital was a cohesive, yet varied display of pieces incorporating electronic overdubs and modern compositional techniques. Pieces often included glockenspiel, or steel pan drums. Sehkon graciously thanked his performing cohorts, numerous young elite musicians, full of chops, interpretative skill, and a knack for interaction. They tackled the challenging material with confidence, and each musician conveyed a professional stage demeanor, polite and calming. The percussionist Andy Akiho (who performed Messerschmidt's solo piece) was an exceptionally strong reader, and talented interpreter. The saxophonist Quinn Lewis had a thick, full tone, and deftly handled various effects like slap-tonguing, multi-phonics, and pitch bending on Sekhon's Gradient. My friend Edward Messerschmidt's solo piece held to metric strictures, while still providing for melodic flow and variety. Pitch-Dark Path by Sehkon closed the showcase, and had moments of beauty that were unlike much of the more introverted, solitary offerings of the evening. All together, the recital went off without a hitch, and by the end, Sehkon was relaxed enough to quickly thank the performers and then invite everyone out for an after-party.

Full program selections:
(1) Bell Canon by Robert Morris
(2) Regeneration by Baljinder Sekhon
(3) Kinderspiel für Glockenspiel by Edward Messerschmidt
(4) Conversion by Baljinder Sekhon
(5) Praying Alone by Baljinder Sekhon
(6) Barber's Dozen by Matthew Barber
(7) Gradient by Baljinder Sekhon
(8) Pitch-Dark Path by Baljinder Sekhon