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It was a challenging fall semester with lots of ups and downs. The downs have been health related, exacerbated (I think) by my environment and travel. I had bad sinus inflammation all of October, which led to/was accompanied by some mild pneumonia. Combined with the dust in our new house (yay!), I had a coughing fit so bad one night I had to go to emergency (boo!). This was one day before I had to travel to Toronto to perform …And the Lord Hath Taken Away, an autobiographical musical theatre / orchestral suite by The Holy Gasp. I’ve been friends with the frontman of the group, Benjamin Hackman, for many years, and it was an epic experience to play on both the album and its live debut. If you want to check it out or support the project, head to The Holy Gasp bandcamp page.
Also during my pneumoniatic episode, I played with my group Ouroboros and with Jazz East, St. John’s longest-running big band, led by the legendary Bill Brennan. I also played in a collaboration between Montréal groups ILÉA and Bakarlari, ÉMANANTS, where we created a site-specific ambient concert at the chapel of the La Cité-des-Hospitalières church-turned-arts space. We had around 150 people see the show over the course of the weekend, read the review here. You may notice that I was wearing a mask – I missed a rehearsal and there was a chance I wasn’t going to do the show due to being in bed with a fever for two days right before (more sickness!?).
Whether it’s my decision to plant my roots (yet again) in St. John’s, or the disappearing effects of COVID, my freelance career has really picked up. Nearly two years ago, when I was completing my thesis while living in Montréal, I was thoroughly depressed about my future as an artist and academic. Between all the playing opportunities, a year teaching at the College of the North Atlantic, and now doing my postdoc at McGill, my professional life is full, rewarding, and paying the bills.
Regarding my postdoc, my research is progressing just as I had proposed (and hoped it would unfold). Essentially, I am developing a prototype “pedal” for my feedback saxophone system, which I presented at the CIRMMT-led “Feedback Days” in December - slides for the presentation are below. I'm excited to take the next steps of this research! By the spring of 2025, I aim to have an affordable feedback kit, comprised of a microphone, audio processor, and saxophone-mounted volume control, ready for other saxophonists to try.
At our new home in St. John’s, I am enjoying my temporary studio space while I wait to design and build something larger and more permanent in our basement. I've included some pictures of the studio to give you an idea where I'll be spending most of my time in St. John's. In addition to audio and video recording, I hope to have as well as a soldering station of some kind, and maybe even a 3D printer. Regardless of what I rig up in NL, the high-quality recording and fabrication related to my research will all happen at McGill. I’ll be in SJ for another month till I head back to Montreal to record a CIRMMT-supported video about my research (among other things).
After some more sickness and fatigue over the holidays, I'm feeling positive that 2025 will be a healthier year for me! For those reading, I hope the new year has brought a sense of renewal to you as well. All the best,
Greg