Without Stopping

Without Stopping is scored for 3 Discmans on shuffle mode and any number of musicians following very simple instructions. (There is no score.) This is the first piece I wrote when I came to Princeton to begin my doctoral studies. It is emblematic of the new direction my work would take as a result of that experience. The title is drawn from the writer and composer Paul Bowles’s autobiography. Without Stopping is a kind of personal memorial to Bowles. I started writing to him and sending him my music in 1996. (At right you can see part of his first reply.)

In this performance, Paul Botelho (voice), Greg Spears (organ) and Steve Mackey (electric guitar) bring the piece magically to life.