Pluto and the Sun
"Pluto and the Sun" is a the single release from a forthcoming album by Steve Newcomb Orchestra, a small chamber jazz ensemble with strings, winds, voices, and harp alongside the standard jazz piano trio. Newcomb authored the song, and orchestrated it for the ensemble to be recorded in New York city, prior to the closing of the esteemed Systems Two recording studio in Brooklyn. This recorded performance was then adapted for a narrative film clip with collaborative film makers Vanessa van Dalsen and Tnee Dyer. Newcomb and van Dalsen also acted in the short film.
History
ERA Category
- Recorded/Rendered Creative Work - Performance
Funding type
- Other
Eligible major research output?
- Yes
Research Statement
Research Background Pluto and the Sun is the summation of a process of composition, orchestration, improvisation, studio recording, recording production, and the marrying of all these elements with collaborative filmmaking. The creative work has aligned itself with narrative storytelling through the compositional process, the audio editing process, and the goal of representing character driven themes within acting and a film recording. Central to the work are the musical elements of a mixed-chamber ensemble, and live captured improvisation which have been key components of much of my work to date. This project however, documents an extension of musical elements through to a conceptual integration of music with moving- image. Inspiration, among other things, was taken from recent ‘film albums’ by artists such as Beyoncé (2016) and Lizzy McAlpine (2022). Research Contribution My roles for this project were composer, orchestrator, performer, record producer, and actor, working with expert musical collaborators based in New York, and for the final stages of the project with Brisbane based cinematographer/film directors Vanessa van Dalsen, and Tnee Dyer. The project involved a study trip to New York for research, composition and recording, in a highly esteemed but now closed recording studio - Systems Two, Brooklyn. Working with an established recording engineer was pivotal in realising the goals of the project. Similarly, the collaborative work that took place with the project film makers offered unique perspectives on music and moving image, alongside the development of acting experience. For the latter, I undertook advice from fellow CARI member and Griffith faculty Dr Karin Schaupp - known for her research that explores music and acting paradigms in symbiosis. Research Significance The outcomes of the project include a notated score of the composition and arrangement for Pluto and the Sun. The audio recording of the work was released on the Brisbane Based Made Now Music record label worldwide and via all streaming platforms, and accompanying this was the film release via YouTube and Vimeo. The significance of this research is the way in which a central creative or artist may work through multiple roles, genres, and media formats in the realisation of narrative storytelling regarding a central character and theme. This project has been the catalyst for a new research trajectory within my creative practice and will carry through to a full length album released in due course.Publisher
Made Now MusicPlace of publication
BrisbanePublisher URL
Confidential / Culturally sensitive
- No
Medium
Musical score, audio recording, film recordingNumber of discrete components
3Length of recording
6:29Date of recording
2016-09-15Duration of performance
6:29Performance size
- Group
Number of work performers
8Authors of work performed
Stephen NewcombWas the work disseminated?
- Yes
Form of dissemination
- Published
Scope of dissemination
- International
Did the work go on tour?
- No