20th and 21st Century
Contemporary Classical Music
from California for the World
(left to right) Mariah Parker (santur), Tappan Bhattancharya (tabla), Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar). This photo was taken by Kantoya Producciones of a concert in Tarragona Provence, Spain, in August, 2005.
Ancient Future is the first and longest running musical organization dedicated in exclusively to the mission of creating world fusion music, fusing elements from music from all around the globe. There are more than a dozen versions from the band, each with different musicians from different cultures in order to fully explore the varieties of world fusion music. This program concentrates on contemporary classical music composed in California, reflecting the many cultural influences that are adding to the diversity of California's contemporary art music.
Please email info@ancient-future.com for information on booking this program in your area.
Sample Program: Contemporary Art Music from California
Ascension by Terry Riley (1992)
This piece is from The Book of Abbeyozzud , an uncompleted series intended to be 26 pieces for guitar, multiple guitars and guitar in ensemble. So far, thirteen pieces are completed. Riley writes "All of the pieces have Spanish titles and take a different letter of the alphabet to begin their names. They are also indebted to great Spanish music traditions and to those traditions upon which Spanish music owes its heritage."
El Zaffa by Matthew Montfort (2001). 
(>audio. Free trial Planet Passion @ eMusic.com.)
Set in the meter of elzaffa, the traditional Egyptian wedding procession rhythm, this piece employs elements from Arabic and European classical music, especially Spanish music. It was first released on Ancient Future's seventh studio release, "Planet Passion."
Slow Melody in Bhairavi by Terry Riley (1972)
This piece, originally written for organ, is based on the East Indian raga Bhairavi.
End of the Beginning by Matthew Montfort (1990)
Alternating between four bars of seven and seven bars of four, this piece represents a rebirth of Ancient Celtic and North Indian musical concepts set at either the end of the world or the beginning of a new world. The piece was originally conceived to be placed at the end of the first side of Ancient Future's fifth LP, which ironically was the first Ancient Future recording never to be released on vinyl. The CD, "World Without Walls" was the band's best album to that point and also ironically the first Ancient Future CD to become out of print due to the same sort of ridiculous major label financial politics that kept it from being released on vinyl to begin with.
A Waltz for Evelyn Hinrichsen by Lou Harrison (1977)
This piece was written for a publishing project called, "The Waltz Project," and takes the form of an homage to, in Lou Harrison's words, "a remarkable woman and friend who used to help me as music librarian when we were both young at Mills College."
Nyo Nyo Gde by Matthew Montfort (1990)
This piece is based partly on Balinese gamelan music and features interlocking parts known as kotèkan, which require cooperation and a keen sense of rhythm to perform. The two parts of a kotèkan, which are thought of as male and female, are known as nyangsih and polos. The main accents of the nyangsih part are usually on the offbeat, while the main accents of the polos part are usually on the beat. The piece ends with an an Indian tahai, a rhythmic cadence that repeats three times and ends on the first beat of the cycle. In this case, the tihai melody is split into nyangsih and polos parts.
Tandy's Tango by Lou Harrison (1992)
Lou Harrison collaborated frequently with other artists and composed this beautiful piece for talented dancer Tandy Beale. Originally written for piano, this arrangement has been arranged for piano and guitar.
Sangria by Mariah Parker (2004)
Inspired by the idea of blending elements from East Indian and Spanish cultures, this piece is in a 7/8 meter and has 4 movements. The introduction, called an alap in East Indian music, explores the primary mode of the piece, D harmonic minor. The first movement begins with an ostinato pattern and has an ABA form. The second, third and fourth movements are each based on a different rhythmic pattern, and highlight a different instrument in the ensemble. The fourth movement is a tabla solo which ends with a tihai, an East Indian musical devise where a musical pattern is repeated three times ending on the first beat of the rhythmic cycle.
Between the Lines by Mariah Parker (2000)
This ballad speaks to the poignancy of separation. Written for piano, cello and guitar, the piece begins in 5/8 meter with an arpeggiated pattern on piano. The nylon string guitar and piano double on the delicate melodic line, which provides pivot points to unexpected modulations. A contrasting section shifts to a 6/8 meter and features a cello solo before returning to the original theme.
Forest Frolic by Matthew Montfort (2001) . (>audio.)
This composition depicts a dance of wood nymph goddesses. It utilizes techniques derived from the study of the classical music of Europe, China, India, and Indonesia. Like Montfort's Nyo Nyo Gde, this piece also ends with a tihai kotèkan, but in this case there is also harmony employed rather than the colotomic structure used in Balinese gamelan music.
Waterwheel by Mariah Parker (2004)
Written in 7/8, this piece begins with a piano ostinato and bowed bass improvisation. Transitional cues between sections are based on cross- rhythmic patterns.
First Flight by Mariah Parker (2006)
The theme of this piece is the victory of the human spirit rising above the challenges of life. Written in 7/8, it makes extensive use cross rhythmic patterns in the development of the main melodic ideas.
10th Journey by Mariah Parker (2006)
This piece is primarily in a 10/4 meter, though with segments in 4/4. Beginning with a rhythmically complex ostinato pattern on guitar and cello, the melodic ideas weave in and out of the rhythm creating a the feeling of movement, as on a long journey by camel.
Candlelight by Matthew Montfort (1983). . ( >audio.)
This romantic composition inspired by the music of the Renaissance was written at a British Inn on the California coast.
Quiet Fire (Matthew Montfort. 1984).
This piece in two long movements fuses European classical, Spanish, Indian, and African elements. The second movement takes the themes from the first movement and expands upon them in a 12/8 rhythmic pattern based on an African bell pattern.
Pente by Mariah Parker (2001)
The harmonic structure of this piece is based on the fourth's. Set in 5/8, the rhythmic structure employs elements from North Indian and Latin American traditions.
Composers
Matthew Montfort:
Matthew Montfort is the leader of the world fusion music ensemble Ancient Future and its principal composer. He is a pioneer of the scalloped fretboard guitar, an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian vina and the steel string guitar. He is also known for his work on fretless guitar, sitar, charango, mandolin, and gamelan. Matthew Montfort holds a B.A. in World Music and Composition and an M.A. in Arts and Media Technology from Antioch University. He has recorded his compositions with legendary world music figures ranging from Bolivian panpipe master Gonzalo Vargas to tabla maestros Swapan Chaudhuri and Zakir Hussain. He has performed his music in concerts world wide, including at the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain near Barcelona and the Mumbai Festival at the Gateway of India in Bombay.
Lou Harrison:
Lou Harrison was one of the great composers of the twentieth century--a pioneer in the use of alternate tunings, world music influences, and new instruments. An innovator of musical composition and performance that transcends cultural boundaries, Harrison's highly acclaimed work juxtaposes and synthesizes musical dialects from virtually every corner of the world.
Terry Riley:
California Composer Terry Riley launched what is now known as the Minimalist movement with his revolutionary classic IN C in 1964. This seminal work provided a new concept in musical form based on interlocking repetitive patterns. Its impact was to change the course of 20th Century music and its influence has been heard in the works of prominent composers such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass and John Adams.
Mariah Parker:
Mariah Parker (composer, multi-instrumentalist and performer), while completing her degree in music at UC Santa Cruz, worked with ethnomusicologist Fred Lieberman and Mickey Hart on the "Planet Drum" project. She has studied with Rebeca Mauleon, pianist and composer at the forefront of Latin and World music. She has written and arranged for several ensembles and has worked with Dumisani Maraire (brilliant Shona musician), composer Pauline, and with tabla master Anuradha Pal (considered one of the best female musicians of India).
