A concert for solo bass and voice, presented as part of the Hear It NOW series.

The following text is taken from Front Magazine, vol. V, no. 3, p. 11, January/February 1994:

Barry Guy’s solo recital program is totally contemporary in concept with carefully chosen words that unify the new techniques for the double bass in a dazzling, rapidly changing scenario of sound, theatre and light. From Hubert Stuppner’s investigations into the melancholy of the clown (Ausdrucke), to Roger Marsh’ almost Beckett-like study Time Before, the overtly sexual overtones of Jacob Druckman’s Valentine, and the evocations of Canadian composer John Anthony Celona’s Voicings. These gems of contemporary composition meet with Guy’s virtuoso approach to improvisation in evening of surprises, enjoyment and wonderment.

Barry Guy is a leading figure in the contemporary European music scene. He has had a wide ranging influence as the founder of the highly lauded London Jazz Composer’s Orchestra, and the principal bassist for twelve years with Christopher Hogwood’s Academy of Ancient Music. He is also one of the small handful of bassists who perform contemporary classical music for solo double-bass and as a virtuoso whose extended technique is almost without peer.

This concert opens the Hear It NOW Festival, a week of concerts featuring many of Canada’s finest improvisers playing with leading international artists. Barry Guy will be at the Western Front developing a new piece in a residency with the 13-piece NOW Orchestra (to be premiered in February 25 at the Glass Slipper). Here It Now is presented by New Orchestra Workshop and co-presented by Western Front and Coastal Jazz and Blues Society.