The Cumulative Divide

Growing up in an inner-city neighborhood with five brothers, none of whom played or listened to Classical music, I have always been surrounded by, and enjoyed, hip-hop music. This project is an attempt to synthesize the two disconnected worlds. Using beats that would commonly be associated with hip-hop, solo violin and/or clarinet parts are recorded over the beat. My goal with “The Cumulative Divide” is to create an in-between world, known as “class-hop” that draws listeners from both sides of the fault line. At UCLA, I took an Intro to Recording Engineering course to enhance the quality of my “Cumulative Divide” project. Coffee Bubble Gum is the outcome of a group project with Lawrence Lee and Antonio Pina, in which we recorded, edited, and mixed a completely original song.

The Coast 2 Coast Duo

The Coast 2 Coast Duo, featuring Antonio Pina, clarinetist from Boston MA and Simone Deleon-Jones (from Seattle, WA), focuses on improvisation as a means of creating music. Unlike the well-know jazz improv, which follows chord progressions and standards, this improv is driven by the evolution of the music itself. The dissonances and key relationships formed are unique in that they are constructed through the dialogue produced solely by the players in the spur of the moment.

The duo was inspired after participating in an improvisation class taught by Pierre Hurel at the Boston Conservatory. Mr. Hurel, an “extraordinary-local-but-Paris-born pianist” (David Wildman, Boston Globe) believes that “being able to improvise is an ability that most of the great composers we worship possessed. It should not be taught as an afterthought but as a necessity, because it gives more freedom to a performer and allows for a more natural connection with music in general, written or not.”

The views the duo acquired in working with Pierre Hurel have been largely responsible for driving their ambitions. The two strive to create music based on their reactions, feelings, and intentions of the moment.

In addition to improvisation, the duo has partnered with pianists to explore their rare instrumentation for chamber groups. Because the repertoire is relatively limited and barely ever heard, the duo has commissioned works by young composers to expand this area of instrumentation.