''Cistern'' is an orchestral album by
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
-born musician, composer and arranger
Jherek Bischoff. It was released by
The Leaf Label and
Brassland on 15 July 2016.
Background
Bischoff began composing and recording ''Cistern'' in an empty two million gallon underground water tank under
Fort Worden in
Port Townsend, Washington
Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census.
It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition ...
. The size of the space was a huge factor in the development of the album. In an interview Bischoff described how "the vast emptiness of the cistern generates a
reverb
Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abs ...
decay that lasts 45 seconds. That means, if you snap your fingers, the sound lasts 45 seconds. That amount of reverberation is an absolutely wild environment to try to create music in." This led to "a record intrinsically linked to the space in which it was conceived. A space which forced Bischoff to slow down, to reflect, to draw on his childhood growing up on a sailing boat - an unexpected journey of rediscovery, from the city back to the Pacific Ocean".
After initial experimentations and recording within the water tank, Bischoff moved the process to Future-Past Studio in
Hudson, New York
Hudson is a city and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. Located on the east side of the Hudson River and 120 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, it was named for the river ...
where he recorded with Contemporaneous Ensemble. One of the main reasons for this was the "
lack of adequate oxygen" for a large group of people inside the water tank.
The title track from ''Cistern'' premiered on 3 May 2016 on
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awa ...
, who described it as "triumphantly building orchestral piece with a truly fascinating backstory" and "an incredibly majestic piece of work".
Accolades
Track listing
All music by Jherek Bischoff.
References
External links
'Cistern' performed by SCRAPE Quartet + Jherek Bischoff'The Wolf' performed by SCRAPE Quartet + Jherek Bischoff'Cas(s)iopeia' performed by SCRAPE Quartet + Jherek Bischoff
2016 albums
Jherek Bischoff albums
The Leaf Label albums
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