Have You Heard? 
By Guest Columnist Ken Bichel


There’s a hot new CD in town, April 5, 2007

Ever since my Juilliard days I’ve had a certain aversion to pompous pronouncements such as “this is a really important piece of music.” That being said, I consider San Miguel’s own A Forest of Americas to be a really important piece of music.

Composer/performers Tim Hazell and Doug Robinson have achieved, if not the impossible, at least the extremely unlikely. How wrong could a combination of classical strings, jazz piano, and deer antlers on turtle shells go? Let me count the ways.

But Robinson and Hazell have not only created a synergistic blend of seemingly disparate elements and styles, they have done so in a work of magnificence, beauty and overwhelming joy.

Having been bowled over by the world premiere of “Forest” at St. Paul’s Church this past January, it was with great anticipation that I put its just-released CD into my player. I am delighted to report that the CD is pristine in its reproduction of the live event. The first time I listened to it, the sound quality almost knocked me over. Recorded over three nights by Toronto engineer and producer Tommy Graham, this CD takes the best performances from each night and knits them together flawlessly.

So why is A Forest of Americas so special? Why do I think it’s so bloody “important”? Let’s skip the music for a moment. As a gringo expat and musician who now calls San Miguel home, bridging the ethnic and cultural gap between the land of my birth and this land of my choice has been a primary concern, as it is with many, if not most, of my peers. Hazell and Robinson have transcended this gap, not only from a Mexican/North American perspective, but also from the point of view of historical lineage. Using pre-Hispanic instruments, European classical stringed instruments, keyboards, guitars, banjo, and contemporary percussion, “Forest” blends impossibly diverse elements into an integrated whole. 

Equally important to this culture-bridging gestalt is the personnel of the Forest Ensemble. Ranging in age from 16 to “50-something,” they are a blend of American, Cuban, Mexican and Canadian musicians, some with jazz backgrounds, some from the European classical tradition, and one ethnic percussionist with a clear, deep vesting in the spiritual traditions of Mesoamerica. 

And they all swing! During the live performance, we stomped, we clapped, we snapped our fingers (in unison, believe it or not!) we whooped and we hollered. The joy of the piece is utterly infectious.

Ok, so we had a good time. Now for the musical critique. This piece is anything but a romping jam session. The compositional elements are tightly crafted and beautifully balanced. I am especially impressed with Robinson’s orchestral prowess. At times he manages to make three string players sound like an entire section. This is no small feat, believe me. The writing is at once economical and impactful. Hazell’s almost prototypical melodies combined with Robinson’s deft interpolative abilities made for a rare and deeply effective collaboration.

Both Robinson and Hazell are multi-instrumentalists, and on the CD they use their talents to great advantage. Robinson’s ripping yet sensitive keyboard solos are a special hallmark of its improvisatory aspect. Ken Basman turns in a featured guitar solo that is breathtaking. I’ve played with Ken often and heard him many times, and for my money this is a personal best. And Victor Monterrubio plays a percussion solo that has the audience screaming. 

The outrageously gifted 16-year-old cellist, Roli Fernandez (watch out for this one—(M)he should take the classical world by storm) blends beautifully with violinist Maureen Conlon Gutierrez and bassist José Luis (“Hopalong”) Chagoyan, who switches between classical bowing and a rock-solid “four-on-the-floor” jazz pizzicato style without batting an eyelash.

And finally, Gonzalo Gomez Martinez of Pozos plays his Mesoamerican instruments with a profoundly spiritual sense of economy. During the concert, he physically handled each one with a reverence that brought me close to tears.

So, I am happy to say that the newly-released CD does the recent performances of “Forest” justice. It’s not too early to think about Christmas—my wife and I have already purchased “Forest” CDs as gifts for the people we love. You can pick up your own copy—or copies—at La Tienda in the Biblioteca, Lagundi, Casa de Papel, and Instrumentes Musicales Alegro Music. 

Ken Bichel is an Emmy-winning composer and first-call studio keyboardist with two gold records to his credit, and a full-time resident of San Miguel. .