About Gravity Arts

Gravity Arts would like to acknowledge the donations of the following contributors:

MUSIC / EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

Private Instruction and Master classes /
George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization

Ben Schwendener offers private instruction in music and creativity to all levels of musicians and non-musicians as well.  He is a faculty member at both the New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music, where he teaches George Russell’s Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, jazz piano and composition, and directs ensembles. Ben also teaches a course he designed (Seminar in Creativity) through the Graduate College of Education’s Critical and Creative Thinking department at University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Music (piano) lessons for children and adults

Ben Schwendener’s style of music (piano) instruction is based on presenting the natural elements and principles used in creating and performing music.  This includes the learning of scales and modes, harmony, improvisation and composition, rhythm and form, reading and traditional music notation, as well as the fundamental physical skills needed to play the instrument and help the student to produce a controlled yet individualistic sound. [more…]

RECENT AND UPCOMING PERFORMANCES / EVENTS

INNER-STATE "128": A Dance Journey by Shari Repasz Schwendener / Music by Ben Schwendener ”

Filmmaker Jim Clements has beautifully captured Gravity Arts' production of the Dance / Music Suite “128.” The April 2, 2005 performance at Cambridge Multi-Cultural Arts Center will soon be available on DVD. Rob Griffin, who engineered Wayne Shorter’s latest release “Beyond the Sound Barrier,” has performed miraculous audio–enhancement on the music.  Original soundtrack by Ben Schwendener, featuring bassist Bridget Kearney, saxophonist Rick Stone, guitarist Roland Davis and drummer Mike Pfaff.

Watch the trailer

Check out the program from 128

RECENT (and not-so-recent) SOUNDS:

Electric Geometry (Living Geometry IV)

Gravity Arts presented this fourth meeting of the piano duo – this time employing an arsenal of synthesizers.  As always, the improvisational structures of ‘Living Geometry’ employ principles of the Lydian Chromatic Concept.  Marc Rossi and Ben Schwendener – Live at Longy School of Music, Cambridge, MA.  June 6, 2005

Track 3: “Living geometry”

Track 4: “Jellyfish Up + Down,”

Track 5: “Golden Temple of Debussy’s Dream”

Cosmic Newspaper

Composer, guitarist, writer and conceptualist Phil Grandstaff has collaborated with Ben Schwendener since the late 1970's on many mind-expanding musical projects. One such series are the dozen or so "Cosmic Newspaper "sessions.  Finally archived by Gravity Arts, selected 4-track Tascam cassette masters have been transferred to digital format, with more to come.  In the meantime, try some of this:

"Cosmic Newspaper:" ‘Travel Supplement’ – recorded Okemos, Michigan a long time ago…

Track 9: “Local Landmarks”

Track 10: “Travel Tips”

Track 11: “Scenic Routes (Good Eye for Sticks)”

Track 12: “In the Town Square”

And… recently recorded when Phil traveled out here to master at Gravity Arts Studio 1 earlier this summer (July, '05), and including old-time musical collegue and pal Gregg Ramsey on drums and vibes:

Track 13: “Unencumberedness”

Children’s Music volume 1 now available

Ranging from very simple to more challenging, this first volume of the series contains 74 original piano works created by Ben Schwendener along with his students, ranging from simple folk-style melodies, classical-inspired, traditional and ambient jazz, ethnic, R&B-inspired, rock, funk, trance and film music.

Price: $35.00 (send check or MO payable to: Gravity Arts, Inc., 24 Hampstead Rd, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130)

Samples (PDF files):

A Piece of the Comet (for Toyoko)

Earth Song (for Coleman)

Expressivo (for Ellora Bellows-Berthet)

The Hummingbird (for Lisa)

Urban Forest (for Clark)

Interesting work of Critical and Creative Thinking Students

Students of Ben's CCT class held yearly since 99' at UMass Boston have been generating wonderful projects and products using creative generating ideas discussed in the class, and inspired by the philosophical foundation of George Russell's Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization.

Read the syllabus (CrCrTh 630 Creativity And Criticism In Literature And Art)

Check out: Plum Ruby Review and Michael Ruff.