Stories of Hope

Michael Curry's SPIRITS, comes alive with the original music of drummer/composer Alan Jones. An Oregon native, Alan ranks as one of America's most creative and powerful new jazz composers.

From simple folklore to the rich, rhythmically complex... SPIRITS delivers a musical enigma, piquing the curiosity of every listener

"The theatrical event SPIRITS is a live presentation fusing music, dance, puppetry, story and illusion." Says creator, director and designer Michael Curry. And, while the music was written for dance, with a clear image and essence of movement, each piece stands alone as a musical composition. Alan Jones comments, "Fascinating experience to write [music] for movement and for the concept of another artist [Michael Curry]. The process itself was a creative expression...challenging, intriguing."

It's raw, pure melody gives way to a depth so compelling it captures your very spirit. It's all about feeling...and there is a particular piece that is all about joy... a feeling that stays with you. It draws you in, and with your consent, seduces you to another world. It's a song that stays with you throughout the day; it is the "Stories of Hope".

And then there is, "Lost Ghost." A song meant to connect us with a different world - the world of the child. And to crank things up a bit, listen to "Martial Hoedown" a confrontation between the inhabitants of heaven and hell, a song that demands your attention and your sense of rhythm. We invite you to delve into the world of SPIRITS, and discover the power and emotion which exudes from this diverse compilation.



SPIRITS LINER NOTES:

"The theatrical event, SPIRITS, is a live presentation fusing music, dance, puppetry, story, and illusion.
Initially Alan was recommended as a drummer in the ensemble. I interviewed him, and in five minutes, my genius alarm started going off.
The initial power exuded from Alan on that day is infused within this music.
Writing music for theatrical storytelling is both full of possibilities and limitations. My work as show director was to allow Alan's prolific internal signals to burst out, then glue them to the shows conceptual core.
Five sleepless months later, Alan, 20 pounds lighter, presented his work to me, the ensemble, and now to the audience."

-Michael Curry