Theo Bleckmann

photo: Susie Knoll

The New York Times lauded composer and singer Theo Bleckmann as “a vocalist of inventive instinct and assiduous musicality.” Grammy-nominated and ECHO award recipient, Bleckmann makes music that is accessibly sophisticated, unsentimentally emotional and seriously playful, leading his work to be described as “from another planet” (New York Times), as “magical, futuristic,” (AllAboutJazz), “limitless” (Citypaper, Philadelphia) “transcendent” (Village Voice) and “brilliant” (New York Magazine).
Bleckmann has released a series of albums on Winter & Winter, including recordings of Las Vegas standards, of Weimar art songs, and of popular “bar songs” (all with pianist Fumio Yasuda), a recording of newly-arranged songs by Charles Ives (with jazz/rock collective Kneebody), his acoustic Solos for Voice “I dwell in possibility” and his highly acclaimed “Hello Earth – the music of Kate Bush.” His most current project is a song cycle of music that deals with the delicate subject matter of death, “songs in the key of d” featuring harpist Zeena Parkins. Bleckmann has additionally collaborated with musicians, artists, actors and composers, including Laurie Anderson, Uri Caine, Philip Glass, Ann Hamilton, John Hollenbeck, Sheila Jordan, Phil Kline, David Lang, Kirk Nurock, Frances MacDormand, Ben Monder, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kenny Wheeler, John Zorn, the Bang on a Can All-stars, and, most prominently, Meredith Monk, with whom Bleckmann worked as a core ensemble member for over fifteen years. He has been interview by Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air and appeared on the Letterman show with Laurie Anderson.

My Brightest Garment is an orchestral song about death as a vanishing act, a magic trick of sorts; pondering the “now you see it – now you don’t” aspect, while wearing the most beautiful, brightest garment to pull it off. At the core of this piece is a 5-bar, repeated harmonic pattern that eventually turns into an extensive ambient vocal loop. Theo Bleckmann, the composer, lyricist and and vocalist, will use live electronic processing.