Michael William Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Michael William Gilbert is an American music composer working in the genres of electronic music
and world music
.
and Brussels
, where he first heard the music of Africa and East Asia, as well as the electronic music of Edgard Varèse
and Pierre Henry
. Once he returned to the U.S., Gilbert studied electrical engineering
at MIT and electronic music at Boston School of Electronic Music, where he later worked as an instructor and director of custom synthesis systems. He went on to become a teacher and technical director of electronic music for several colleges, including Smith College
, Hampshire College
and the University of Massachusetts
.
He is currently a computer research analyst at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, where he is engaged in investigating internet media technologies, streaming protocols, multimedia, and supporting the Office of Information Technologies' provision of Internet services.
Gilbert's first album, Moving Pictures, was released in 1978 by Gibex, the label that released his subsequent work through the '80s. His follow-up album, The Call (1981), included percussionist David Moss
, among others. Gilbert has since collaborated with a variety of accomplished musicians including master percussionist Tony Vacca.
Two subsequent releases on compact disc, Light in the Clouds and Point of Views. A collaboration with percussionist Tony Vacca, acoustic bassist Salvatore Macchia
, and synthesist Roy Finch, The Light in the Clouds brings together African, Jewish, Christian, and Shinto musical traditions. Point of Views is a recording realized with a MIDI-based studio, with collaboration by Tony Vacca.
His previous CD, Other Voices, includes both unreleased works with contributions by Tony Vacca and Roy Finch, and more recent compositions.
He has just finished recording a new CD, I Can See from Here, a mix of jazz, folk, electronic soundscape, world music, and electro-acoustic ambient. It features a collaboration piece with guest guitarist Peter Kaukonen
, San Francisco Bay Area guitarist, who has played, toured, and recorded with Black Kangaroo, Jefferson Airplane
, Jefferson Starship
, and Johnny Winter
.
Gilbert's music has been played in concerts and festivals in North America and abroad and has been used by choreographers in conjunction with modern dance works. Among these choreographers are Susan Waltner, Valerie Feit, Jan Wodynski, and Paula Josa-Jones. Gilbert has also scored films by independent filmmakers, and worked on music for "The Nightingale Princess", a film by Chris Dreisbach, Owen Granich-Young, and Daniel Gilbert.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
.
Biography
Michael William Gilbert was raised in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, where he first heard the music of Africa and East Asia, as well as the electronic music of Edgard Varèse
Edgard Varèse
Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse, , whose name was also spelled Edgar Varèse , was an innovative French-born composer who spent the greater part of his career in the United States....
and Pierre Henry
Pierre Henry
Pierre Henry is a French composer, considered a pioneer of the musique concrète genre of electronic music.-Biography:...
. Once he returned to the U.S., Gilbert studied electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
at MIT and electronic music at Boston School of Electronic Music, where he later worked as an instructor and director of custom synthesis systems. He went on to become a teacher and technical director of electronic music for several colleges, including Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
and the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
.
He is currently a computer research analyst at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, where he is engaged in investigating internet media technologies, streaming protocols, multimedia, and supporting the Office of Information Technologies' provision of Internet services.
Gilbert's first album, Moving Pictures, was released in 1978 by Gibex, the label that released his subsequent work through the '80s. His follow-up album, The Call (1981), included percussionist David Moss
David Moss (musician)
David Moss is an American composer, percussionist and self-taught vocalist, founder of the David Moss Dense Band; co-founder and artistic director of the Institute for Living Voice, Antwerp...
, among others. Gilbert has since collaborated with a variety of accomplished musicians including master percussionist Tony Vacca.
Two subsequent releases on compact disc, Light in the Clouds and Point of Views. A collaboration with percussionist Tony Vacca, acoustic bassist Salvatore Macchia
Salvatore Macchia
Salvatore Macchia is an American composer of contemporary classical music.In a career spanning 35 years, Macchia has created over 140 works. His catalog contains music in virtually every genre, including fifteen large orchestral works, an oboe concerto, 4 chamber concertos, a cantata and a ballet,...
, and synthesist Roy Finch, The Light in the Clouds brings together African, Jewish, Christian, and Shinto musical traditions. Point of Views is a recording realized with a MIDI-based studio, with collaboration by Tony Vacca.
His previous CD, Other Voices, includes both unreleased works with contributions by Tony Vacca and Roy Finch, and more recent compositions.
He has just finished recording a new CD, I Can See from Here, a mix of jazz, folk, electronic soundscape, world music, and electro-acoustic ambient. It features a collaboration piece with guest guitarist Peter Kaukonen
Peter Kaukonen
Peter Kaukonen is a San Francisco bay area guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter. He is the younger brother of Jorma Kaukonen from Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna...
, San Francisco Bay Area guitarist, who has played, toured, and recorded with Black Kangaroo, Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
, and Johnny Winter
Johnny Winter
John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. Best known for his late 1960s and 1970s high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues legend Muddy Waters...
.
Gilbert's music has been played in concerts and festivals in North America and abroad and has been used by choreographers in conjunction with modern dance works. Among these choreographers are Susan Waltner, Valerie Feit, Jan Wodynski, and Paula Josa-Jones. Gilbert has also scored films by independent filmmakers, and worked on music for "The Nightingale Princess", a film by Chris Dreisbach, Owen Granich-Young, and Daniel Gilbert.
Discography
- Moving Pictures (Gibex 001), 1978
- The Call (Gibex 002), 1980
- In The Dreamtime (Palace of Lights 02/2000), 1982
- The Light in the Clouds (Gibex 003), 1986
- Point of Views (Gibex 004), 1988
- Other Voices (Gibex 005), 2000
- I Can See from Here (Gibex 006) 2010