Rudresh Mahanthappa Named US Artists Fellow |
Post Reply |
Author | |
snobb
Forum Admin Group Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Online Points: 28472 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Posted: 12 Nov 2015 at 11:08am |
Rudresh Mahanthappa Named United States Artists Fellow$50,000 grant will aid saxophonist in creating interdisciplinary worksRudresh Mahanthappa, the 44-year-old alto saxophonist and
composer, has been named one of 37 new United States Artists Fellows, an
honor that comes with an unrestricted $50,000 cash award. USA is one of
the largest grant-making organizations in the country, providing
support to creative Americans across nine different disciplines,
including music, dance, crafts, theater, literature and visual arts.
Mahanthappa is one of seven musicians to receive the honor this year;
previous recipients in music have included drummer Jack DeJohnette,
pianist-composer Jason Moran and singer-songwriter-musician Meshell
Ndegeocello. Mahanthappa is something of a magnet when it comes to grants. He was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2007 and has also been awarded two grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and three Rockefeller MAP grants. “I definitely count my blessings,” Mahanthappa says by phone from the Canary Islands, where he is currently touring in support of his most recent recording, Bird Calls. “The universe is definitely looking out for me; there’s no question about that. I’m trying to do new and different stuff and I’m always trying to reframe what I do and make sure that it relates to both the tradition of this music and the future of where this music can go. I’m good at talking about it too, and that helps as well.” Mahanthappa was nominated for the USA grant first and only then asked to submit examples of his work as part of the application process. “It’s based on the work that you’ve done,” he says. “It’s not necessarily project-specific but more about things that you would like to do going forward. [While preparing the application] It was interesting to look at all these different things that I’ve done over 15 years, whether it’s with a dance company or my electro-acoustic project, and to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I guess you’re on to something.’” The United States Artist fellowship, says Mahanthappa, is different than most other cash grants to creative artists in that “it has a special trajectory. It’s multi-disciplinary. There’s a trend in the funding world not only to give awards but to get these [recipients] together and start conversations. There is something that continues beyond the award, which I think is really important right now. People get the Guggenheim and they do their thing and then it kind of ends, and that’s great, but to think long-term, and to establish connections between artists that are trying to make similar waves, is really important.” With that in mind, Mahanthappa says that he is already thinking
ahead. “There is some interdisciplinary work I’d like to do, working
with video artists. And I have a crazy idea to maybe try to do something
with a comedian in the next couple of years. There are also some
chamber works. I’m just trying to figure out how to branch out and
hopefully the money helps with that, but it also helps with day-to-day
stuff. I did an interview the other day and they asked if the money
actually led to creating new work. I said not necessarily, but it led to
an ease of mind. I mean, sometimes you also need a new car!” from http://jazztimes.com Edited by snobb - 12 Nov 2015 at 11:09am |
|
Post Reply | |
Tweet
|
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |