Sheng is a collaboration by musicians from China, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, Taiwan, Vietnam and the US, led by composer and conductor Lawrence "Butch" Morris. Sheng brings together a multitude ethnic traditional sounds, creating a new music through collective interpretation and personal interaction. This performance is built upon the Chinese classic repertoire, using Chinese melodies as the starting point for this global ensemble's reinterpretation and innovation. The structure is free of traditional strictures, while always remaining in harmony with the spirit, if not the letter, of the ancient sources referred to.

Listen Conduction No. 131/4701, Year of the Ram (Real Audio) Recorded Feb. 2, 2003 at Columbus Park, Chinatown, NYC, as part of the Chinese New Year Celebration

Orchestra Members: Tarik Benbrahim (oud), Balla Kouyate (balafon), Xiao-fen Min (pipa), Zhipeng Shen (gaohu), Yacouba Sissoko (kora), Shu-ni Tsou (dizi), Ibrahim Fall Diagne Tchokoo (m'balak & talking drum), Thomas Thu�n Dang Vu (guzheng), Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris (Conductor)

Biography of Participating Artists

Lawrence D. �Butch� Morris (Conductor)
Mr. Morris is one of the leading innovators in the confluence of jazz, new music, improvisation and contemporary classical music. As a composer, Mr. Morris is widely known for his notated compositions and has been especially acclaimed for pioneering and developing the art of Conduction

Conduction (conducted improvisation/interpretation) is a vocabulary of ideographic signs and gestures activated to modify or construct a real-time musical arrangement or composition. Each sign and gesture transmits generative information for interpretation, and provides instantaneous possibilities for altering or initiating harmony, melody, rhythm, articulation, phrasing or form.

Employing more than 2,000 musicians in 16 countries and 55 cities, resulting in 22 CDs over a 16-year period, Conduction has amply demonstrated its capacity for cultural diplomacy by uniting communities and serving as a powerful example of a new social-logic based on collective interpretation and personal interaction. In its ceaseless investigation of an extra dimension that transcends style and category, it has proven itself supplemental to the entire scope of musical and artistic endeavor. More about Buch Morris and Conduction

Tarik Bendrahim (Oud)

A master Oud player, Mr. Bendrahim hails from Morocco. He�s currently a member of Henry Threadgill�s �Zooid� ensemble.

Balla Kouyate (Balafon)

Nicknamed �Balafon Mania�, one of the greatest Balafon players from the Djely griot tradition in Mali. Balla began to play the balafon at he age of six and did his first show in Bamako, Mali �Palais de la Culture� with Malian singer Sanignai Kouyate. In 1994 he was a member of the National Percussion of Mali. By 1997 he was granted the opportunity to play with singer Ami Koita at the O.I.A. conference, which brings together the presidents in Africa (about 27 of them). Currently he�s a member of Mamadou Diabate Ensemble.

Xiao-Fen Min (Pipa)

Xiao-fen Min is a virtuoso on the Pipa. She was a Pipa soloist for the Nanjing, National Music Orchestra, and was winner of numerous Pipa competitions throughout China. Known for her virtuosity and fluid style, she has received acclaim for her classical, contemporary and Jazz performances. Min�s solo recording, �The Moon Rising� was hailed by BBC Music Magazine as �one of the best CDs of 1996�. Her recording �Viper � Improvisations with Derek Bailey� was one of the Wire�s �albums of the Year� in 1998. She also premiered Tan Dun�s Peony Pavilion, an opera with director Peter Sellars.

Zhipeng Shen (Gao Hu)

Mr. Zhipeng Shen joined Liaoning Song & Dance Company in 1959. Because of his exceptional musical ability, he was appointed as the "1st Violinist" in the orchestra early in his career. As a versatile player, he has mastered the Erhu, Gaohu and Banhu. He took on further responsibility as the leader of the orchestra. In recognition for his extraordinary contribution to Chinese traditional music, he has been selected as a committee member of Chinese National Association of Musicians and an executive committee member of Chinese Folk & Traditional Music Research Center. As part of the Chinese Culture Exchange Program, Mr. Shen was often invited to join the "State Department Tour" as soloist or "1st violinist" in orchestra setting, and he played over 20 countries. His performance was well received by the general public, and welcomed by the leaders of various nations. Besides being an established performer, Mr. Shen has composed many traditional musical pieces, such as "Joy of Spring" and "Dreams of Sarlbu", which became part of the classic repertoire. At the turn of this new millennium, Mr. Shen came to the United States. To further his musical journey, he is looking forward to working with musicians from other nations, and bringing Chinese traditional music to the forefront of the world stage. Yacouba Sissoko (Kora)

Yacouba Sissoko is a Master Kora player from the Djely griot tradition. He was born in Kita, Mali. His grandfather, Samakoun Tounkara, began teaching Yacouba when he was 12 years old. They raised Yacouba and educated him in his griot heritage and in many lessons about life. Yacouba attended the Institut National des Arts du Mali in Bamako. After his graduation, he played with artists like Taye and Oumou Sacko, Haja Soumano, Djallou Demba, Ami Koita, Fantani Koure, Kandia Kouyate and l'Ensemble Instrumental du Mali. In 1993, Souleymane Koli, the leader of the Ensemble Koteba of Abidjan recruited him. Yacouba spend the next 5 years performing all over the world with this 45-piece band. He is in demand as one of the best kora players in the world, playing with Jazz, Latin and R & B bands as well as traditional African ceremonies. As leader of his own band, Siya, and member of the group Super Mande, Yacouba continues to record with many musicians, including the groups Source, Tamalalou and Fula Flute.

Ibrahim Fall Diagne Tchokoo (M�balak & Talking Drum)

Ibranim Fall Diagne Tchokoo is a master Djembe player from Senegal, and he has toured all over the world with the National Ballet of Senegl. His instruments are the M�balak and the Talking Drum, he is an expert in playing Sabar style. We call him �Ibou� for short. He comes from a long history of traditional griot musicians.

Shu-ni Tsou (Di Zi)

Shu-ni Tsou started learning to play Dizi at the age of ten at National Taiwan Junior College of Performing Arts, and went on to win the National Championship on Dizi at the 1993 Taiwan National Competition. Ms. Tsou has toured internationally since the age of thirteen, and has worked with renowned artists such as Evelyn Glennie (Scotland), Diali Djimo Kouyate (Senegal) and Sandeep Das (India). Shu-ni Tsou�s interest in inter-cultural music communication can be observed in her most recent works. Fusing traditional techniques with modern concepts, she has been working with experimental performance troupe Noumenal Lingam. She is constantly in search of new colors and combinations in her music and remains eager to explore new modes of expression.

Thomas Thu�n Dang Vu (Gu Zheng)

Thomas Thu�n Dang Vu was born in Saigon, Vietnam where he learned to play the D�n Tranh (Vietnamese zither) in his youth. Immediately after college, he moved to New York City and began to focus his creativity on studying the Gu Zheng (Chinese zither). Thomas has performed at Lincoln Center�s Alice Tully Hall, the New York Asian Festival and the Earth Day Celebration at the United Nations. This past May, he and Wang Changyuan were invited to perform in London for the 2002 Nobel Prize Laureates at the Ahenaeum Club at Pall Mall and the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House.

You can find out more about the Conduction project on their web site

All audio and text ©2003 Butch Morris, SoundVisionCollision Pub. Co., BMI
Used with the written permission of the composer. No reproduction may be made without express prior permission.
Photos courtesy of Asian American Business Development Center.