Dr. Michael White — New Orleans, LA
Composer/Musician -in-residence, November 2003 - February
2004
Dr.
Michael White, a renowned clarinetist, composer and jazz
historian, was A Studio in the Woods first long-term resident
musician. From November to February he spent a series of
overnights and daylong sessions in the woods Originally
Michael set out to compose one piece of new music but during
the residency he created the bases for more than two dozen
pieces, 14 of which became finished works. Dr. White's soon
to be released album, "Dancing in the Sky" will
feature 10 of these newly composed pieces from out of the
woods.
"I was able to draw upon the Studio's
rich natural environment; the woods, the pond, peace and
quiet, curious animals and the Mississippi River to listen
to music, concentrate, practice, meditate, and out of that
experience came a newfound musical awareness and my most
productive creative period to date."
Dr. Michael White is the New Orleans
musician/composer who has been instrumental in helping to
perpetuate the New Orleans original jazz tradition. Among
the most respected jazz musicians in the Crescent City,
Dr. White is one of only a few clarinetists to explore and
develop an original manifestation of the unique New Orleans
clarinet tradition.
Currently, Dr. White holds the Rosa
and Charles Keller Endowed Chair in the Humanities/New Orleans
Music and Culture at Xavier University, where he has taught
for over 20 years. Dr. White frequently lectures, publishes
and is a consultant for numerous jazz programs, documentaries
and feature films.
