Album Notes

HEAVY CHAMBER MUSIC
The CD ROM Companion to the album Tooth & Claw.

The Tooth & Claw Companion is an audio and data CD-ROM containing:

--pdf's of all notation for all songs on Tooth & Claw (about 70 pages of bass clarinet music)

--drum part click tracks for 9 of the tunes (to practice with, much more fun than a metronome)

--archival recordings of the original magnesium versions of 4 of the songs (magnesium was the band within which these 4 songs were originally composed)

--instructional video clips focusing on a few key topics (slap-tonguing, power & tone, circular breathing, throat harmonics, etc.) which will help you play full-bodied, rock bass clarinet that you can sink your teeth into.

More back story on Edmund Welles: the bass clarinet quartet and the lead composer, Cornelius Boots.

It was originally founded on two principles: the bass clarinet can achieve a virtually unlimited range of sounds, and when this same instrumental voice is multiplied, it can be as powerful as a boogie woogie piano, a gospel quartet or a rock band. Indeed the very first arrangements were of the Swan Silvertones, Montana Taylor and the Pixies. The original compositions have evolved into a style unique unto themselves while maintaining a stylistic consistency at their core, and the arrangements conquered by the quartet now include Black Sabbath and Sepultura songs.

the single-reed conspiracy:
SINCE 1998, EDMUND WELLES has been transmuting many musical styles into bass clarinet quartet form. The single-reed conspiracy has at its disposal the following devices culled from the world of heavy metal music: a thickness of tone, a density of texture, absolute rhythmic precision, and the extreme use of dynamic contrasts. The bass clarinet: a synergy of designs from all saxophones and clarinets, themselves the culmination of hundreds of years of single-reed instrument evolution. A four-and-a-half octave voice, multiplied into four equal parts and breathing together to create a dense, pulsing sound capable of expressing and reflecting the full range of human emotions.

Edmund Welles: the bass clarinet quartet is led by Cornelius Boots, who has been composing and arranging pieces for the quartet since 1996. Rounding out the quartet are Jeff Anderle, Jonathan Russell, and Aaron Novik. Visit www.edmundwelles.com for more music, details, and reviews.

There is no precedent for a wind-based ensemble such as this attempting to build these massive bridges between avant jazz, new music, black metal and classic rock.

Winners of 2nd place in the 2006 International Songwriters Competition "Instrumental" Category for the title track of this album: "Tooth & Claw."

Recent words about the group's historic performance at the 2008 International Clarinet Convention (excerpted from Elena Talley's review of the entire 5-day event):
"If [previous ensemble on the evening concert] were a Maserati, sleek and polished, Edmund Welles: the bass clarinet quartet was a Harley-Davidson: raw power and in-your-face playing. Honestly, this four-man group of bass clarinetists, led by player/composer Cornelius Boots, defies description. They are "the world's only original, composing band of four bass clarinetists who invent and perform 'heavy chamber music'". In their jeans and Vans, these four generated a distinctive timbre that could peel the paint from walls---in a good way, to be sure. Their performance included selections from Boots' original compositions "Tooth & Claw" and "Conspiracy of the Demons" [sic] and the range of sounds emanating from their horns was astonishing. If you did not hear the concert, the only way to satisfy your curiosity is to (of course) google Edmund Welles: the bass clarinet quartet and see (hear) for yourself."