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Ross Bolleter (West Australian improviser and composer)

 

B.A. Music/English UWA, 1966. AMusA(Piano) 1977

Restaurant and bar pianist, Parmelia Hilton, 1972-78.

 

DISCOGRAPHY:

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International Releases:

  • 2000 Crow Country, Pogus, P21021-2 (New York) 

  • 2006 Secret Sandhills and satellites, Emanem 4128 (London)

  • 2010 Night Kitchen, Emanem 5008 (London)

  • 2021 Ross Bolleter’s Total Piano, volumes 1-4 was released by Vincent Capes's Thödol Music, France, in July 2021.It features a booklet of Antoinette Carrier's subtle and lovely photographs of ruined pianos.

  • 2021 Ross Bolleter & Sylvain Roux - Closer than Breathing: a synchronous creation (WARPS W30)

  • 2021 Ross Bolleter & Antoinette Carrier - Compound Fracture: a synchronous creation (WARPS W31)

  • 2023 Closer than Breathing and Compound Fracture are due for release as a double album on Vincent Capes's Thödol Music, France, in April 2023

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1990s

  • 1993 Country of Here Below, Tall Poppies TP045, Sydney W08

  • 1997 Ross Bolleter & Rob Muir: The Night Moves on Little Feet (WARPS W03)

  • 1997 Left Hand of the Universe (WARPS W02)

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2000s

  • 2000 Crow Country, Pogus, New York, P21021-2

  • 2002 Satellites (WARPS W06)

  • 2002 Secret Sandhills (WARPS W05)

  • 2004 Paradise Café Sunset Ostrich S01

  • 1991, 2004 Pocket Sky (WARPS)

  • 2006 Secret Sandhills and satellites, Emanem 4128 (London)

  • 2008 Café Sophia Sunset Ostrich S02

  • 2009 Five by Five (WARPS W11) DVD of 5 pieces in 5.1 Surround.

  • 2009 Intimate Ruins (WARPS W10)

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2010s

  • 2010 Night Kitchen, Emanem 5008, London

  • 2011 Gust (WARPS W15)

  • 2011 Piano Dreaming (2nd edition) (WARPS W12)

  • 2011 Ross Bolleter & Anthony Cormican: Spring in Iraq (2nd edition) (WARPS W13)

  • 2011 Solitary Light (WARPS W14)

  • 2011, 2013 Music of Chance (WARPS W16)

  • 2012 Ross Bolleter & Anthony Cormican: Concertino Latino – including Concertino Latino by Anthony Cormican & Ross Bolleter, performed by Anthony and Ross & Alone Together by Ross Bolleter, performed by Tos Mahoney & Ross Bolleter. Sunset Ostrich SO3

  • 2012 Ross Bolleter and David Kotlowy: Vault (a WARPS MyoOn co-production)

  • 2013 High Rise Piano (WARPS W19): Bon Marché Stories and Music 

  • 2013 Ross Bolleter and Anthony Cormican: Songs from the Third Watch (WARPS W18)

  • 2014 Frontier Piano (WARPS W20)

  • 2014 Music of Chance (2nd edition) (WARPS W21)

  • 2015 While my coffee cools (WARPS W22) – Bolleter's poems in a musical setting

  • 2017 Ross Bolleter & Anthony Cormican: Quarry Music (WARPS W23) – ruined pianos & stories in 5.1 surround, and stereo

  • 2017 Ross Bolleter & Martin Seddon: Inland Sea (WARPS W25) – two solo improvisations on two or more ruined pianos, including stories

  • 2019 Ross Bolleter & Anthony Cormican: Beloved on this Earth: a song cycle (WARPS W28)

  • 2019 Café Antoinette Sunset Ostrich S04

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---TOTAL PIANO PROJECT---

  • 2017 Night is a world lit by itself (WARPS W26) –solo improvisations for prepared piano. Total Piano, volume 1

  • 2018 Speak Love (WARPS W27) – solo improvisations on ruined pianos and pianos at the edge of ruin. Total Piano, volume 2

  • 2019 Heard from Earth (WARPS W28) - an angular approach to The Lounge Room Piano. Total Piano, volume 3

  • 2020 Terra Incognita (WARPS W29) - three pieces for multiple ruined pianos in 360 surround. Total Piano, volume 4

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2020s

  • 2021 International release: Total Piano, volumes 1-4, Vincent Capes's Thödol Music, France.  It features a booklet of Antoinette Carrier's subtle and lovely photographs of ruined pianos

  • 2021 Ross Bolleter & Sylvain Roux: Closer than Breathing: a synchronous creation (WARPS W30)

  • 2021 Ross Bolleter & Antoinette Carrier: Compound Fracture: a synchronous creation (WARPS W31)

  • 2022 Ross Bolleter's book of left hand stories Average Human Heart, Editions Lenka Lente Press, France

  • 2022 Ross Bolleter & Anthony Cormican: Beloved on this Earth (2nd edition): a song cycle (WARPS W29)

  • 2023 Ross Bolleter's volume of poems Track Me Down/Retrouve ma trace, Editions Lenka Lente

  • 2023 Closer than Breathing and Compound Fracture: double album on Vincent Capes's Thödol Music, France

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Collaborations & Compilations

  • 2010 “Hymn to Ruin” composed for Margaret Leng Tan & performed by her on her CD She Herself Alone, Mode Records 221, New York

  • 1990 “Nallan Void”, Austral Voices (New Albion NA028CD , San Francisco)

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Works on Cassette – a selection

  • 1982, 1986 Openings (with Tos Mahoney) Alone Together

  • 1983 Open Sky (with Tos Mahoney)

  • 1984 Temple of Joyous Bones

  • 1988 Ruined Piano at Cue

  • 1989 Jamais (with Rob Muir)

  • 1989 Sky Burial (with Nathan Crotty) (wasit music, wmr 01)

  • 1990 Jinx (with Ryszard Ratajczak)

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NOTABLE EVENTS

 

  • April 2007 Five by Five - a DVD. Five pieces in 5.1 Surround, including Dominion. Produced by Anthony Cormican.

 

  • April 2007 Dusk - a CD - David Kotlowy (Shakuhachi, Ruined Piano & Prepared Guitar) & Ross Bolleter (Ruined Pianos and Ruined Accordions). In progress.

 

  • January 2007 Completed Dominion (Ocean Piano) DVD (Ruined Pianos with an image track, photos - V.Robertson. Produced: A.Cormican, R.Bolleter & R. Castiglione.)

 

  • June 2006 Secret Sandhills and satellites (Emanem, London, UK.) The best of my work 2001-2006. Voted best CD of September 2006 by Blow Up magazine (Italy), and number 2 CD of the year by dMute Magazine (Jazz and Improvised Music), France. Highlight performances and presentations:

 

  • November 2006 Concert on 3 ruined pianos in a dry dam at Wambyn Olive Farm for Tura New Music's launch of the Ruined Piano Sanctuary (near York.) 100 in the audience.

 

  • October 2005 The Ruined Piano Convergence - the focus of Tura's 7th Totally Huge New Music Festival:*Creation of the installation Piano Labyrinth - 14 ruined pianos (gathered from the country and metropolitan areas of West Australia) in a gigantic double curve in the main space of PICA, improvised on by all comers.*Opening of the Festival: Improvisations on Piano Labyrinth with visiting composer Annea Lockwood (New York). Subsequently with Slovak performance artist Michal Murin.*The launch of my book The Well Weathered Piano (WARPS Publications) at the opening of the Ruined Piano Convergence. (October, 2005).*Two solo performances, each on 4 Ruined Pianos played simultaneously, at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. (PICA). Interspersed with my ruined piano stories from my Well Weathered Piano.*Presentation of my Secret Sandhills in 5.1 Surround Sound. Produced by Anthony Cormican. At PICA Performance of Ruined Piano improvisations on Andrew Ford's Music Show.(8/10/05).*Conference at Tura 's THNMF, 8-9 October 2005 gave a paper, The Aesthetics of Ruined Piano - (PICA) Launch of Andrew Ford's book, In Defence of Classical Music (ABC BOOKS, 2005), with a chapter on my work, 'Things fall apart in the music of Ross Bolleter.'

 

  • April 2002 Solo performance on 3 Ruined Pianos interspersed with readings of my ruined piano stories. Part of Tura's Totally Huge New Music Festival

 

  • March,1998 Adelaide Festival Performed my Enigmata - readings of texts with 4 accordions. Robyn Archer in the Adelaide Advertiser, One of the most exciting and moving events of the Festival.

 

  • October 1997 Solo concert on accordion in Nova Zamky, Slovakia. Solo concert, also on accordion at Plasy, Czech Republic. The Synchronicity Project Transglobal and Transnational works:

 

  • Non Local Universe Oct.16, 2005. Jim Denley ORF Radio, Vienna with Ross Bolleter ABC Radio Perth. Intuitive piece with Interactive windows.

 

  • 15-16 September 1997 Left Hand of the Universe

 

  • October 21 1991 Pocket Sky; October 9 1989, That Time/Simulplay 2 - an intuitive piece for 2 musicians on opposite sides of a continent, playing at precisely the same time but unable to hear each other. Track 03 on Crow Country, Pogus, New York, 1999.

 

  • September 16 1989 Simulplay 1 Jim Denley flutes Ars Electronica Linz, Austria playing to a live audience.Ross Bolleter ABC Studios Perth on accordion and piano. An intuitive piece with interactive windows.

 

  • Music for radio: (With Barton Staggs) Derelict Woman by Susan Rogers - especially written for Ruth Cracknell. It was Ruth's last radio performance.  Radio Eye: Sydney Without a Postcode by Susan Murphy.

 

  • Music for Film: How the West Was Lost (David Noakes), Blind Love Tango (Susan Murphy), Rithy's Story (Gillian Coote).

 

  • Theatre music: 1993, Tourmaline - stage production of Randolph Stow's novel by Black Swan Theatre (FOR 5 ruined pianos, also composed a conventional hymn). Paddy (w. Lee Buddle, Deck Chair Theatre, 1985). Many live concerts playing tango, Eastern European folk music, jazz, and free impro - variously in Sydney (Sideon Cafe), Melbourne (Tony Starr's Kitten Club, solo & with Baba Manouche), and Perth (Kulcha). Performances with Kavisha Mazzella, Streetlamp Tango Band (Qinteto Farol), Blue Rinse Ensemble, Bulgarity (duo with Mark Cain), Alone Together, Desert Air (duos with Tos Mahoney).

 

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