David Spelman
David Spelman (born 1966 in Washington, D.C., United States) is an American, New York-based, record producer and curator working in recordings, films and live events
Early life
Spelman was educated at the
In a 2009 interview,[2] with Allan Kozinn, published in the New York Times Sunday Arts & Leisure, Spelman discussed the influence of classical guitarist and composer Benjamin Verdery, whom he had first encountered in a master class in Santa Cruz, California.
In the 1980s, Spelman trained in acoustic guitar design and construction under Jeff Trougott, the Santa Cruz-based luthier known for making custom acoustic guitars for musicians including Charlie Hunter and John Mayer.
Spelman is the son of Seymour J. Spelman,[3] a labor lawyer and government attorney who ran for Congress in Montgomery County, Maryland, in 1966 as a peace candidate. He is the brother of Judith Spelman, an R.N. and health care advocate, who has authored several legislative bills including “Cal-Care,” a universal health care proposal. He is the cousin of Ron Balin, who co-founded the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C., in 1961, one of the nation’s first homosexual civil rights organizations.
New York Guitar Festival
Together with author and WNYC Radio host John Schaefer, Spelman founded the
Film projects
In 2010, Spelman served as
Spelman has commissioned scores by
Luminato – Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity
Multimedia projects
Spelman has presented a number of large-scale multimedia projects, including the world premieres of Phil Kline’s World on a String, Bill Frisell’s The Great Flood, Daniel Lanois’ Silvio, Aaron and Bryce Dessner’s The Long Count, and The Apollo Project a 30th anniversary live re-imagining of Brian Eno's Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks, featuring members of Phish, Tortoise, the Brooklyn ambient ensemble Itsnotyouitsme, and filmmaker Craig Teper.
The Great Flood, a collaboration between
.The Long Count had its premiere on September 11, 2009 at the
In 2006, Spelman partnered with
Literary events
In April 2009, for National Poetry Month, Arts World Financial Center enlisted David Spelman to curate and produce a tribute to Pablo Neruda, the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature winner. The event, Songs of Love & Despair: A Musical Tribute to Pablo Neruda, featured performances and readings by Clogs, the Czech experimental musician Irene & Vojtech Havel, Chilean poet Cecilia Vicuña, Colin Stetson (Sway Machinery, Bell Orchestre, Arcade Fire), Pedro Soler with Basque vocal improviser Beñat Achiary, poet and Bowery Poetry Club founder Bob Holman, experimental performance artist Laurie Anderson, and rock musician Lou Reed.
In 2005 and 2006 Spelman was appointed curator of Other Words/Other Worlds, a festival celebrating National Jazz and Poetry Month at Flushing Town Hall in Queens, New York. The festival featured workshops, film screenings, musical performances, and a 24-hour poetry jam session. Musicians who performed included Matthew Shipp, The Nat Jones Trio, Peter Apfelbaum, Chris Cheek, as well as local high-school jazz ensembles. Readings included Spanish, Russian, Korean and Chinese poets, a second grade poetry club, and poets Everton Sylverton, Bob Holman, and Hal Sirowitz.
In the early 1990s Spelman served as music director and co-producer of Third Friday Respite, a series of literary readings and classical music performances at Manhattan's Church of the Advent Hope. Highlights included a reading of
Visual arts
As a visual arts curator, Spelman has organized gallery exhibits in New York and Toronto by photographers Ralph Gibson, Danny Clinch, Andy Summers, Jack Vartoogian, Steve Sherman, Rahav Segev, and Hank O’Neal. He has also organized an exhibition of vintage music posters by Milton Glaser.
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
In 2005 Spelman was invited to launch and oversee a biannual guitar festival in
On September 11, 2009, the festival presented the world premiere of The Long Count,
The 2011 Ellnora festival took place September 8–10[14] and the line-up included Luther Dickinson as Artist-in-Residence,[15] the world premiere of a multimedia work about the 1927 Mississippi River flood by Bill Frisell and filmmaker Bill Morrison,[16] and performances by Calexico, Lee Ranaldo, My Brightest Diamond, Richard Thompson, Daniel Lanois’ Black Dub, Sharon Isbin, Taj Mahal, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Adrian Belew, Robert Randolph, The Tony Rice Unit, Cindy Cashdollar, and Marc Ribot.
Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia
In 2007, Spelman was recruited by the
Live concert tributes
Spelman has created a number of concert tributes to landmark record albums. In 2004 he produced the
Other multi-artist tributes produced by Spelman include New York concerts celebrating the musical legacies of Andrés Segovia, Jimi Hendrix, Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges, John Fahey, Skip James, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Elizabeth Cotten, Neil Young, George Harrison, Jerry Garcia, Tom Waits, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Lefty Frizzell, the Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, and Terry Riley.
Sonic Garden Arts Collective
In 2011, Spelman and a group of friends launched an arts collective called Sonic Garden. The organization's mission statement, posted on their blog,
The first public series coincided with the alternative-music festival
Record production, session work, discography
- Vidal Sassoon The Movie, (feature documentary soundtrack, 2010): Music Supervisor/Producer.
- Bunker Fallout, Elija B Torn (theycontrol.us, 2009): guitarist.
- Highway Dancing, The Yearlings (Mixmasters, 2008): Producer. The third full-length recording by The Yearlings, a roots/alternative country duo, from Australia. The album featured contributions by Larry Campbell (pedal steel, dobro, mandolin, fiddle), as well as Glenn Patscha, Byron Isaacs, and Tony Leone, members of the Brooklyn-based band Ollabelle.
- The Virginia EP, The National, (Brassland, 2008). Mixing Engineer, for "Mansion on the Hill", originally recorded by Bruce Springsteen.
- Guitar Harvest (Solid Air, 2005): Co-producer. A two-CD compilation, featuring Alex de Grassi and other artists. Mojo gave it a four-star review, saying "This largely acoustic set is guaranteed to leave guitar buffs drooling," while Total Guitarnoted that "Not only does it feature some of the most astonishing guitar playing we’ve heard all year... but all proceeds go to buying guitars and guitar lessons for inner city kids."
- Various releases on the Artemis/Vanguard label (2003–2005): Compilation Producer.
- The Telemark Movie, (documentary soundtrack, 1990) arranger/guitarist.
References
- ^ "Robert Paul Sullivan | New England Conservatory". Necmusic.edu. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "Bach, Celebrated With Strings". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "Law School Graduates Profile". Law.umich.edu. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "How One Man Changed The World With a Pair of Scissors". Vidal Sassoon The Movie. Archived from the original on 2014-10-01. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ Stokes, Emily (2010-01-25). "Silent Films/Live Guitars/Justin Vernon, the New York Guitar Festival, Merkin Concert Hall". FT.com. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ [1] Archived March 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "PLAYING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: YORKVILLE; With Words and Music, Deviltry in Church - New York Times". The New York Times. New York City. 1994-07-10. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "Who's Ellnora? | ELLNORA | The Guitar Festival". Ellnoraguitarfestival.com. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "ELLNORA: The Long Count | Krannert Center for the Performing Arts | U of I". Krannertcenter.com. 2009-09-11. Archived from the original on 2014-08-17. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ [2] Archived January 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ". Muziekgebouw.nl. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "Holland Festival". Hollandfestival.nl. Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ Gormely, Ian (2010-06-17). "The National's Dessner Brothers to Transform The Long Count Project into Full-Length Album • News •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "ELLNORA | The Guitar Festival | Krannert Center for the Performing Arts". Ellnoraguitarfestival.com. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "Relix - News - Luther Dickinson, Taj Mahal, Calexico, Black Dub, Marc Ribot Confirmed for Ellnora". Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ Mergner, Lee. "Jazz Articles: Bill Frisell to Premiere New Work at Ellnora Guitar Festival in Illinois - By Lee Mergner — Jazz Articles". Jazztimes.com. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "The festival with strings attached - Entertainment". theage.com.au. 2007-06-05. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ [3] Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "New York Observer: Dylan". Jimdero.com. 2003-07-28. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "Piece » Written in My Soul from Me to You: Blood on the Tracks at 30". PRX. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ Fox, Jesse (2006-01-13). "A Guitar Festival Begins With a Trip to 'Nebraska' - NYTimes.com". New York Times. New York City. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "American Beauty Project | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "One Concert, Multiple Bands and a New Life for a Dead Classic". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "Still-Potent Grateful Dead Album Is Reimagined". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "Sonic Garden : A Jersey Shore Rebound". Sonicgardendotorg.wordpress.com. June 28, 2012. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ "Shore Fire Media - Boutique Public Relations Firm". Shorefire.com. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
- ^ Wien, Gary (2011-09-01). "New Jersey Stage: Asbury Park arts collective launches with a series of performances and talks featuring award-winning filmmakers, cartoonists, musicians and visual artists". Newjerseystage.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2014-07-26.