Writer/radio host Ben Gambuzza recently interviewed me on his experiences studying with Feldman for his illuminating podcast, The Best is Noise. His questions were probing and thoughtful. You can read the transcript at Ben’s Substack, Evenings with the Orchestra. And yes, that’s me in 1981, at a Snakefinger concert during my time at University at Buffalo. Photo: Mike Qotas
‘Air lines’ for harmonica duo (diatonic + chromatic)
Opening page of Air Lines
On the last day of 2025 I completed a new piece for two harmonicas, titled Air lines. It calls for a Hohner Marine Band in A major, and a chromatic harp in C. Fun fact: the Marine Band is 7-limit just-tempered, while the chromatic is equal-tempered. So "unison" and enharmonic pitches are noticeably off. I play quite a bit on those intriguing discrepancies.
Air lines calls for a pitch-shifting toy bullhorn; there's some singing into the harp, plus a few other extended techniques.
The piece actually began in a dream in which a disembodied hand gave me a beautiful Art Deco harmonica. A stentorian voice said to me, "You're not listening – it's a very fine instrument." Most likely, the premiere will take the form of a video in which I play both parts. Stay tuned for details…