SaskMusic

Brian Baggett - Chapman Stick soloist

Categories: Musicians: Bass, Musicians: Other, Musicians: String Instruments, Solo Artists, Songwriters/Composers

Genres: Global Influences, Jazz, Sound Art

Contact

Description

The only Chapman Stick performer in Saskatchewan, Brian Baggett showcases masterful original compositions and colorfully arranged standards from various genres.

Brian has a thirty plus year background in classical, jazz, rock, experimental and improvisatory music. As a solo act with the 10-string Chapman Stick, he brings fluid relevancy between all music genres in a live setting: art openings, weddings, pub entertainment, stage shows, and beyond. Brian Baggett lives in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Brian is a native of Houston, Texas (USA) and a 21 year resident of the West Texas city of Abilene.

Since 1996, the Chapman Stick has been Brian’s primary vehicle of music exploration. He is active in the Stick community and is currently emerging within the Saskatchewan music scene.

His resume’ features:
- countless solo performances on small stage venues across Texas and Saskatchewan
- numerous performances with jazz, improv, rock and worship bands
- hosted the West Texas Stick Seminar in Abilene, Texas March 2001
- released Warfare in 1999, a solo CD of 12 original compositions

News

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  October 25th CD release for "Bookmarks", the third recording from Stick soloist Brian Baggett

  September 26, 2018

  On October 25, Chapman Stick soloist Brian Baggett releases Bookmarks, the third full length recording from Saskatchewan’s 10-string veteran. This 45-minute album contains Baggett’s reinterpretations of various jazz, rock, and pop standards, plus three original compositions.

  The Chapman Stick is an electrically amplified, two-handed “touchboard” stringed instrument invented by Emmett Chapman in 1974. It is played with a finger tap style. No strumming needed.

  Each track on Bookmarks represents a different era from Baggett’s 22 years as a Stick performer. Reinterpretations of music like John Coltrane’s “Naima”, Pat Metheny’s “Bright Size Life”, The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes”, and Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas” demonstrates respect for the original recordings while showcasing a different perspective for each piece.

  Recorded in a raw style, gently nodding towards 1930-50’s jazz records, Bookmarks is subtly edgy and purposely unpolished. Baggett explains, “During the recording process, I instructed engineer Orion Paradis (SoulSound - Regina) to leave some open microphones in the room to catch random nuances, such as me singing along with whatever melody I was playing. These open mics, of course, also caught undesired noises like: chair squeaks, moans, sloppy string flubs. We left it all in the mix, warts and all. It makes the character of this record.”

  Bookmarks is a dramatic departure from Baggett’s previous recordings. Both First Contact (2016) and Warfare (1999) were each an hour long journey through complex, original compositions. Bookmarks is lighter fare, yet still roots itself in the arena of exploratory music. “It’s more like thumbing through a beloved family photo album as opposed to reading a deep novel.”, says Baggett. “Each track is a snapshot of an era in my own musical life.”

  Three of Bookmarks’ tracks are Baggett’s compositions. Of those three, “What Has Been Will Be Again” and “Listening and Waiting” are re-recorded pieces from Warfare (1999), Baggett’s first album as a new and upcoming Stick player. “Bookmarks is a cover-song album. So it’s OK to cover myself,” he says. The opening track “We’re Where We Were” is the only new original composition of Baggett’s on Bookmarks. It’s a piece that tries to capture musically the pride that people hold when treading old ground while assuming they have forged a new path. “In other words, music about going in circles. Or going nowhere”, Baggett ponders. “This is the same theme that ‘What Has Been…’ is based on, thus both pieces about treading old ground are included on this album about treading old ground by performing others’ music.”

  Bookmarks will be available on iTunes Oct 25. Pre-orders, downloads, and physical CDs are available at brianbaggett-chapmanstick.bandcamp.com and brianbaggett.ca

  Bookmarks release tour:

  November 8: Regina at Creative City Centre with Brodie Moniker

  November 23: Saskatoon at McNally Robinson (solo)

  December 1: Fort Qu'Appelle at the QVCA (Qu'Appelle Valley Centre for the Arts) with The Stillhouse Poets

Back

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Discography

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  WARFARE

  Various Artists

  March 1999

  Brian Baggett's first release, from 1999. Almost 1 hour of original music performed on solo Chapman Stick

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  First Contact

  Various Artists

  June 2016

  Baggett has been performing on the 10-string Chapman Stick (a two-handed “touchboard” guitar) since 1996 and his new release showcases some of the original material performed in his live solo sets between Texas and Saskatchewan, 1999 to 2016. Featuring nearly an hour of solo Stick performance, 9 of the 10 jazz-influenced tracks are original compositions, with one track written by his mentor Stickist Greg Howard. The album revolves around the meditative, epic “Pain Free”, which explores the journey between this life and the next, and ends with the punchy, progressive rock-like “Warfare Part III”. Recorded at: SoulSound Studio, Regina. Produced by: Brian Baggett and Orion Paradis. 

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  Bookmarks

  Various Artists

  October 2018

  A soloist on the unique 10-string instrument the Chapman Stick, Baggett presents his third full-length album. It contains his reinterpretations of various jazz, rock, and pop standards, like Coltrane’s “Naima”, Metheny’s “Bright Size Life”, The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes”, and Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas,” along with three original compositions. It’s a dramatic departure from Baggett’s previous recordings - journeys through complex, original compositions. Bookmarks is lighter fare, yet still roots itself in the arena of exploratory music. Recorded in a raw style, gently nodding towards ‘30s-50’s jazz records, Bookmarks is subtly edgy and purposely unpolished. Recorded at: SoulSound, Regina. Produced by: Brain Baggett. Released: 

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  Let Nothing You Dismay

  Various Artists

  November 2021

  This instrumental 5-song EP features straight-ahead jazz arrangements and semi-ambient, looping style holiday standards. Plus, one modern christmas classic from Guaraldi's score to "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

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  Let Nothing You Dismay

  Various Artists

  November 2021

  "Let Nothing You Dismay" is a 5-song holiday EP from Saskatchewan's only 10-string Chapman Stick artist Brian Baggett. The recording contains instrumental solo arrangements in a straight-ahead jazz style to a looping cosmic dreamscape and back again. Track list includes four classic Christmas standards (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, What Child Is This, We Three Kings Shchedryk, aka Carol of the Bells) and one modern classic from Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas". All arrangements by Brian Baggett. Engineered, mixed, mastered, and co-produced by Orion Paradis.

Videos

• '1995'

  (a semi-autobiographical tale of a year of change...a journey within). From the album 'First Contact' (2016). Filmed by Brent Nielson (Regina, SK)

• 'First Contact/Blue Ridge'

  'First Contact'- an alteration/improvisation of 'Blue Ridge' by Stickist Greg Howard. Filmed by Brent Nielson - 2016 (Regina, SK)

• Empty Room with Brian Baggett

  'Rebuild The Ancient Ruins' is a short meditation reflecting on the potential blessings or curses of following age old traditions. This piece is included on the album First Contact (from 2016)
  
  "Brian Baggett is the only Chapman Stick performer in Saskatchewan, showcasing masterful original compositions and colourfully arranged standards from various genres. His solo instrumental act is often
  featured in restaurants, pubs, art exhibit openings, weddings, and stage shows, with future hopes ...

• Empty Room with Brian Baggett - "We're Where We Were"

  The Empty Room is a video series that features live off the floor recordings by select Saskatchewan artists. The idea behind the series is to capture artists' performances in a room without an audience. The recordings are done in the Hague Gallery at the Creative City Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan.

  http://www.creativecitycentre.ca

  http://brianbaggett.ca