NEXUS’ most recent CD Wings features a number of songs by NEXUS’ friend Toru Takemitsu who is recognized as one of the world’s great modernists. But Takemitsu also had a great appetite for and vast knowledge of Western popular music and he drew on this in much of his work, creating film, radio, TV and… Read more »

And now for something completely different: Every now and then we run into bloggers who are blogging about NEXUS. Most of these blog entries are written by human beings, but not long ago we ran into one that was posted by a cat. I’m serious. His name is Simon Teakettle and his blog is called… Read more »

The following interview took place at John Wyre’s home in Norland, Ontario on August 2, 1996. This is the first time it has ever been published. Bill: What do you see as the current musical environment? What kinds of things are going on that are likely to influence the course of music? John: In my… Read more »

  From time to time I have received requests from percussionists asking for information about George Hamilton Green and Joseph Green.  (I know that Bob Becker has also received many such requests – see his blog.)   Here is a sample.   Question: I am very interested in your personal role in bringing the Green… Read more »

Questions from a student: I am curious about your interpretation regarding the following figures: A. B.   1. What terminology do you use to identify figure A? Cahn: drag; ruff; 3-stroke-drag; 3-stroke ruff; appoggiatura 2. What terminology do you use to identify figure B? Cahn: 4-stroke ruff, (4-stroke drag), ruff, appoggiatura 3. How do you… Read more »

If you have been intrigued by Robin Engelman’s postings about Ruffs, Drags, and Poing Strokes, you’ll be interested in his workshop concerning the Music for Drums and Fifes. What makes Robin’s workshop particularly valuable is that participants can experience history by actually playing replicas of 16th to 19th century rope and rod tensioned field drums…. Read more »

In my last post regarding Japan, I mentioned the special piece written for NEXUS (with orchestra) by Toru Takemitsu entitled “From me flows what you call Time”. If music is the international language then Takemitsu had a hand in making it so. He is known for intergrating the western and eastern musical palettes, which is… Read more »

    In December 2008, at the end of the fall semester, my first semester at the Eastman School of Music as a part time Associate Professor, I held a mock orchestra audition for the four graduate students with whom I had been working.   They had all expressed an interest in taking orchestra auditions. … Read more »

As you have doubtless noted, when looking at Bill Cahn’s busy schedule, JAPAN jumps out – home of taiko, kodo, the okedo daiko, kumi daiko, and a huge variety of bells and gongs. (Patrick Graham gives a nice look at Japanese Percussion here – scroll midway down the page).

  I recently received an email from a student at Florida Gulf Coast University asking, 1) What marimba music should be in every musician’s library? and 2) What do you consider to be a work that has helped the Marimba become more accepted in the music community and why?   Here is my reply.  … Read more »

What an energized time here in the NEXUS studio! Not only have we received word from Gordon Stout that he has completed a new work for NEXUS but we have just received wonderful news from The Eternal Dance of Life (written for NEXUS and wind ensemble) and rewritten them as solo pieces for NEXUS alone…. Read more »

    What do NEXUS, Phil Nimmons (clarinet), David Braid (piano), Suba Sankaran (voice), Parmela Attariwala (strings) and Mark Laver (saxophone) all have in common?   Maybe it is their eagerness to go to that place no one knows – the place where music is born – and to do so accompanied for the first… Read more »