"Dreams & Meditations" & "Strange News"

Glenn plays music which is meditative and dreamy,  lush and sensual, emotional and compositionally layered.  Having performed and composed in many traditions, including classical, klezmer, jazz and Balkan, he brings many elements together in live performances which take advantage of all the sounds of the clarinet- its wide range and amazing tones.  His first solo album, "Wider than the Sky," has been released to glowing reviews.

Glenn's music has bee compared to Robert Fripp and Brian Eno , except with clarinet instead of electric guitar.  Like Fripp and Eno,  he has created compositional frameworks and techniques allow the music to ebb and flow, breath and develop, creating musical journeys which Glenn likens to ever-evolving sound sculptures.   The results range from intimate and meditative to rich orchestral sounds composed of layers of clarinet.

"Dreams & Meditations" lives in the realm of traditional tonality,  while "Strange News" explores the microtonal world he discovered while studying and performing with composer/performer Joe Maneri.  "Strange News"  utilizes all the notes between the notes on the traditional keyboard, creating otherworldly harmonies and melodies. 

Glenn has done solo performances of both approaches at churches and galleries in Boston & New York, presented as concerts and labyrinth walks. 

BIO

Clarinetist Glenn Dickson has had a varied career playing klezmer,  jazz, rock, Balkan and ambient music.  His first solo album, "Wider than the Sky," was recently  released and has received glowing reviews from US & European reviewers. His klezmer band, Shirim Klezmer Orchestra, has performed concerts and festivals across the US, Canada and Europe, with recordings including the “Klezmer Nutcracker” and a collaboration with Maurice Sendak (Pincus and the Pig).  The band has played live on the CBC and with the Philadelphia Pops.  Glenn's music has been used  by Woody Allen (Deconstructing Harry soundtrack), and he was a featured soloist on Sidney Lumet's "A Stranger Among Us." His klezmer-fusion band, Naftule’s Dream, features Glenn's compositions and has played major jazz festivals in the US, Canada and Europe, including the Berlin, Montreal and New York Jazz Festivals and recorded for John Zorn’s Tzadik and the Innova labels.  Glenn  is a recipient of a Mass Cultural Council Artist Grant award in composition.

I’ve played this enough times to be sure but in truth I loved this one from the first hearing. It is Avant Folk Primal you might say. The entire sequence places the listener into a peaceful, dream-like state and yet remains wholly cohesive and musically contentful.” - Grego Applegate Edwards

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