Guy Lochhead, 10/09/10
Multi-talented American musician and composer well known for his unusual collaborations. Soldier grew up influenced by James Brown and Isaac Hayes and, later, classical music and salsa. He began studying classical composition at Michigan State University but found the coures too restricting and switched private tuition under avant-garde saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell. He has played in rock, salsa, punk, country and “Andalusian-middle eastern rock” groups, string quartets and full orchestras, with artists as diverse as Pete Seeger, GBV, Mo Tucker, Christopher O’Riley, Kurt Vonnegut and Guatemalan traditional musicians. He has also played with elephants in the Thai Elephant Orchestra and collaborated with children many times in projects such as Tangerine Awkestra, Da Hiphop Raskalz and Mayan Mountain Music. He has created specially designed instruments for music played by zebra finches and pygmy chimpanzees, and a system that enables music to be played using a performer’s brainwaves. He has written music for television (Sesame Street) and film (I Shot Andy Warhol). He provides very detailed project information about supporting resources on his website, encouraging others to have a go. I have a huge respect for Soldier’s approach to music-making. He seems to view every genre and form of musical output as equal, and is active in overcoming the standard hierarchical approach to music production/consumption. He also has a great sense of fun. I identify more with some projects than others, but this doesn’t constitute grounds for exclusion. I will include Da Hiphop Raskalz (hip hop and dub made entirely by 5-10 year old children from East Harlem), the Tangerine Awkestra (free improvisation by 2-10 year old Brooklyn kids that came from their listening to Ornette Coleman and Roscoe Mitchell and deciding they could do it better) and Yol K’u (which features Mayan Indian children in Guatemala composing minimalist tunes on traditional giant marimbas).