The word "Wiretap" has certainly been in the news a lot lately, but the piece is not a political commentary by any stretch of the imagination. While in the midst of writing this piece, it occurred to me that I was working with a variety of discrete musical motifs and ideas that were layered and competing for the listener's attention. Some of these phrases would trail off into nothing, while others would become more pressing or come to some sort of natural conclusion. Rather than trying to rein things in, I decided to experiment with the idea of hearing many different simultaneous conversations.
Much of the harmonic and rhythmic material used in "Wiretap" draws from the same languages I use when writing for my quintet and quartet. In the context of writing music for improvisers, I am accustomed to leaving lots of space and allowing each player to make a lot of his or her own musical decisions. Although I fleshed out a lot more for the players of counter)induction than I would for my own groups, I still left a lot to the discretion of these musicians, and they all have made wonderful musical choices and contributions to the piece.
Thanks to: Douglas Boyce and counter)induction for commissioning this piece; Benjamin Fingland, Sumire Kudo, Blair McMillen, Jessica Meyer, and Miranda Cuckson for putting so much effort into making the music come alive; Craig, Gerald, Mark, and Tony for continuing to push me into new areas as a player, composer, and human being; Victoria and Sebastian for your constant inspiration and support.
Chris Lightcap