Tom Bickley: Jepson Prairie

Other Minds is proud to present Jepson Prairie, a new album of recent work by Bay Area composer Tom Bickley. Jepson Prairie continues Other Minds’s tradition of presenting work by under-recorded yet notable composers. Bickley has long been a presence in American New Music as evidenced by his long-standing Deep Listening work and affiliation with the Cornelius Cardew Choir, among others. Despite his many years of composing and performing, Jepson Prairie is Bickley’s debut commercial release as a solo composer. Many of the pieces that comprise Jepson Prairie use field recordings as their foundation—deep listening is essential to finding a way into the interior of this music. Soundscapes from sources as varied as restored wetlands outside of Bickley’s hometown of Houston, Texas, a train station in Kyoto, Japan, and construction sounds from the composer’s current home of Berkeley, California make appearances over the course of the disc. Bickley arranges delicate instrument