Mali-Malist is a word game combining Mali and minimalist. I wrote this piece for a "Festival au Desert, Presenza dAfrica" in 2012 where I played…
Mali-Malist is a word game combining Mali and minimalist. I wrote this piece for a “Festival au Desert, Presenza dAfrica” in 2012 where I played with the women singers group Tartit from Mali. A civil war had broken out in Mali and with this piece, I wanted to pay tribute to the Malian people. I wrote it as a kind of war documentary, as the music for a TV news program.
The feel of the music is minimalism and chill-out, but with a reflective message. The slow glissandos for double bass 3 (bars 41-48) describe the sound of the war siren. The traditional music of Mali is repetitive music, and over this idea, I wrote a piece with a minimalist feel. I used others elements of Mali´s music such as a monotone and rhythmic bass line. It´s a high-energy piece where I try to make the audience feel what Mali´s people feel when the war siren starts to sound.’ [Simón García]
Originally for Double Bass, Quartet, Mali-malist is now available in versions for cello quartet or string orchestra, also playable by string quintet. The music is rhythmic, driven, exciting, and high energy and is a sure-fire hit with audiences!
Bassist and composer Simón García was born in Mugardos (Spain) in 1977 and graduated in double bass from the Conservatorio Superior of Salamanca. He has worked as a double bassist in the Royal Orchestra of Galicia, having also performed in many orchestras throughout Spain, and is the bassist in the Symphony Wind Orchestra of A. Coruna. His music has been performed in Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, Denmark, Spain, Japan, Italy, Austria, Germany, Canada, USA, and UK by The Bass Gang, Bass Instinct, and Il Quint-etto amongst others, and some of his music was used as teaching material in the 2011 ISB Year of Collaborative Music.
Simón García’s music is lively, jazzy, and rhythmic with great forward momentum and drive. Accessible for players and audiences alike, he writes colourful music of distinction and energy, employing the entire range of the double bass.
