PRISM Quartet’s Dedication was released on Innova Records on May 31. Along with my speed metal organum blues, Dedication features 23 short works composed in 2004 in celebration of the Quartet’s 20th anniversary. Music by Tim Berne, William Bolcom, Zack Browning, Robert Capanna, Donnacha Dennehy, Dennis DeSantis, Nick Didkovsky, Jason Eckardt, Roshanne Etezady, Reneé Favand-See, Perry Goldstein, Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, Matthew Levy, Keith Moore, Greg Osby, Frank J. Oteri, James Primosch, Tim Ries, Adam Silverman, Ken Ueno, Gregory Wanamaker, and Chen Yi.

“Consider the controlled violence in a work like Gregory Wanamaker’s speed metal organum blues (which sounds just about like you might expect from the title), the peppy cross rhythms of Jennifer Higdon’s Bop, the humor of Frank J. Oteri’s four-movement Fair and Balanced?, and the lyricism of Adam B. Silverman’s Just a Minute, Chopin, for starters: all of these little works receive committed, precise performances, and there really are few dull moments on the entire 26-item program.”

James Manheim, AllMusic

“From the frantic, florid playing required by Gregory Wanamaker’s speed metal organum blues to the melancholy of Renée Favand-See’s isolation, this set of birthday dedications offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of one of the essential contemporary music groups of our time.”

One Sheet Text, Innova Records website